Neither Costco nor Walmart, this is the cheapest supermarket chain and it does not require membership
Many Americans, looking for lower prices, have decided that its worth it to pay a membership fee but there’s a store with lower prices and no cover charge.
Americans have been dealing with higher-than-normal inflation since the covid-19 pandemic upended things in 2020. In 2023 the average monthly food expense for Americans was $832 according to Motley Fool, which was a 7% increase from the prior year. That works out to be nearly $10,000 for the full year.
The rise in the price of groceries sent many shoppers to Walmart and other discount supermarkets in search of lower prices. Others chose to sign up for a membership to get big discounts at Costco or Sam’s Club. However, the annual fee can range from $65 to $130 at the former and $50 to $110 at the latter.
There is, however, a no-frills supermarket in the United States where you can get comparably low prices to those two chains, or even cheaper, without having to pay a cover charge for the privilege of shopping there.
The low-cost supermarket chain that doesn’t require membership
Founded in 1967 in Boise, Idaho, as Waremart, WinCo Foods has now greatly expanded, opening stores spread across ten states primarily in the American West. Its no-frills warehouse-style stores are located in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
Like its competitors that require an annual membership, it sells in bulk and features extensive food sections offering over 800 products. Not only does this practice help WinCo Foods keep prices down but also by cutting out the middleman. The chain buys directly from manufacturers and farms.
You may not have heard of WinCo Foods before because it doesn’t invest in advertising, another cost-saving measure passed onto customers in-the-know. However, you can find information on the supermarket chain via its Instagram page.
If you like to have your groceries bagged by someone else, WinCo Foods may not be for you. Customers must do their own bagging. Also you cannot pay with a credit card, thus WinCo Foods avoids paying high fees to those creditors. Again those savings are passed onto its customers.
The supermarket chain also maintains financial stability by being largely employee-owned.
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