Shaw’s vs Stop & Shop: Who is Cheaper?
Shaw’s is part of the Albertsons Companies and has about 133 stores in 5 Northeast US states. Stop and Shop is part of Ahold Delhaize and has about 415 stores in 5 Northeast US states.
To determine if Shaw’s or Stop & Shop 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!
Any links to products or services, may be affiliate links. When you click on a link, we may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. This helps to run and maintain the site, as well as getting more information available to you at no cost.
Is Shaw’s more expensive than Stop and Shop?
For this price comparison, I have made a meal plan for a family of 4 using “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as a guide. Our plan is to get groceries for a week that are healthy and cheap!
Here is our meal plan:
Breakfasts
- Mini Muffins with Extra Banana
- Cottage Cheese with Canned Peaches
- Eggies in a Basket with strawberries
- Rice Krispie Cereal with milk and Bananas
Lunches
- Bacon Turkey Sandwiches with Tortilla Chips
- Caesar Pasta Salad with leftover Parmesan Chicken
- Ham and Egg Salad sandwiches with Carrot Sticks
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Potato Soup with Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, and Broccoli
- Smothered Chicken and Rice with Side Salad
- Ham, Cheese & Spinach Pasta with Garlic Bread
- Garlic Butter Shrimp over Rice with Sauteed Carrots
- Chicken Fajita Bake with Corn & Black Beans
- Caesar Chicken with Potato Wedges and Green Beans
Snacks
- Carrot and Caesar Dressing
- Hard Boiled Eggs or Deviled Eggs
- Chips and Salsa
- Turkey and Cheese Rollups
Sweet Treat
- Rice Krispie Treats
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Warwick, Rhode Island. I will be selecting items for our meal plan that are the absolute cheapest.
This means mostly generic store brand options and the smallest size needed. This may not be the best value, but we are going for the cheapest option.
We are assuming that we already have kitchen basics like cooking oil, seasonings, salt/pepper, and baking powder at home. Everything else needed for the meal plan will need to be purchased.
For a more in depth break down on how I would make this meal plan work, check out “Healthy Grocery List for Family of 4 on a Budget #9.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Shaw’s Price | Stop & Shop Price |
| Banana x 5 | $0.28 each= $1.40 | 4-6 count bunch= $1.78 |
| Strawberries | 1lb container= $4.99 | 1lb container= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Tomato (x1) | Vine Ripe= $1.50 | On the Vine= $1.01 |
| Lettuce | Head of Iceberg= $2.49 | Head of Romaine= $1.49 *on sale* |
| Lemon (x1) | $0.75 each | $0.75 each |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $4.99 | 5lb bag of Russets= $4.79 |
| Fresh Garlic | $0.99 each | $0.99 each |
| Carrots | 1lb bag organic= $1.79 | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $1.00 *on sale* |
| Bell Pepper x1 | Green= $1.49 each | Yellow= $1.00 each *on sale* |
| Total: (9 items) | $18.90 | $15.80 |
In the produce section, Stop & Shop was cheaper with a total of $15.80. This was $3.10 cheaper than Shaw’s total of $18.90.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Shaw’s Price | Stop & Shop Price |
| Bacon | Jimmy Dean 12oz pack= $5.99 *on sale* | Farmland 12oz pack= $4.99 |
| Turkey Lunchmeat | Land O’Frost 9oz pack= $3.49 | Land O’Frost 9oz pack= $2.79 |
| Chicken Breasts (need 6) | Split Breasts $2.49 a lb (5lb)= $12.45 | Split Breasts $2.29 a lb (6lbs) = $13.74 |
| Ham Steaks | Smithfield 8 oz pack= $3.50 *on sale* | Smithfield 8 oz pack= $3.49 |
| Shrimp | 1lb 26-30 count raw shrimp= $6.97 *on sale* | 1lb bag 31-40 count frozen shrimp = $7.19 *on sale* |
| Total: (5 items) | $32.40 | $32.20 |
In the meat section, Stop & Shop came in barely cheaper with a total of $32.20. This was $0.20 cheaper than Shaw’s total of $32.40.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Shaw’s Price | Stop & Shop Price |
| Muffin Mix | Jiffy Blueberry 7oz box= $1.00 | Krusteaz Banana 15oz box= $2.50 *on sale* |
| Canned peaches | Signature Select 15 oz can= $2.49 | Stop & Shop 15oz can= $2.29 |
| Sandwich bread | Signature Select 16oz white bread= $1.59 | Stop & Shop 16oz white bread= $1.49 |
| Rice Krispie Cereal | Signature Select 12oz box= $2.99 | Stop & Shop 12oz box= $2.19 |
| Marshmallows | Signature Select 10oz bag= $1.49 | Stop & Shop 10.5oz bag= $1.19 |
