Inflation and the price of goods has Milwaukee-area shoppers scrambling for the best deal. But which store in which area has the best prices for an average grocery store trip?
That’s the question we tried to answer by going to different Walmart, Target, Pick n’ Save, Festival Foods, and Woodman's Market stores in and around Milwaukee.
From May through early July, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters went to 10 stores with the same shopping list meant to represent an average grocery trip.
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Those items were:
- Almond Milk: 64 ounces
- 100% whole wheat bread: 24-ounce loaf
- Bacon: one pound
- Bananas
- Beef: one pound, 80% lean, not certified Angus
- Butter: one pound
- Cheerios: 8.9-ounce box
- Cheez-its: 12.4-ounce box
- Eggs: one dozen
- Flour: five pounds
- Green beans (canned)
- Strawberry jelly/jam: 18 ounces
- Iceberg lettuce: one head
- Milk: one gallon
- Oranges
- Paper towel: two-roll package
- Peanut butter: 18 ounces
- Toilet paper: six pack
It's possible individual items have both gone up and down in price. This list is meant to be a representation of what groceries can cost.
More:Area residents' views on inflation's impact: A mixed bag. 'I'm keeping my head down low.'
Here’s our breakdown:
Walmart: Milwaukee vs. Pewaukee
In May, at the Walmart on 401 E. Capitol Dr., it cost about $64 to buy all those goods, going with name brand items and not the Walmart-brand Great Value options.
During that same time at the Walmart on 411 Pewaukee Road in Pewaukee, it cost about $62 for most of those items. However, that Walmart does not carry produce, so bananas, beef, milk, and oranges were not included on that list.
But area residents do have produce options not that far away from this location; more on that later.
It’s conceivable that if those items were available at the store in Pewaukee, the total cost would be comparable to the store in Milwaukee.
When controlling for the non-produce items and incorporating Great Value products, the store in Milwaukee is slightly cheaper with products costing slightly more than $38. In Pewaukee, the cost is slightly more than $43.
Pick n’ Save: Milwaukee vs. Pewaukee
While the Walmart on Pewaukee Road doesn’t have produce, it shares the same parking lot with Pick n’ Save, which has all the items on the list.
Sticking with name brand items at his Pick n’ Save brought the total cost of the list to nearly $79.
In Milwaukee at the Pick n’ Save at 605 E. Lyon St., the cost for the items was more than in Pewaukee at about $83.
When focusing on the Kroger and other cheaper brands, both stores saw a significant drop. In Pewaukee, the items cost $52.22 and in Milwaukee they cost $60.38.
Target is most consistent
Of the franchises we looked at, Target prices were the most consistent. The Target on the south side of Milwaukee, located at 2950 S. Chase Ave., the brand name items came to a total of $69.88.
The Target at 3900 N. 124th St., is in Wauwatosa, but is less than a mile away from both Milwaukee and Brookfield.
The total for the brand name items at this location was $68.12, a difference of less than $2.
The same was seen when buying Good and Gather — the Target brand — and other cheaper brands.
At the Target on Chase Avenue, the total was $52.88 and at the location on 124th Street it was $52.22.
Festival Foods is clearly more expensive
In both the city and suburbs, Festival Foods was the most expensive grocery store we visited.
At the location in West Allis, the total amount was $79.52, and at the location in Greenfield, the total was $85.62.
The Greenfield location had the highest grocery store bill of any store we visited, and the West Allis location was the highest of any store we visited outside of the city of Milwaukee.
But when shopping for the best deal at Festival Foods, the store sales bring the price down that is more aligned with other grocery store franchises.
In July, at the West Allis location, buying the Festival and Essential Everyday brands brought the price from $79.52 to $58.82. A nearly $21 difference.
Don’t forget Woodman’s!
Woodman’s Market store prices are comparable to bigger companies like Target and Walmart.
In May, at Oak Creek, 8131 S. Howell Ave., the brand name products were $61.38.
In July, at the Woodman’s in Menomonee Falls, located at W124-N8145 Highway 45, the brand name items were slightly more expensive at nearly $65.
And both stores had similar savings when shopping for the cheaper branded items.
At the Menomonee Falls location, the cheaper brands brought the total to $49.42, a savings of roughly $15.
And at the location in Oak Creek, the cheaper brands brought the total to just under $53.
