The Best Grocery Stores for Middle Class Retirees to Save Money in 2025

Every dollar counts during your retirement, especially when it comes to grocery shopping. In recent years, skyrocketing inflation and rising costs for grocery staples like eggs have pushed shoppers to make the necessary choices to save money on groceries.

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A wildly popular pivot has switched to shopping at more affordable stores. For retirees who are retiring next year or have already retired and want to find more places to save money on groceries, GOBankingRates has done the legwork to find the best grocery stores for a mid-range retirement budget.

The supermarkets and warehouse clubs on this list are so popular with shoppers that many now do all their shopping exclusively at these stores.

In alphabetical order, middle-class retirees can save money by shopping at these four supermarkets.

Aldi

If one supermarket could be declared the “winner” in the battle against inflation, it would be Aldi. The supermarket chain prides itself on maintaining efficient operations that allow customers to save money without sacrificing great value.

In July 2024, an Aldi general spokesperson told GOBankingRates that customers can save up to 40% on their weekly grocery bills by shopping at Aldi.

How does Aldi create savings that are passed on to customers? Some of their key actions include stocking stores with 90% of Aldi’s exclusive brands at low prices and maintaining a smaller range in stores so shoppers can buy what they want and need.

And with 2,415 locations across the United States, chances are that most middle-class retirees have an Aldi within a reasonable distance of their home.

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Lidl

If you haven’t tried shopping at supermarket chain Lidl yet, consider this your sign to give it a try in 2025.

Lidl, which is mainly located on the east coast, differs from Aldi in that it combines more well-known brands with its own line of private labels. Several stores also have bakeries where you can shop.

Like Aldi, Lidl is cheap to shop if you have a mid-range budget. In November 2023, The Philadelphia Inquirer conducted an in-depth investigation of some of the city’s cheapest grocery stores. Lidl was a store mentioned as the cheapest option. Compared to about twenty regional supermarkets, prices at Lidl were 33% cheaper.

Sam’s Club

This statement may be controversial, but it is supported by some data. If you’re shopping at a department store club next year, getting a Sam’s Club membership instead of Costco will be a better investment.

One of the biggest reasons for this has to do with membership costs. In 2024, Costco announced that they would increase membership fees for the first time in seven years. A Gold Star membership at Costco now costs $65 per year.

By comparison, a club membership at Sam’s Club costs just $50 per year. Sam’s Club membership also includes perks like fuel savings, free curbside pickup and Scan & Go shopping, in addition to low, members-only prices. In addition to the $15 savings on membership fees, Sam’s Club offers a wide selection of branded items for shopping, regularly receiving Instant Savings discounts.

There are nearly 600 Sam’s Club locations in the United States, so middle-class retirees should be able to easily find a club near them.

And if you’re worried that switching to Sam’s Club means missing out on the famously low Costco rotisserie chicken price, there’s good news for you. Sam’s Club has a member’s Mark rotisserie chicken – and it costs $4.98.

Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s deserves a mention not only because they offer a wide selection of affordable groceries that can’t be found anywhere else to their customers. They also don’t use a cost-plus pricing model.

This is unusual behavior as most supermarkets have normalized using a fixed price increase for items sold. An episode of the Inside Trader Joe podcast explains why this model is not used, because the supermarket chain wants attractive prices.

Occasionally, prices at Trader Joe’s will increase as costs change. However, raising retail prices was described in the podcast as a “last resort” scenario.

When costs drop, retail prices for Trader Joe’s customers are immediately reduced. This not only sets their stores apart, but is a big win-win for customers to save money when buying the groceries they want.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Best Grocery Stores for Middle Class Retirees to Save Money in 2025