| Caesar Dressing | Wish Bone 15oz bottle= $2.99 *on sale* | Stop & Shop 16oz bottle= $2.09 |
| French Bread Loaf | 1 loaf= $1.49 | 9oz loaf= $1.99 |
| Mayonnaise | Signature Select 22oz bottle= $3.49 | Stop & Shop 30oz jar= $3.59 |
| Canned green beans | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $1.20 | Stop & Shop 14.5oz can= $1.25 |
| White Rice | Goya 1lb bag= $1.99 | Stop & Shop 2lb bag= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Cream of Chicken Soup | Signature Select 10.5oz can= $1.49 | Stop & Shop 10.5 oz can= $1.09 |
| Canned Corn | Signature Select 15.25oz can= $1.20 | Stop & Shop 15.25oz can= $1.25 |
| Canned Black Beans | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.00 | Stop & Shop 15.5oz can= $0.88 *on sale* |
| Salsa | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.49 | Chi-Chi’s 16oz jar= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Taco Seasoning | McCormick 1.25 oz pack= $1.00 *on sale* | Stop & Shop 1.25oz pack= $0.75 |
| Tortilla Chips | Calidad 11oz bag= $2.00 *on sale* | Ole 12oz bag= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Pasta | Signature Select 16oz rotini= $1.49 | Stop & Shop 16oz Rigatoni= $1.19 |
| Total: (17 items) | $31.39 | $29.74 |
In the dry goods section, Stop & Shop came out cheaper with a total of $29.74. This was $1.65 cheaper than Shaw’s total of $31.39.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Shaw’s Price | Stop & Shop Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Signature Select 16oz bag= $1.99 | Stop & Shop 12oz bag= $2.09 |
| Frozen Spinach | Signature Select 16oz bag= $1.99 | Stop & Shop 10oz box= $1.79 |
| Total: (2 items) | $3.98 | $3.88 |
In the frozen section, Stop & Shop came out cheaper with a total of $3.88. This was $0.10 cheaper than Shaw’s total of $3.98.
It is worth noting that we get more frozen vegetables at Shaw’s for only $0.10 more.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Shaw’s Price | Stop & Shop Price |
| Cottage Cheese | Lucerne 16oz container= $2.49 | Hood 16oz container= $2.50 *on sale* |
| Eggs | Lucerne 12ct white= $2.99 *on sale* | Land O Lakes 12ct brown= $3.00 *on sale* |
| Milk | Lucerne gallon= $4.29 | Stop & Shop gallon= $4.49 |
| Butter | Lucerne 1lb= $4.29 | Stop & Shop 1lb= $4.49 |
| Parmesan cheese | Lucerne 6oz= $1.77 *on sale* | Stop & Shop 6oz bag= $2.69 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Lucerne 8oz bag x2= $3.54 | Stop & Shop 16oz bag= $4.69 |
| Cream Cheese | Lucerne 8oz = $2.99 | Stop & Shop 8oz= $2.49 |
| Total: (7 items) | $22.36 | $24.35 |
In the dairy section, Shaw’s came out cheaper with a total of $22.36. This was $1.99 cheaper than Stop & Shop’s total of $24.35.
Is Shaw’s cheaper than Stop and Shop?
There was a lot of back and forth on who was cheaper in each section. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Shaw’s Price | Stop & Shop Price |
| Produce | $18.90 | $15.80 |
| Deli/Meats | $32.40 | $32.20 |
| Dry Goods | $31.39 | $29.74 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.98 | $3.88 |
| Dairy | $22.36 | $24.35 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $109.03 | $105.97 |
Overall, Stop & Shop was cheaper than Shaw’s with a total of $105.97. This was $3.06 (about 3%) cheaper than Shaw’s total of $109.03.
Both stores had some good sales, so if these were my two main stores, I would really focus on the weekly sales flyer.
If the items I need are not on sale, I will probably go to Stop & Shop since their everyday prices on store brand items seem to be a little lower on dry goods.
For produce and dairy, it seems that Shaw’s had better regular prices. The overall difference is not huge, so I think both places are about equally priced.
Another way to save money at Shaw’s is to take advantage of their online shopping and coupons! Right now, Shaw’s is offering $30 off your 1st online order when you spend $75 or more on DriveUp & Go with code SAVE30.
Stop & Shop offers discounts too with digital coupons and you are able to redeem points with GO rewards for free products and dollars off at checkout. If you prefer online shopping, check out their GO Pass which give you free delivery and pick-up. Current Offer is $50 off and Free Delivery on your first 2 online orders!
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Shaw’s vs Hannaford: Who is Cheaper?” and “Price Rite vs Stop and Shop: Who is Cheaper?“
