Idahoans shop at this grocery store the most. How do prices compare to other favorites?
A bill that would boost the amount Idaho residents can recover annually on grocery sales taxes passed the full House in the Legislature last week.
The bill, which has now been referred to the Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee, proposes a $20 tax credit increase from $100 to $120 for each individual and from $120 to $140 for seniors.
The food sales tax credit is in place to offset the 6% sales tax on groceries. Idaho is one of 13 states imposing a sales tax on groceries and one of just seven states to tax at the full rate.
The increase to $120 per person will help Idahoans a little, but is it enough?
Alejandra Cerna Rios, director of the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy, previously told the Statesman in an interview that a more realistic number to fully offset the annual grocery tax paid would be $160 per person.
“A family (of four) that’s spending $888 a month — which we think is more similar to what families realistically spend — they would pay $640 in grocery tax,” Cerna Rios said in that interview. “So that means to fully offset that $640, the credit (per person) would need to be $160.”
With that number in mind, where are Idahoans shopping regularly and how much are they spending there?
Comparing Idaho’s favorite stores
Idahoans’ favorite grocery store is Walmart, with on average more than 140,000 people visiting the retail giant per month between January 2019 and January 2022.
Costco is the state’s second-favorite store for groceries, followed by WinCo Foods, Albertsons and Fred Meyer, respectively, according to data from SafeGraph. A visitor to the store is classified by someone who stays at the location for at least four minutes. It’s unclear whether shoppers who visited the stores for items other than groceries were included in the count.
Along with WinCo, Walmart and Costco rank within the top six cheapest grocery stores in America, according to the dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index, which tracks global customer data. Walmart and Costco also benefit from being two of the top three largest grocery chains in the nation.
Idahoans may be on to something in going to Walmart. A study from Bank of America in 2019 found that Walmart is the cheapest grocery store on the market, with an average price of $119.44 at checkout for a single trip.
Online coupons and deals aggregator Koopy also conducted a comparison price last June between Walmart and Costco — Idaho’s top two grocery stores by foot traffic.
The comparison found that Walmart was drastically cheaper for perishable groceries ($82.16 compared to Costco’s $113.75 for a cart of perishable goods). But the two stores are both approximately $79 for nonperishable groceries.
The Statesman also compared prices of some items for Idaho’s top five grocery stores.
A 12-count of LaCroix, a brand of sparkling water, costs $4.99 in Walmart, while two 12-counts can be bought at Costco for $10.69 ($5.35 each). Fancy some ranch dressing? A 24-ounce bottle of Hidden Valley at Walmart will cost you $3.98; the only option at Costco is a two-pack of 40-ounce bottles for $10.99 ($5.50 each).
Looking further down the list, a 24-ounce bottle of ranch from Albertsons runs $5.19, while a 12-pack of LaCroix costs $5.49 — both options more expensive than Walmart and Costco. WinCo sells LaCroix for $3.48 for a 12-pack, but doesn’t list its ranch prices online.
Lastly, Fred Meyer lists its 24-ounce bottle of Hidden Valley ranch for $4.29 and a 12-count box of LaCroix for $4.49.
| Store | Ranch price | Lacroix price |
| Walmart | $3.98 (24oz) | $4.99 |
| Costco | $5.50 (40oz) | $5.35 |
| WinCo | N/A | $3.48 |
| Albertsons | $5.19 (24oz) | $5.49 |
| Fred Meyer | $4.29 (24oz) | $4.49 |
But for bulk items, Costco wins out. A 60-pack of Quaker granola bars runs for $10.99 in Costco (just over $0.18 each), while the same amount at Walmart will put you out $14.90 (nearly $0.25 each).
Although not making the top five list in Idaho, Whole Foods remains a popular choice for those in the Treasure Valley looking to shop in a high-end grocery store.
But with a high-end option comes high-end prices. An average trip to Whole Foods costs $167, according to the Bank of America study, and a single basket of produce items costs $25, compared to a similar basket costing $19 at Walmart.
