Wegmans vs ACME: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Did you know that comparing prices between different grocery stores can actually save you a ton of money? It’s incredible how a little extra effort can lead to significant savings for your wallet while still getting all the goodies on your shopping list.
Today we will do a side-by-side comparison of Wegmans and Acme, to see who is cheaper for groceries. We will also see if it is better to shop just one store or if shopping both stores will save us more on our grocery bill!
Is Wegmans cheaper than Acme?
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 Wilmington, Delaware. 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.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Wegmans Price | ACME Price |
| Bananas x8 | $0.15 each= $1.20 | $0.28 each= $2.24 |
| Oranges | 2lb bag of Clementines= $4.59 | 3lb bag of Cara Cara Oranges= $4.99 *on sale* |
| Lettuce | 1 head of Iceberg= $2.09 | 1 head of Romaine= $1.49 *on sale* |
| Tomato x2 | Beefsteak Tomato $1.88 each= $3.76 | On the Vine $1.15 each= $2.30 |
| Onion x2 | 2lb bag of yellow onions= $1.99 | Yellow Onions $0.89 each= $1.78 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russet Potatoes= $3.49 | 5lb bag of Russet Potatoes= $5.99 |
| Carrots | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $1.19 | 1lb bag of carrots= $1.19 |
| Total: (7 items) | $18.31 | $19.98 |
In the produce section, Wegman’s came out cheaper with a total of $18.31. This was $1.67 cheaper than ACME’s total of $19.98.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Wegmans Price | ACME Price |
| Bacon | Wegmans 16oz pack= $6.89 | Signature Farms 16oz pack= $4.99 *on sale* |
| Ground Beef | Wegmans 80/20 1lb fresh= $5.19 | ACME 80/20 1.35lb fresh= $6.06 |
| Smoked Sausage (kielbasa, etc) | Wegmans 13oz pack= $5.69 | Hillshire 14oz pack= $3.50 *on sale* |
| Chicken Breasts (need 4-5) | Tyson Frozen Chicken Breasts 2.5lb bag= $11.49 | Signature Farms Frozen Chicken Breasts 2.5lb bag= $12.99 |
| Total: (4 items) | $29.26 | $27.54 |
In the meat section, ACME came out cheaper with a total of $27.54. This was $1.72 cheaper than Wegman’s total of $29.26.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Wegmans Price | ACME Price |
| Flour Tortillas | Wegmans 8ct= $1.79 | Signature Select 10ct= $2.19 |
| Muffin Mix | Pillsbury 14oz box banana= $2.89 | Jiffy 7oz box blueberry= $1.19 |
| Pancake Syrup | Wegmans 24oz bottle= $2.89 | Pearl Milling 24oz bottle= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Ketchup | Wegmans 20oz bottle= $1.19 | Signature Select 20oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Brown Sugar | Wegmans 2lb bag= $2.29 | Signature Select 1lb bag= $1.99 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | French’s 15oz bottle= $3.79 | Lea & Perrin’s 5oz bottle= $2.69 |
| Hamburger Buns (8ct) | Wegmans 8ct= $1.49 *on sale* | Old Thyme 8 ct= $2.49 *on sale* |
| Raisins | Wegmans 6oz mini boxes= $2.09 | Signature Farms 12oz box= $2.49 |
| Diced Pears (canned) | Wegmans 15oz can= $2.09 | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.89 |
| Mayonnaise | Wegmans 15oz jar= $3.49 | Signature Select 15oz jar= $2.99 |
| Egg Noodles | Wegmans 12oz bag= $1.39 | Signature Select 12oz bag= $1.99 |
| Tuna (canned) | Starkist 5oz can= $1.39 | Chicken of the Sea 5oz can= $1.39 *on sale* |
| Breadcrumbs | Wegmans 10oz bag= $2.29 | Signature Select 15oz container= $2.39 |
| Taco Seasoning Pack | Ortega 1oz pack= $1.19 | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.99 |
| White Rice | Wegmans 1lb bag= $1.19 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.69 |
| Black Beans (canned) | Wegmans 15.5oz can= $0.89 | Signature Select 15.5oz can= $1.29 |
