Safeway vs Shoppers: Who is Cheaper?
Safeway is part of the Albertsons family of stores and has about 904 stores in 17 states. Shoppers Food and Drug is a small regional grocery chain with about 21 stores in the Baltimore and Washington DC metro areas.
To determine if Safeway or Shoppers is cheaper for groceries, we will do a side-by-side price comparison of a week’s worth of groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
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Is Safeway cheaper than Shoppers?
For this test, I have prepared a meal plan for one week that consists of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 young kids). I am using the “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as my guide to pick not only healthy foods but also ones that should be fairly cheap.
Here is the meal plan for this grocery trip:
Breakfasts
- Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas x2
- Overnight Oats with Apples and Raisins x3
- Scrambled Eggs with Cheese on top and Toast x2
Lunches
- Tuna Salad Sandwiches x 2
- Veggie & Pepperoni Pasta Salad with Zesty Italian Dressing
- Salad Wraps with tomato, cucumber, and cheese
- Leftovers
Snacks
- Carrots
- Apples
- Popcorn
Dinners
- Baked Whole Chicken with rice and sautéed carrots
- Leftover Chicken in a Pasta with Alfredo Sauce, Broccoli, and side salad
- Ground Turkey Tacos with Corn and Refried Beans
- Leftover Taco Meat in a Mexican Baked Potato Bar with Side Salads
- Pork Loin with Mashed Potatoes and Corn
- Hawaiin Pizza with Leftover Pork, Pepperoni, and Pineapple (using a little Alfredo Sauce as the Base)
Sweet Treat
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
For this meal plan, I am going to shop at both stores and look for the best deals on price. We will be using prices in Clinton, Maryland for this store comparison.
Most items will be the generic store brand, and I will be aiming to get my groceries needed for the cheapest price available.
Even though my pantry is very well stocked, for this experiment I will shop as if I only have the bare basics at home like seasonings, salt, sugar, and cooking oil. For a full breakdown of this meal plan, and how I would make it work, check out “Healthy Grocery List for Family of 4 on a Budget #1.”
Produce
These are the fresh vegetables and fruits needed in the produce section for my meal plan this week.
| Items | Safeway Price | Shoppers Price |
| 8 Bananas | $0.28 each= $2.24 | $0.59 a lb = $1.91 |
| Apples | 3lb bag of Gala apples= $5.49 | 3lb bag of Gala apples= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Lettuce | 1 head romaine= $2.49 | 1 head iceberg= $2.59 |
| Potatoes | 5lb lb white potatoes= $3.99 *on sale* | 5lb Idaho potatoes= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Tomatoes x3 | On the vine $0.99 each= $2.97 | Organic tomato $0.50 each= $1.50 *on sale* |
| Cucumber | $1.19 each | $0.99 each |
| Carrots | 1lb bag= $0.99 | 1lb bag= $1.49 |
| Totals: 7 Items | $19.36 | $16.46 |
In the produce section, Shoppers came out cheaper with a total of $16.46. This was $2.90 cheaper than Safeway’s total of $19.36.
Deli/Meats
Here are the items I will need from the deli and meat section of the stores.
| Items | Safeway Price | Shoppers Price |
| Pepperoni | Armour 5oz pack= $3.00 *on sale* | Essential Everday 6oz pack= $3.49 |
| Whole Chicken | Perdue $1.49 a lb (6lbs) = $8.94 *on sale* | Perdue $2.29 a lb (5lb)= $11.45 *on sale* |
| Ground Turkey | Signature Farms 85/15 1lb fresh= $4.99 | 85/15 1lb fresh= $6.49 |
| Pork Loin | Hatfield 1.15lb = $6.99 *on sale* | Smithfield 18.4oz = $6.99 *on sale* |
| Totals: 4 Items | $23.92 | $28.42 |
In the meat section, Safeway came out cheaper with a total of $23.92. This was $4.50 cheaper than Shoppers’ total of $28.42.
