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We compared 2 of the biggest grocery-store chains on the East Coast, and the winner was clear
We compared 2 of the biggest grocery-store chains on the East Coast, and the winner was clear
Jessica TylerOct 17, 2018, 00:45 IST
Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
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ShopRite and Stop & Shop are two grocery chains with a large presence on the East Coast.
ShopRite has just under 300 stores and is owned by a private company, Wakefern Food Corp.
Stop & Shop has more than 400 stores and is owned by Ahold Delhaize, which also operates Giant, Hannaford, and Food Lion.
Both stores offer online ordering and grocery delivery services. But after shopping at both stores, we found that one offers much better deals than the other.
ShopRite and Stop & Shop are two grocery chains with a large presence on the East Coast.
ShopRite, with just under 300 stores in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, is owned by Wakefern Food Corp. According to Wakefern, which is a privately owned company that doesn't release sales information, most ShopRite stores are family-operated stores.
Stop & Shop operates more than 400 stores throughout New York, New Jersey, and New England, and it is owned by Ahold Delhaize, the Dutch company that also operates Giant, Hannaford, and Food Lion. In its second-quarter earnings release, Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller said, "In the United States, comparable sales growth excluding gasoline was -0.1%, or 1.0% adjusted for the timing of Easter. Volumes at Hannaford and Food Lion remained positive but were challenged at the other US brands."
ShopRite and Stop & Shop both offer online ordering and grocery delivery, through the ShopRite from Home and Peapod delivery programs, respectively.
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When we visited both stores, we found that although one was more difficult to shop at, it actually offered better deals.
The first store I visited was a ShopRite location in Scarsdale, New York.
Produce was at the front of the store.
There were apples for $1.29 ...
... spinach that was two for $4 ...
... and bouquets of flowers for $4.69 each, or three for $12.
All of the produce was fresh and well-stocked.
Near the produce was a hot-food bar ...
... and a deli and bakery.
There was also a butcher around the corner.
Next to that was an aisle of natural and organic food. The aisles were pretty narrow.
The natural-foods aisle carried a lot of products like cereal, granola bars, and nut butters. A 10 oz. jar of almond butter cost $7.99.
It also carried tons of snack foods like cookies, candy, and fruit snacks.
The aisles were all very crowded and narrow, and the poles in the middle of each made it hard to navigate with a shopping cart.
The end caps of aisles had deals on products like Kellogg's cereal, which was $1.77 per box.
The store was organized pretty randomly in some spots. Candy, home supplies, and condiments were all in one aisle.
The next aisle over sold staples like rice, beans, and spices. Canned beans cost $0.89.
There were some aisles I wasn't able to get through because they were too crowded, which was frustrating.
There were more snacks a few aisles away. Bags of chips cost $4-6.
There was a pretty big selection of beer ...
... and tons of frozen meals and desserts. The refrigerated section of the store was massive.
The store also carried a ton of products like detergent, paper towels, and cleaning supplies. A standard-size container of Tide Pods cost $13.99.
The lines were really long at every open register, including the self-checkout lane. The store had a lot of good deals, but it was very crowded and hard to shop in.
Next, I went to Stop & Shop in Tarrytown, New York.
Like at ShopRite, produce was at the front of the store.
Apples cost $1.99, slightly more expensive than at ShopRite.
Flowers were also more expensive here than at ShopRite, costing about $10 instead of around $5.
Stop & Shop also had a deli and hot-foods bar, plus a bakery that was near the front of the store.
Stop & Shop had an aisle of natural and organic foods ...
... but most things were more expensive here than at ShopRite. The same 10 oz. jar of almond butter cost about $10 instead of $8.
There were just as many snacks as at ShopRite, but everything was a dollar or two more expensive.
Kellogg's cereal cost almost $5 a box, as opposed to the $2 boxes at ShopRite.
Staples like rice, beans, and spices also cost slightly more.
The aisles were much wider at Stop & Shop, which definitely made it a better shopping experience.
Stop & Shop carried a lot more beer, soda, and juice than ShopRite did.
But the frozen-food section was about half the size of ShopRite's.
Home-cleaning supplies like laundry detergent and paper towels were all more expensive at Stop & Shop. Tide Pods cost about $7 more at Stop & Shop than at ShopRite.
The lines were long at Stop & Shop, but not as long as at ShopRite.
Even though ShopRite posed a more stressful shopping experience because of the crowded and narrow aisles and somewhat poor organization, the prices were significantly better across the board. Because of how much less expensive it is to shop there, ShopRite was the winner.