| Au Jus Seasoning Pack | McCormick 0.9oz pack= $1.39 | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.99 |
| Ranch Seasoning Pack | Simply Organic 1.5oz pack= $1.99 | Hidden Valley 1oz pack= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Pepperoncini | Wegmans 12oz jar= $2.59 | Cento 32oz jar= $4.29 *on sale* |
| Tomato Sauce | Wegmans 15oz can= $0.99 | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.19 |
| Italian Seasoning | Spice Classics 0.87oz jar= $1.49 | Signature Select 4-1oz packs= $1.99 |
| Green Beans | Wegmans 14.5z can= $0.69 | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $1.19 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Wegman’s 6ct box= $4.09 | Signature Select 3ct box= $2.19 |
| All Purpose Flour | Wegmans 5lb bag= $2.69 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.19 |
| Sugar | Wegmans 4lb bag= $3.39 | Signature Select 2lb box= $2.79 |
| Baking Soda | Arm & Hammer 16oz box= $1.49 | Arm & Hammer 16oz box= $1.29 *on sale* |
| Vanilla Extract | McCormick 2oz bottle= $3.09 | Value Corner Imitation 8oz bottle= $1.49 |
| Total: (26 items) | $56.23 | $54.99 |
In the dry goods section, ACME came out cheaper with a total of $54.99. This was $1.24 cheaper than Wegman’s total of $56.23.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Wegmans Price | ACME Price |
| Frozen Peas | Wegmans 12oz bag= $1.39 | Signature Select 12oz bag= $2.49 |
| Frozen Brussell Sprouts | Wegmans 16oz bag= $2.29 | Signature Select 12oz bag= $2.49 |
| Total: (2 items) | $3.68 | $4.98 |
In the frozen section, Wegmans came out cheaper with a total of $3.68. This was $1.30 cheaper than ACME’s total of $4.98.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Wegmans Price | ACME Price |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Wegmans 32oz container= $2.89 | Lucerne 32oz container= $3.39 |
| 1/2 gallon of Milk | Wegmans half gallon= $2.29 | Lucerne half gallon= $3.19 |
| Eggs | Wegmans 12ct large white eggs= $1.79 | Lucerne 12ct large white eggs= $2.99 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Wegman’s 16oz shredded bag= $4.59 | Lucerne 16oz block= $4.99 |
| Sour Cream | Wegman’s 8oz container= $1.79 | Lucerne 8oz container= $1.49 |
| Butter | Wegmans 16oz sticks= $3.09 | Lucerne 16oz sticks= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Mozzarella Cheese (8oz) | Wegmans 8oz shredded bag= $2.69 | Lucerne 8oz shredded bag= $2.99 |
| Total: (7 items) | $19.13 | $22.53 |
In the dairy section, Wegmans came out cheaper with a total of $19.13. This was $3.40 cheaper than ACME’s total of $22.53.
Is ACME more expensive than Wegman’s?
There was a lot of back and forth for who was cheaper in each section, so let’s look at the overall totals!
| Section | Wegmans Price | ACME Price |
| Produce | $18.31 | $19.98 |
| Deli/Meats | $29.26 | $27.54 |
| Dry Goods | $56.23 | $54.99 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.68 | $4.98 |
| Dairy | $19.13 | $22.53 |
| Overall Total: (46 items) | $126.61 | $130.02 |
Overall, Wegmans came out cheaper than ACME with a total of $126.61. This was $3.41 (about 2.6%) cheaper than ACME’s total of $130.02.
There was a lot of price variation on individual items, but overall the totals were very close. This is a perfect example of when shopping both stores can actually save you a lot more money than just shopping at one.
If we only bought what was cheapest at each store, our total would have been $110.01. That is an additional savings of $16.60 (about 13%).
To me that extra $16.60 could be a huge deal if you look at it over a period of weeks and months! I would definitely recommend going too both stores or ordering a curbside pickup at both locations.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Wegmans vs Giant Foods” and “Acme vs Stop & Shop.“