Dry Goods
This is the center area of most grocery stores, and I call this area dry goods. It is all items that are considered shelf stable and are typically stored in a cabinet or on a pantry shelf.
| Items | Safeway Price | Shoppers Price |
| Sandwich Bread | Signature Select 20 oz white bread= $1.49 | Shoppers Value 20oz white bread= $1.39 |
| Peanut Butter | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.79 | Shoppers Value 16oz jar= $2.79 |
| Quick Oats | Malt-O-Meal 16oz container= $3.49 | Essential Everyday 18oz container= $4.89 |
| Raisins | Sun-Maid mini boxes 6oz= $2.00 *on sale* | Essential Everyday mini boxes 6oz= $2.49 |
| Canned Tuna Fish (2 cans) | Signature Select 5oz cans $1.19 each x2= $2.38 | Chicken of the Sea 5oz can $1.25 x2= $2.50 *on sale* |
| Pasta | Signature Select 16oz rotini= $1.33 | Essential Everyday 16oz rotini= $1.99 |
| Zesty Italian Dressing | Wish Bone 8oz bottle= $2.00 *on sale* | Wish Bone 8oz bottle= $2.39 |
| Flour Tortillas | Signature Select 10ct= $1.99 | Old El Paso 10ct= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Microwave Popcorn | Signature Select 3 bags= $1.99 | Wild Harvest 3bags= $2.79 |
| White Rice | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.29 | Iberia 12oz bag= $1.19 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.49 | Ragu 16oz jar= $2.79 *on sale* |
| Canned Corn | Signature Select 15.25 oz can= $1.19 | Libby’s 15 oz can= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Refried Beans | Signature Select 16oz can= $1.69 | Essential Everyday 16oz can= $1.29 |
| Salsa | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.50 | Chi-Chi’s 16oz jar= $3.19 |
| Canned Pineapple | Signature Select 20oz can= $1.99 | Dole 20oz can= $1.99 |
| All Purpose Flour | Signature Select 5lb bag= $2.99 | Essential Everyday 2lb bag= $2.19 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Signature Select 3ct= $0.79 | Essential Everyday 3ct= $1.29 |
| Brown Sugar | Signature Select 1lb bag= $1.67 *on sale* | Domino 1lb box= $1.99 |
| Totals: 18 items | $37.06 | $40.39 |
In the dry goods section, Safeway came out cheaper with a total of $37.06. THis was $3.33 cheaper than Shoppers’ total of $40.39.
Frozen Foods
This is the area in the store that typically has frozen meats, vegetables, fruits, and ice cream. We will mainly stick to the frozen veggie section.
| Items | Safeway Price | Shoppers Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Green Giant 12oz bag= $2.29 | Bird’s Eye 10oz bag= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Frozen Broccoli | Signature Select 12oz bag= $2.39 | Wild Harvest 16oz bag= $2.00 |
| Totals: 2 items | $4.68 | $4.00 |
In the frozen foods section, Shoppers came in cheaper with a total of $4.00. This was $0.68 cheaper than Safeway’s total of $4.68.
Dairy
This is the final section of the store and will cover all dairy needs like cheeses and milk.
| Item: | Safeway Price | Shoppers Price |
| Eggs | Open Nature 12ct brown= $3.29 | Essential Everyday 12ct white= $4.99 |
| 2% Milk (gallon) | Lucerne gallon= $4.39 | Essential Everyday gallon= $4.49 |
| Cheddar cheese (shredded) | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.99 | Essential Everyday 8oz bag= $2.50 *on sale |
| Mozzarella cheese (shredded) | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.99 | Essential Everyday 8oz bag= $2.50 *on sale |
| Sour Cream | Lucerne 8oz container= $1.19 | Essential Everyday 8oz container= $1.69 |
| Totals: 5 items | $14.85 | $16.17 |
In the dairy section, Safeway came out cheaper with a total of $14.85. This was $1.32 cheaper than Shoppers’ total of $16.17.
Is Shoppers more expensive than Safeway?
There was a little back and forth and one store was not cheaper for all sections. Let’s look at the overall totals!
| Section | Safeway Price | Shoppers Price |
| Produce | $19.36 | $16.46 |
| Deli/Meats | $23.92 | $28.42 |
| Dry Goods | $37.06 | $40.39 |
| Frozen Foods | $4.68 | $4.00 |
| Dairy | $14.85 | $16.17 |
| Overall Total | $99.87 | $105.44 |
Overall, Safeway was cheaper than Shoppers with a total of $99.87. This was $5.57 (about 5%) cheaper than Shoppers’ total of $105.44.
If these two stores are my main options, I would really focus on the weekly sales ad and shop the meat and produce deals.
For everything not on sale, I would tend to shop more at Safeway because their everyday prices are looking lower than Shoppers.
Interestingly enough, I found that the store generic brand at Shoppers was actually more expensive than the brand name prices on some items. So, I would really look at the price options, price per unit, and package sizes when shopping there.
Safeway does have weekly ads, and you can use them to help you meal plan for maximum savings. For more savings at Safeway, check out their FreshPass. They are currently offering a 30-day free trial!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Food Lion vs Aldi: Who is Cheaper?” and “Target vs Safeway: Who is Cheaper?“
