Sampling the region's grocery battle
Text by Amelia Robinson | Photos by Marshall Gorby
A food fight is raging in the Miami Valley and consumers may ultimately be the victors.
As Dayton Daily News retail writer Mark Fisher's report explains, area shoppers pay lower prices than shoppers elsewhere because there is intense competition among grocery stores in southwest Ohio.
Giants like Kroger and Walmart advertise low prices, but where can consumers actually find the best deals?
Obviously, there are many variables to consider – among them are time of year and stock - but as a pop quiz, we decided to compare the prices of five randomly selected popular items - large eggs, a half gallon of 1 percent milk, a Granny Smith apple, pork chops and enriched white bread.
This examination is meant only to present a slice of life.
What did we do?
On March 13 we purchased similar products at each of the five stores: Dorothy Lane Market, Dot's Market, Kroger, Walmart and Meijer. Store brands - typically less expensive than national brands - were purchased when available. In cases where no store brand was available, we purchased the most inexpensive brand for that product type.
The costs of the apples listed for each store was for a half pound. The costs for pork chops is for a pound. There are slight quality variations. Club cards were used in stores that accepted them.
Bread: $1.69 +
Eggs: $1.69 +
Apple: $1.00 +
Milk: $1.99
Bread: $1.49 +
Eggs: $1.59 +
Apple: $0.80 +
Milk: $1.99
Bread: $0.78 +
Eggs: $1.69 +
Apple: $0.44 +
Milk: $1.79
Bread: $0.78 +
Eggs: $1.68 +
Apple: $0.79 +
Milk: $1.98
Bread: $1.19 +
Eggs: $1.68 +
Apple: $0.85 +
Milk: $1.99
