On Capitol Hill, Safeway is the better value. Harris Teeter's produce is often disgusting.

But went to trader joes in Arlington for the first time recently and was surprised at what a great value it seemed to be. If I had my way, I would shop whole foods for fruit and produce, trader joes for everything else.

The Harris Teeter in Arlington and Alexandria are the best IMHO for selection of produce and meat. If you shop with coupons (matched with sales) you WILL ALWAYS be cheaper than safeway or giant. This is due to the sales and the coupon policies at each store. Use a sale/coupon match up site like southernsavers.com. If you want more tips on easy, fast coupon she has tutorials or I can give a few tips on how I do it (there are many methods that work better for other people though).

I thinks Safeway has better sales than Giant but higher prices when they are not on sale. I also don't like that new program where you have to go online for coupons. We don;t live near a Harris Teeter. I buy most produce from Magruders..better prices better quality.

Giant has better prices. Look out for their weekly sales

Safeway has great regular prices but the stores near me are terrible, just awfu.

Giant by us is good and the sale prices are decent. Plus they have a bonus program where you can use points at Shell gasoline stations and I've gotten as much as a full $1 off every gallon by using my points (I know, you didn't ask, but it's one of the reasons I shop there).

Teeter is more expensive - and I loved the store we lived by in DC. However, the Teeter in Rockville SUCKS in my opinion. Poor produce selection, not fresh, limited selection elsewhere in the store. Not worth the extra $.

I like Shoppers. I'd also recommend H-Mart if you have one by you. We get amazing fruits and veggies there, and they have an outstanding seafood department. Plus, if you like Korean or Asian food, a ton of options (noodles, potstickers, kimchi, etc). The prices are great.

Safeway has the beat sales but not the best prices if you aren't buying on sale.

I agree with this, but they seem to have the stuff I buy a lot on sale all the time. I regularly walk out of there with 25% savings from the club card, having not really bought anything I don't normally buy.

Safeway has been amazing for a few months now. I love that just 4 you program. This week I got a coupon for limes .19 and avocado .89 each and cilantro .50

Safeway has the beat sales but not.the best prices if you aren't buying on sale.

Is there an Aldi near you? Worth the drive, if not.....

What do you want to buy, and where are you? Near me, Safeway has both the nicest store and the most disgusting store in the area. As PP said, sales are frequent and the produce at Cherrydale is great.

However, if you are an organic brands or special diet (eg, gluten-free) shopper -- Whole Foods. I find the same stuff at the Giant and Safeway for much more money. Giant and Safeway put a markup on the items because they think they can get away with it. The same stuff at WF is usually less expensive, and the selection is much better.

Shoppers is very interesting. They have a lot of stuff, and depending on where you are, can have massive ethnic foods sections (the one at Seven Corners has a very large Hispanic food collection). They also have the cuts of meats that appeal the the local Hispanic market. Prices are usually very good, although I can't always feel like the quality of the stuff is super great.

Anonymous wrote:NP. What about Shoppers? We are moving to a house very close to one and I am wondering if it is any better than Giant- like OP I have noticed that Giant is pretty expensive.

Shoppers has better prices than Safeway, Giant or Harris Teeter.

Ethnic grocery stores have the best prices for vegetables and fruits. When I had time, I would buy almost all my food at the ethnic grocery store, then go to Safeway or Shoppers to get meat, chicken, bread, stuff from the bakery. Our grocery bill was significantly less than when I bought everything from Safeway. I sometimes bought meat in bulk from Costco and put them in the freezer in smaller portions. however, I love Costco and always ended up buying more things than necessary so it wasn't a cost savings.

Of the three: giant
(for most items)
Harris teeter is the most expensive of the three, but it depends on what you buy.

Quality varies a bit from store to store, within the same chain.

NP. What about Shoppers? We are moving to a house very close to one and I am wondering if it is any better than Giant- like OP I have noticed that Giant is pretty expensive.

Safeway has the best prices.

Teeter is the most expensive.

Giant has fewer sales and I think not as good quality good.

Safeway has good, frequent sales and at my Safeway the food is always plentiful and in good condition.

These are the three closest grocery stores and I am trying to figure out which has the best prices. I usually shop at Giant but noticed our grocery bill lately is sky high.