Stop & Shop vs Acme: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
One of the best ways to save money right now on groceries is to price compare between your local stores. This will ensure that you are getting the lowest prices and stay on your budget.
Today we will be doing a side by side comparison of Stop & Shop and Acme Markets to determine who has the cheapest prices for groceries. We will also see if we will save more money by just going to one store, or if it is worth it to shop our list at both stores. Let’s dig in to the numbers!
Is Acme Markets cheaper 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
- Egg & Bacon Breakfast Burritos with Orange Slices
- Muffins, Yogurt, & Diced Pears
- Banana Smoothies and Scrambled Eggs
- Banana Raisin Pancakes with Pancake Syrup and Diced Pears
Lunches
- Sloppy Joe & Cheese Taquitos with sour cream
- BLT wraps
- Leftovers from Dinners
Dinners
- Sloppy Joes with Carrot Salad and Homemade Potato Wedges
- Tuna Casserole with Green Peas
- Ground Beef Burrito Bowls with Rice, served with (lettuce, tomato, black beans, sour cream, & cheddar cheese)
- Smoke Sausage Foil Packs with carrots, potatoes, & onion
- Mississippi Chicken in the Crockpot served over white rice with Brussell Sprouts
- One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta with Garlic Bread & Green Beans
Snacks
- Orange Slices
- Popcorn
- Yogurt
- Diced Pears
Sweet Treat
- Easy Maple Cookies (uses pancake syrup)
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Freehold, New Jersey. 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 Week #12 (Quick, Healthy and Cheap for a Family!).”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Stop & Shop Price | Acme Price |
| Bananas x8 | 1 bunch= $1.52 | $0.28 each= $2.24 |
| Oranges | 4lb bag of Navel oranges= $4.99 *on sale* | 4lb bag of Valencia oranges= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Lettuce | 1 head green leaf= $1.99 | 1 head romaine= $1.49 *on sale* |
| Tomato x2 | On the Vine $0.67 each= $1.34 | On the Vine $1.15 each= $2.30 |
| Onion x2 | Vidalia onion $0.96 each= $1.92 | Yellow onion $0.89 each= $1.78 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russet Potatoes= $3.79 | 5lb bag of Russet Potatoes= $5.99 |
| Carrots | 16oz bag of baby carrots= $1.79 | 16oz bag of baby carrots= $1.49 |
| Total: (7 items) | $17.34 | $18.78 |
In the produce section, Stop & Shop came out cheaper with a total of $17.34. This was $1.44 cheaper than Acme’s total of $18.78.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Stop & Shop Price | Acme Price |
| Bacon | Farmland 12oz pack= $4.99 | Signature Farms 16oz pack= $4.99 *on sale* |
| Ground Beef | Nature’s Promise 90/10 1lb fresh= $4.89 *on sale* | 85/15 1lb fresh= $5.49 *on sale* |
| Smoked Sausage (kielbasa, etc) | Stop & Shop 14oz pack= $4.49 | Eckrich 10oz pack= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Chicken Breasts (need 4-5) | Bone-In Breasts $2.99 a lb (6lbs)= $14.94 | Boneless $3.49 a lb (4.5 lbs)= $15.70 |
| Total: (4 items) | $29.31 | $30.17 |
In the meat section, Stop & Shop came out cheaper with a total of $29.31. This was $0.86 cheaper than Acme’s total of $30.17.
