Does the neighborhood you shop determine how much you pay for groceries?
I bought two gallons of milk from Walmart--same brand, same quantity. Yet, the price was different.
At a Walmart in Glendale, the milk cost $2. When I went to a Walmart in Scottsdale, I had to pay $0.21 more.
In Chandler, the milk cost $0.08 more.
So how often are you actually paying more for items because of the neighborhood you live in?
From Glendale to Peoria, Mesa to Scottsdale, I checked Walmart and Target prices all over the Valley.
I chose popular items that you'd find in your kitchen like cereal, fruit, milk and detergent.
Bananas will cost you $.48 a pound at the Glendale Walmart off Bell road.
If you shop at any of the other three Walmart stores we visited, you'll pay $.08 more per pound.
But surprisingly, the milk and bananas were the only items we found that had inconsistent prices at Walmart.
And in both cases, the Glendale store on Bell road was the cheapest.
We found more inconsistencies at Target.
I checked four Target stores for the same items.
Bananas were $.05 cheaper at the Mesa store compared to the other stores we checked.
The Ahwatukee Target had the best price for Nature's Own bread.--$2.79 compared to $2.89 at the other Target stores.
A box of Honey Nut Cheerios will cost you $2.99 at the Arcadia and Ahwatukee Target stores. You'll pay $.05 more for the same cereal at the Mesa and Glendale stores.
Overall, I wouldn't drive further hoping for a better price because the price difference was not significant enough. Save gas and shop stores in your neighborhood.
Don't forget to make a list, stick with it and check for coupons and items on sale to save even more.
