One of the hardest things to do when starting your own business is figuring out what to charge. I’ve been spending the last several months, pen in hand, perusing the grocery store aisles, and examining prices. Due to health department restrictions, I am not allowed to buy items in bulk and store them in my own kitchen. That means instead of buying a case of butter from Costco, I need to purchase smaller quantities like everyday shoppers.

And while I want to keep my costs under control, I want to shop local and organic. I strongly support local farmers who produce some of the best meats, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables in the country. But shopping this way is often more expensive. So how do I provide the best possible ingredients to my clients without pricing myself out of the game?

In order to answer this question, I visited four grocery stores, searching for the best products at the best possible price: Costco, New Seasons, Trader Joe’s, and Albertsons.

Let’s start with some basics. Prices for sugar vary by the dollar depending on the store. For a 10 lb bag of C&H, Albertsons charges $6.49, New Seasons $5.49, and Costco $4.59. Butter was similar by the pound: Albertsons $3.99, New Seasons $3.79, and Trader Joe’s $2.49.

But how about fresh fruits and vegetables? Normally I’d expect local and organic items to cost more, and for the most part, I was right. A pound of onions at Albertsons costs 99 cents while New Seasons charges $1.29 and Trader Joe’s are $1.49. But then there are a few surprises like carrots. For a pound bag, New Seasons charges the least at 99 cents while the same product at Trader Joe’s is $1.39 and Albertsons is $1.79.

On to the meat. I expected Costco to come out the reigning champion in terms of price, but I was mistaken. For a rack of lamb with eight chops Costco and New Seasons charge the same - $12.99 per pound. The lamb from Costco flew in from Australia and had probably been frozen while the New Seasons lamb is raised right here in Oregon. But could I tell a difference in flavor? When I cooked up roasted a rack from each store, I was shocked to discover the Costco lamb was just as tender and juicy as the lamb from New Seasons – even a bit more so. So now I believe all those people who tell me that Costco meat is pretty darn good.

The final item to review on my list was cheese and this is where I saw the most discrepancy in price. For a standard blue cheese, Trader Joe’s was the winner at $7.99 per pound. New Seasons runs $13.99 per pound and Albertsons charges $16.99. Fresh mozzarella is a similar story. Trader Joe’s was again the winner at almost half the price of New Seasons and Albertsons.

So what conclusions did I draw from my research? The biggest surprise to me is that Albertsons is actually more expensive than New Seasons. Trader Joe’s prices are consistently lower than anyone else, and Costco is best left for larger groups and dinner parties. Going forward, I plan to do all my shopping at Trader Joe’s and New Seasons. That way I can keep my prices low while buying fresh, local, and organic – a win/win situation no matter how you slice it!

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