*It is worth noting that not only did Stop & Shop come out cheaper, but we left with 1.5lbs more of chicken and 4oz more of smoked sausage.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Stop & Shop Price | Acme Price |
| Flour Tortillas | Stop & Shop 20ct= $1.99 | Chi-Chi’s 12ct= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Muffin Mix | Pillsbury Banana 14oz box= $2.50 *on sale* | Jiffy blueberry 7oz box= $1.19 |
| Pancake Syrup | Stop & Shop 24oz bottle= $2.99 | Pearl Milling 24oz bottle= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Ketchup | Stop & Shop 20oz bottle= $2.79 | Signature Select 20oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Brown Sugar | Stop & Shop 1lb bag= $2.19 | Signature Select 1lb bag= $1.99 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | Stop & Shop 10oz bottle= $1.89 | Lea & Perrins 5oz bottle= $2.69 |
| Hamburger Buns (8ct) | Stop & Shop 8ct= $2.00 | Signature Select 8ct= $2.69 |
| Raisins | Stop & Shop 6oz mini boxes= $2.19 | Signature Select 12oz box= $2.49 |
| Diced Pears (canned) | Stop & Shop 15oz can= $2.29 | Signature Select 5oz can= $1.89 |
| Mayonnaise | Mike’s 15oz jar= $2.19 | Signature Select 15oz jar= $2.99 |
| Egg Noodles | Egg Noodles 12oz bag= $3.19 | Signature Select 12oz bag= $1.99 |
| Tuna (canned) | Starkist 5oz can= $1.19 | Chicken of the Sea 5oz can= $1.39 *on sale* |
| Breadcrumbs | Stop & Shop 15oz container= $1.99 | Delallo 15oz container= $2.49 *on sale* |
| Taco Seasoning Pack | Stop & Shop 1.25oz pack= $0.89 | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.99 |
| White Rice | Stop & Shop 1lb bag= $1.19 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.69 |
| Black Beans (canned) | Stop & Shop 15.5oz can= $1.09 | Signature Select 5oz can= $1.29 |
| Au Jus Seasoning Pack | Watkins 1oz pack= $1.69 | Signature Select oz pack= $0.99 |
| Ranch Seasoning Pack | Nature’s Promise oz pack= $1.99 | Signature Select 4-1oz packs= $1.99 |
| Pepperoncini | Cento 12oz jar= $2.59 | Mt Olive 12oz jar= $3.00 *on sale* |
| Tomato Sauce | Stop & Shop 15oz can= $1.19 | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.19 |
| Italian Seasoning | Stop & Shop 0.75oz bottle= $2.19 | Signature Select 4-0.7 packs= $1.99 |
| Green Beans | Stop & Shop 14.5oz can= $0.88 *on sale* | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $1.19 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Stop & Shop 3ct box= $2.19 | Orville 3ct box= $1.99 *on sale* |
| All Purpose Flour | Stop & Shop 2lb bag= $1.99 | Signature Select 5lb bag= $3.49 |
| Sugar | Stop & Shop 2lb bag= $2.39 | Signature Select 2lb box= $2.79 |
| Baking Soda | Stop & Shop 16oz box= $0.95 | Arm & Hammer 16oz box= $1.29 *on sale* |
| Vanilla Extract | Stop & Shop 1oz bottle= $3.89 | Signature Select 1oz bottle= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Total: (26 items) | $54.50 | $57.64 |
In the dry goods section, Stop & Shop came out cheaper with a total of $54.50. This was $3.14 cheaper than Acme’s total of $57.64.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Stop & Shop Price | Acme Price |
| Frozen Peas | Green Giant 8oz box= $1.25 *on sale* | Green Giant 8oz box= $1.00 *on sale* |
| Frozen Brussell Sprouts | Green Giant 8oz box= $1.25 *on sale* | Signature Select 2oz bag= $2.49 |
| Total: (2 items) | $2.50 | $3.49 |
In the frozen section, Stop & Shop came out cheaper with a total of $2.50. This was $0.99 cheaper than Acme’s total of $3.49.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Stop & Shop Price | Acme Price |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Stop & Shop 32oz container= $3.89 | Lucerne 32oz container= $3.39 |
| 1/2 gallon of Milk | Stop & Shop half gallon= $3.29 | Lucerne half gallon= $2.89 |
| Eggs | Stop & Shop 12ct large white eggs= $3.99 | Lucerne 12ct large white eggs= $3.99 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Stop & Shop 16oz block= $5.39 | Lucerne 16oz block= $4.99 |
| Sour Cream | Stop & Shop 8oz container= $1.39 | Lucerne 8oz container= $1.49 |
| Butter | Stop & Shop 16oz sticks= $3.99 | Lucerne 16oz sticks= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Mozzarella Cheese (8oz) | Land O Lakes 8oz shredded= $2.50 *on sale* | Lucerne 8oz shredded= $2.99 |
| Total: (7 items) | $24.44 | $23.73 |
In the dairy section, Acme came out cheaper with a total of $23.73. This is $0.71 cheaper than Stop & Shop’s total of $24.44.
Is Stop & Shop more expensive than Acme?
Stop and Shop was cheaper in almost all the sections, but let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Stop & Shop Price | Acme Price |
| Produce | $17.34 | $18.78 |
| Deli/Meats | $29.31 | $30.17 |
| Dry Goods | $54.50 | $57.64 |
| Frozen Foods | $2.50 | $3.49 |
| Dairy | $24.44 | $23.73 |
| Overall Total: (46 items) | $128.09 | $133.81 |
Overall, Stop & Shop was cheaper than Acme with a total of $128.09. This was $5.72 (about 4%) cheaper than Acme’s total of $133.81.
If I had to choose one store, I would probably pick Stop and Shop because they did have the lower total price and we were able to get more meat than we did at Acme.
If I had the time to go to both stores or do a curbside pickup order, we could just buy the items that were cheapest at each store.
By doing this, our total would have been $118.19. That is an additional savings of $9.90 which is about 7%. $10 may not seem like much, but it is a great start to stocking our pantry and freezer for upcoming weeks!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Acme vs Food Lion” and “Stop & Shop vs ShopRite.”
