6 Essential Thanksgiving Foods: Is Costco or Walmart Cheaper?
If you’re cooking for a crowd this Thanksgiving, you might be tempted to shop at a warehouse club like Costco for all your essentials. You might expect to save money buying in bulk. But is that actually the case?
Costco just released its ready-made Complete Gourmet Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner that serves eight for $200 this year, according to SimplyRecipes.com. Walmart announced a Holiday Meal Basket with a per serving price under $3.50 or roughly $35 for 10 people.
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The fact that Costco’s Thanksgiving dinner is precooked and ready to heat is a huge advantage, but the joy of cooking is part of the tradition for many families.
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Complete meals aside, we compared common Thanksgiving items ala carte, looking for the best matches we could find. You might be surprised by the results.
1. Turkey
You might find better sales closer to the holidays, but right now, a Butterball whole young turkey at Walmart is 97 cents per pound, while a Shady Brook Farms turkey is 84 cents per pound at the big-box retailer.
Costco lists a Jaindl organic grand champion whole frozen turkey, online only, for $129.
The Winner: Walmart wins by a landslide here with a 10-pound turkey for under 10 bucks. It’s possible Costco will have better sales as the holiday approaches.
2. Stove Top Stuffing
Stove Top stuffing is on sale at Walmart for $1.50 per six-serving box. Pick up two boxes for under $3 for your party of 10.
Costco has the exact same Stove Top stuffing in a six-count package for $9.59 or $1.59 per box.
The Winner: Walmart has the exact same product for 9 cents cheaper per box. However, if you’re not serving an army and don’t typically eat Stove Top stuffing as an ordinary side dish, you’ll save money at Walmart. Another option is to buy Costco’s giant pack and donate what you don’t need.
3. Potatoes
You can serve instant or even premade potatoes. But serving fresh mashed potatoes is one way to save money on your Thanksgiving dinner and impress your guests. A 5-pound bag of whole yellow potatoes, perfect for mashed potatoes, is $8.44 at Walmart.
Ten pounds of gold potatoes from Costco is $8.73, so you’re paying 29 cents more for double the quantity.
The Winner: Costco is the winner here and it’s likely you’ll use potatoes even after Thanksgiving dinner, so this is an excellent value.
4. Butter
You’ll need butter for mashed potatoes, vegetables and maybe rolls. Grab 4 pounds of Kirkland Signature salted sweet cream butter for $10.20, just over $2.50 per pound. Walmart’s Great Value sweet cream salted butter is $5.82 for two pounds or $2.91 per pound.
The Winner: Costco, again. Smart shoppers should consider buying their butter from Costco year-round because it’s such an incredible bargain.
5. Canned Corn
Walmart sells 15.25-ounce Del Monte canned corn for $1.33 per can. Costco’s 12-count package of Del Monte canned corn works out to $1.14 per can, a savings of 19 cents. Since corn is a year-round staple in many recipes or a sweet and tasty side dish, it pays for most families to buy the larger package from Costco.
The Winner: Costco, by 19 cents per can if you don’t mind buying in bulk.
6. Pumpkin Pie
Costco’s pumpkin pie is a seasonal favorite and a store bestseller. Grab a giant 58-ounce pie, more than 3.5 pounds for just $6.80 through Instacart. Walmart has a few different choices in store brand pumpkin pies, including an 8-inch, 22-ounce pumpkin pie for $4.94 or a 10-inch, 37-ounce pumpkin pie for $7.34.
The Winner: It’s worth splurging on Costco’s larger size, which is a better value per ounce. Because no one ever left Thanksgiving dinner saying there was too much pie served.
Costco Over Walmart
If you can afford to purchase in bulk, you’ll save several dollars at Costco stocking your pantry for Thanksgiving dinner. But buying at Walmart may work better for some families who don’t want to spend as much up-front.
Editor’s note: Prices and availability are subject to change.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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