New Analysis Compares Prices At NJ Supermarkets: Here's The Cheapest

A new survey has revealed which New Jersey grocery stores offer shoppers the best value for their money — but they may also get what they pay for when it comes to product quality.

Consumer advice website Checkbook recently compared Delaware Valley area supermarket prices and quality. To determine where to find the best prices, the publication sent researchers to stores using a 150-item shopping list to compare prices.

To evaluate stores on the quality of products and service, Checkbook surveyed its members, according to the publication.

Discount grocery ALDI came in as the clear winner for best prices. For a family that typically spends $300 a week on groceries based on average prices, they could save nearly $5,500 a year by switching to ALDI.

Lidly came in second with an average annual savings of $4,056, followed by Amazon Fresh with savings of $2,496.

"For our shopping list, ALDI’s prices were 35 percent lower than the all-store average, and Lidl’s were 26 percent lower," Checkbook wrote. "ALDI’s per-unit prices were even lower than BJ’s, Costco and Sam’s Club."

Here's a look at the other New Jersey supermarkets where shoppers pay less and how much they would save annually by switching:

• Grocery Outlet: $1,872
• Walmart: $1,560
• Food Lion: $1,092
• Target: $624
• Trader Joe's: $468
• Wegman's: $156

On the other hand, there are several grocery chains where families would spend more each year if they chose to shop there. At the top of the list is Whole Foods, where shoppers pay nearly $5,000 more based on average prices. Acme came in second at $2,028, followed by McCaffrey's Food Markets at $1,872.

These are the other New Jersey supermarkets where shoppers pay more annually:

• TheFreshGrocer: $936
• Redner's: $468
• Dollar General: $468
• Weis Markets: $312
• Giant Food: $156
• ShopRite: $78

Unfortunately, Checkbook's report shows that shoppers can't have it all: The most affordable stores don't tend to offer the highest-quality products.

At ALDI, only 58 percent of survey respondents were satisfied with the quality of products offered at stores, compared to 80 percent at Whole Foods.

"Whole Foods built a loyal following by offering high-quality produce, meat, prepared foods and generic staples," Checkbook wrote. "It continues to receive high marks in our surveys of consumers, especially for produce and meat quality."

Wegman's is the only exception, according to the report. While Wegmans' prices aren’t among the lowest in the region, it remains competitive, and the chain has consistently earned high ratings from its customers for quality.

Meanwhile, most other large chains receive dreadful ratings from their customers for quality. Target scored lowest, while Acme, Food Lion, TheFreshGrocer, Walmart and Weis also got abysmal scores.

See the full report online.