Grocery Price Showdown: QFC vs Safeway
Today we are going to see if QFC or Safeway has cheaper prices. QFC is part of the Kroger company so it will be nice to price them to Safeway since Kroger is trying to merge with Albertsons. (Safeway is owned by Albertsons)
It will be interesting to see if either of these stores will be under our $100 grocery budget!
Key Takeaways
- Safeway was the winner with a total of $110.38 but they were still $28.99 (about 26%) higher than Walmart.
- QFC offered a few coupons for the items we needed but the prices for their whole chicken was crazy high.
- Safeway had lots of items on sale, but some prices were still really high.
Meal Plan and Grocery List
I think it is always best to compare prices using a real shopping list and not just random items. So this week’s menu plan is for a family of four and covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks/sweet treat.
We priced this menu out at the Walmart Super Center in Seattle WA and the total came out to $81.39. So, let’s see how QFC and Safeway compared!
Is Quality Foods Center cheaper than Safeway?
QFC is a Kroger owned store, so we are going to use as many sale prices and coupons as we can. We will pick the lowest prices available that will still work with our meal plan!
| Ingredient | QFC Price |
| 8 bananas | $ 2.32 |
| 3lbs of apples | $ 3.99 *on sale* |
| 1 head of lettuce | $ 2.49 |
| 5lbs of potatoes | $ 3.99 |
| 1.9lbs of tomato | $ 3.78 |
| 1 cucumber | $ 1.29 |
| 2lbs of carrots | $ 2.58 |
| Pepperoni (6oz) | $ 2.50 *on sale* |
| Whole Chicken (5-5.5lbs) | $ 14.85 |
| Ground Turkey (1lb) | $ 4.49 *on sale* |
| Pork Loin (1-1.25lbs) <1.5 lbs> | $ 6.99 *on sale* |
| Sandwich Bread (20oz) | $ 1.79 *on sale* |
| Peanut Butter (16oz) | $ 0.99 *on sale & coupon* |
| Quick Oats (18oz) <42oz> | $ 3.99 *on sale* |
| Raisins (6oz) | $ 2.49 |
| Tuna (10oz) | $ 1.76 |
| Pasta (16oz) | $ 1.25 *on sale* |
| Italian Dressing (16oz) | $ 3.49 |
| Flour Tortillas (10ct) | $ 1.99 *on sale* |
| Microwave Popcorn (3ct) <6ct box> | $ 2.99 *on sale* |
| White Rice (1lb) <2lb bag> | $ 1.99 *on sale* |
| Alfredo Sauce (22oz) <16oz jar> | $ 2.49 *on sale* |
| Corn (15oz can) | $ 1.00 *on sale* |
| Refried Beans (16oz can) | $ 1.79 |
| Salsa (16oz) | $ 2.79 *on sale* |
| Pineapple Tidbits (20oz) | $ 2.99 |
| All Purpose Flour (5lb) | $ 3.49 |
| Dry Active Yeast (3 pack) | $ 3.29 |
| Brown Sugar (2lb) | $ 3.49 |
| Frozen Mixed Veggies (12oz) | $ 2.29 |
| Frozen Broccoli (12oz) <10.8oz bag> | $ 1.49 *on sale* |
| Eggs (12ct) | $ 3.59 |
| Milk (gallon) | $ 3.99 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) <two 8oz shredded> | $ 3.58 *on sale & coupon* |
| Mozzarella Cheese (8oz) | $ 1.79 *on sales & coupon* |
| Sour Cream (8oz) | $ 1.49 |
| Total: | $111.55 |
QFC’s total came out to $111.55. This was not bad but still above my goal of $100 for a week of groceries!
(I believe this total easily could have been under $100 if it had not been for the crazy high price on whole chickens.)
Is Safeway Cheaper than QFC?
Safeway has a not-so-great reputation for being quite expensive, so let’s see how they do this week!
| Ingredient | Safeway Price |
| 8 bananas | $1.84 |
| 3lbs of apples | $4.99 |
| 1 head of lettuce | $2.49 |
| 5lbs of potatoes | $2.99 |
| 1.9lbs of tomato | $3.78 |
| 1 cucumber | $1.29 |
| 2lbs of carrots | $2.49 |
| Pepperoni (6oz) | $3.99 *on sale* |
| Whole Chicken (5-5.5lbs) <6lbs> | $7.74 *on sale* |
| Ground Turkey (1lb) | $4.99 |
| Pork Loin (1-1.25lbs) | $5.00 *on sale* |
| Sandwich Bread (20oz) | $1.99 |
| Peanut Butter (16oz) | $2.99 *on sale* |
| Quick Oats (18oz) | $4.29 |
| Raisins (6oz) | $3.49 |
| Tuna (10oz) | $2.00 *on sale* |
| Pasta (16oz) | $1.99 |
| Italian Dressing (16oz) | $3.69 *on sale* |
| Flour Tortillas (10ct) | $1.69 |
| Microwave Popcorn (3ct) | $2.79 |
| White Rice (1lb) <2lb bag> | $3.69 |
| Alfredo Sauce (22oz) <16oz jar> | $2.50 *on sale* |
| Corn (15oz can) | $1.00 *on sale* |
| Refried Beans (16oz can) | $1.89 |
| Salsa (16oz) | $3.49 |
| Pineapple Tidbits (20oz) | $2.00 *on sale* |
| All Purpose Flour (5lb) | $3.69 |
| Dry Active Yeast (3 pack) | $2.49 *on sale* |
| Brown Sugar (2lb) <1lb bag> | $2.29 |
| Frozen Mixed Veggies (12oz) | $2.29 *on sale* |
| Frozen Broccoli (12oz) | $2.49 |
| Eggs (12ct) | $2.99 |
| Milk (gallon) | $2.50 *on sale* |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | $5.98 |
| Mozzarella Cheese (8oz) | $2.99 |
| Sour Cream (8oz) | $1.59 |
| Total: | $110.38 |
Safeway came out with a total of $110.38. This was very impressive because they had a good number of items on sale.
Overall, Safeway was cheaper than QFC this week by just a little! Safeway was $1.17 (about 1%) cheaper than QFC.
Food for Thought
Now let’s see if we can get this week’s grocery total under our $100 budget by only buying what is cheapest at each store!
By using this method, we were able to get our total to $95.30! That was another savings of $15.08 (about 13.6%) and get it under $100.
I would say the $15 savings would definitely be worth going to both stores, or even doing a pick-up order if you don’t have the time.
To compare these grocery stores prices to other stores in the Seattle area, check out the showdown between Sprouts and PCC Community Markets!
