Aldi, Walmart, Lidl, Other MD Stores Cut Thanksgiving Dinner Costs

MARYLAND — Aldi, Walmart, Lidl and other grocers in Maryland are rolling back prices to reduce some of inflation’s sticker shock on Thanksgiving dinner staples.

Earlier this fall, agriculture officials told Americans to brace for higher prices on Thanksgiving turkeys, and warned they would be harder to find. An 8- to 16-pound turkey is regularly priced at around $1.50 a pound, but the USDA said in its latest report that “lucrative deals” are driving down costs in some places. Regular prices are up about 28 percent over last year, the agency said.

Aldi, which has 62 stores in Maryland, said in a news release that it is pricing select items at 2019 levels in its “Thanksgiving Price Rewind” promotion, which runs through Nov. 29. Customers can save up to 30 percent on those items, the store said.

“Think favorites like brie cheese, prosciutto, cornbread stuffing, award-winning wines, mini quiches, fresh brown-and-serve rolls, macarons and apple pie, to name a few,” Aldi said.

German grocer Lidl, a much smaller regional chain with 177 locations in the eastern U.S., is discounting its traditional Thanksgiving basket, which the company said will feed about 10 people, for less than $30. It includes a 13-pound turkey for 49 cents a pound.

In Maryland, Lidl has stores in Annapolis, Aberdeen, Lanham, Wheaton, Silver Spring, Bowie, Columbia, Baltimore, Catonsville, Reisterstown, and other cities.

Walmart is offering a Thanksgiving meal at 2021 prices, including basic items such as turkey, ham, potatoes and stuffing, but also ready-to-heat convenience items such as mac and cheese or fresh pumpkin pie. That means turkeys will cost less than $1 a pound, compared with this year’s national average of $1.50 per pound.

• Related: How Hard Will It Be To Find A Thanksgiving Turkey In Maryland?

Overall, the cost of a Thanksgiving meal is about 13.5 percent more expensive this year than last, according to the latest report from the IRI, a data research company that analyzes consumer, shopper and retail trends.

More than three in four people said in a recent IRI survey they plan to return to pre-pandemic celebrations this year. Another study, from Kroger’s data company, found 38 percent said they would pare down the Thanksgiving meal because of inflation.

In that survey, 45 percent said they plan to cut turkey or pumpkin pie from the menu, 37 percent said they’ll ditch cornbread and 32 percent said they’ll nix cranberry sauce, stuffing or macaroni and cheese.

High grocery store prices as Americans plan their holiday meals have replaced COVID-19 as their primary concern. Almost half (45 percent) of respondents to a new Food Industry Association report said spiraling meal costs are their top concern compared to other holiday concerns.

• Related: 55 MD Restaurants Open For Thanksgiving Day 2022

Some Americans are skipping Thanksgiving dinner at home and making reservations at restaurants.

While restaurant food prices increased 8.5 percent from September 2021 to September 2022, the price of grocery store food was even steeper, up 13 percent during the period, according to the USDA.

The best values are in limited-service restaurants where diners pay for their food before they eat it, according to an analysis by Wells Fargo, which said restaurants have been slower to raise prices than full-service restaurants with higher labor and overhead costs.

Even in full-service restaurants where tips are expected remains a relative bargain compared with buying everything at the grocery store, according to the analysis.

Inflation and the bird flu combined to deliver a one-two gut punch to Americans who plan their Thanksgiving menus around turkey. More than 8 million turkeys have died from bird flu in the current outbreak, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The current outbreak of avian flu could surpass the 2015 outbreak, when 50.5 million birds died, the agency said.