Here’s what happened when we compared supermarket grocery prices

Aussie shoppers are pulling out all the stops to try and save at the checkout – and even then, we are paying more for our weekly grocery shop than ever before.

So what is the best way to save? 

I decided to attempt a basket comparison of seven of the most commonly purchased staples at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, and Harris Farm Markets, to try and figure out which is the cheapest.

The experience truly surprised me.

The following items were chosen: 2L milk, a dozen eggs, sliced white bread, a whole raw chicken, spaghetti, butter, and four bananas.

Off I went to my local Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, and Harris Farm Markets, to find out which would offer me the best value for money.

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A couple of caveats: I did this shopping in person at my nearest Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi supermarkets in Baulkham Hills in Sydney’s West, and at my nearest Harris Farm Markets, which is in Dural. As I was doing this shopping at these specific stores in person, I was at the mercy of a. What they had in stock, and b. The prices being charged at these specific locations.

The reason I decided to do this comparison in person instead of using the prices displayed on each retailer’s website, is because sometimes stores have lower (or higher) prices than those displayed online, and shoppers can only choose from the stock available in stores. 

If the more affordable versions of products aren’t in stock, you are forced to choose a more expensive version of that item. This is exactly the challenge most shoppers face when trying to save at the supermarket checkout.

Including the whole chickens and bananas was tricky, as the weights were slightly different depending on which product I chose, so I did my best to choose chickens and bananas of similar weight.

What I found was that Aldi was the cheapest, followed by Coles, then Woolworths, and then Harris Farm Market.

I wasn’t surprised Harris Farm Markets was more expensive because they specialise in fruit and vegetables, and don’t have as much variety when it comes to other grocery categories.

I also decided to figure out the most affordable supermarket using per unit pricing based on the per unit cost at each supermarket.

This resulted in Woolworths being the cheapest due to their markdown on whole chickens that weekend, followed by Aldi, then Coles, and then Harris Farm Markets.

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This experience has reminded me of how important it is to get to know the rhythms of your local supermarkets. 

Each location offers their own markdowns and discounts, and by completing your grocery shopping at a location with Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi, you get to take advantage of all of the specials.

For me, I’ll be sticking to my usual routine of Aldi first, followed by Coles or Woolworths as needed, with the occasional online shop for weeks when I am a little too busy to do the grocery shopping in person.

** Results are based on products and prices available at the time shopping was completed and may vary depending on location.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story included the wrong price for an Aldi chicken which impacted the basket totals. Once this was rectified it was Aldi who came out as cheapest in the basket comparison.