For years, my father-in-law worked at Costco, so that’s where we purchased our holiday turkeys, hams, and many of the related side dishes.
Since I have lived in Florida, my cousin has hosted Thanksgiving, and she opts for the Publix meal deal.
In both cases, I think proximity (my father-in-law was literally at Costco, and my cousin lived across the street from Publix) factored in more than price. Now, however, many Americans are looking to make their holiday dollars go further.
“More than half (53%) of Americans say the Thanksgiving menu looks a lot different than it did in the past: 52% will look for pre-packaged ‘meal deal’ bundles to stretch their dollars,” according to an Empower survey.
That fits with what major grocery and warehouse club chains are offering, but no two brands offer the same deal. TheStreet did a price comparison looking at Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Publix, Costco, and Sam’s Club.
There are some clear winners.
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Not all Thanksgiving dinners are equal
Thanksgiving, unlike Christmas, Easter, or the 4th of July, has a pretty fixed menu. Yes, the one year I got to host, I brought in catered pulled pork, ribs, and burnt ends, but I also got turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce.
Before you look at the pricing chart, it’s important to understand what each meal includes.
Walmart: $35, feeds 10, you cook it
- Turkey: Butterball frozen whole turkey, 10 to 16 lb.
- Sides: Stove Top stuffing (two boxes), 5 lb. russet potatoes, three sweet potatoes, mini marshmallows, three cans green beans, cream of mushroom soup, French fried onions, three cans sweet corn, two packets brown gravy mix, fresh cranberries
- Bread: Two boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix, brown and serve rolls
- Dessert: Canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, two frozen pie crusts, whipped topping
- Count: Walmart calls it 26 items. The list above is the 17 products that make up those 26 items.
- Source: Walmart
Kroger (2025 Freshgiving bundle): Under $4.75 per person, feeds 10, you cook it
(Kroger has not released its 2026 prices.)
- Turkey: Kroger whole frozen turkey, 14 to 16 lb.
- Sides: Kroger turkey stuffing, chicken broth, Super Sweet corn, baby carrots, Idaho potatoes, Sweet Jewel yams, Kroger whole berry cranberry sauce
- Green bean casserole: Kroger French sliced green beans, cream of mushroom soup, crispy French-fried onions
- Gravy and bread: Campbell’s turkey gravy, Kroger brown and serve rolls
- Dessert: Kroger ready-to-bake pie crusts, canned pumpkin puree, whipped topping
- Count: 16 items
- Fine print: The per-person price counted store coupons and discounts and varied by region. It went on sale Nov. 12, 2025, and Kroger called it its lowest price in four years.
- Source: Kroger
Publix: $69.99, feeds about 8, heat and serve
- Turkey: Fully cooked turkey, 9.5 to 12.5 lb.
- Sides: 2.5 lb. cornbread dressing, 2.5 lb. mashed potatoes, 32 oz. gravy
- Extras: 16 oz. cranberry orange relish, 26 oz. marshmallow delight
- Larger dinner: $139.99 for about 15, with a 16 to 18 lb. turkey and double the sides
- Source: Publix
Sam’s Club: About $160, feeds up to 16, about two hours to prepare
- Mains: Hickory smoked turkey, boneless carver ham
- Sides: Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, two green beans with dried cranberries and almonds, two mac and cheese, sweet corn with garlic butter, cranberry crunch salad
- Bread: Yeast dinner rolls
- Extras: Charcuterie entertainment tray
- Dessert: Two 12-inch pumpkin pies
- Source: Fox 7 Austin
Albertsons: $79.99 to $135.99, feeds 8 to 10, heat and serve
- $135.99 version: 10 to 12 lb. roasted turkey, herb giblet gravy, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean amandine, praline sweet potatoes, cranberry relish with oranges, pecans and coconut
- $79.99 version (Oregon listing): Whole cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, herb dressing, turkey gravy, dinner rolls
- Note: Contents and price vary by region.
- Source: The Penny Hoarder
Costco: $199.99, feeds 8, ships frozen
- Turkey: 5 lb. pre-brined turkey breast you roast
- Sides: 3 lb. each of mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, sweet corn, green bean casserole and cornbread stuffing; 2 lb. candied yams
- Bread and sauces: 12 dinner rolls, 24 oz. turkey gravy, 20 oz. cranberry relish
- Dessert: 2 lb. apple cobbler, 2 lb. pumpkin pie
- Total: About 30 lb.
- Price: Marked down from $269.99 with a $70 discount
- Delivery: Online only, preorder by Nov. 13. It ships by FedEx second-day and arrives between Nov. 4 and Nov. 20.
- Source: Fox Business
TheStreet
Will consumers chase price?
RTM Nexus CEO Dominick Miserandino thinks that the difference between these meal deals is not the driving factor for many consumers.
“I’d love to tell you I’d compare every price at Costco and Sam’s Club before deciding where to shop for Thanksgiving, but who am I kidding? I’m going to whichever one is closer, and Google Maps says is less crowded,” he told TheStreet.
It’s not a question of not wanting to save money, but all of these offers are good deals, he shared.
“Am I really going to drive an extra 20 minutes to save three dollars on a turkey? I’m already spending Thanksgiving with my relatives. Why would I want to suffer before they even arrive?” he added.
Retail expert Maurie Backman doesn’t use any of these meal deals.
“I’m a 20-year Costco member, and I love shopping there, but I’m very particular about what I serve on Thanksgiving, and Costco usually only has a handful of things I need. Given the pre-holiday crowds, I’m less inclined to go out there to save a few dollars,” she told TheStreet.
Order your Thanksgiving meals by these dates
- Costco: Order by Nov. 13; deliveries arrive Nov. 4 to Nov. 20.
- Publix: Order by Nov. 23; pick up by Nov. 25. Stores are closed Thanksgiving.
- Albertsons: Order online by Nov. 23; pick up by Nov. 26, or Nov. 25, where stores close on Thanksgiving.
- Walmart: No preorder. In stores and online through Dec. 24 (which would be a very late Thanksgiving dinner).
- Sam’s Club: No preorder; in clubs and online since Oct. 28, end date not posted.
- Kroger: No preorder. You buy the groceries in-store. Kroger hasn’t posted 2026 dates; last year’s bundle started Nov. 12.
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