Wegmans is offering a Thanksgiving meal with all the essentials for a traditional dinner for eight at less than $5 per person, matching the cost of last year’s meal, as the grocer’s own research finds hosts determined to save without sacrificing quality. The offer joins a wave of holiday meal deals from Aldi, Lidl, Sam’s Club and Schnucks as retailers compete on per-person value this season.
Among customers planning to host, 87 percent say they are concerned about the cost of food and ingredients, according to an October survey of 5,695 members of the Wegmans Insiders customer feedback community. At the same time, 72 percent say high quality is more important than finding the lowest price.
“Thanksgiving is about gathering with family and friends around a meal that feels special and familiar,” said Tom Way, SVP of merchandising at Wegmans. “Our customers want to make their holiday budgets go further without compromising on quality. By bringing together high-quality products at affordable Hot Zone prices, we’re making it easier to serve the Thanksgiving experience families look forward to for less than $5 per person.”
The 16-item meal centers on a 13-pound Shady Brook Farms frozen turkey plus the makings of stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, corn, mashed potatoes, yams, macaroni and cheese, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce and a Sara Lee frozen pumpkin pie, with name brands including Stove Top, McCormick and Jiffy alongside Wegmans private label items.
Thanksgiving promotions run Nov. 8-28, with frozen turkey promotional pricing available Nov. 8-22. Many of the meal’s items are part of Wegmans’ Hot Zone pricing program, designed to make the best values easy to find throughout the store. The per-serving price varies by market with Shoppers Club savings and is not applicable at the grocer’s Astor Place and Brooklyn, New York, or Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, stores.
Rochester, New York-based Wegmans Food Markets operates 115 stores along the East Coast. The family company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016.