We visited 15 Raleigh grocery stores for the best Thanksgiving turkey prices. The results
Turkey is such a staple dish at Thanksgiving gatherings that it has come to symbolize the holiday.
But while Americans across the country will be feasting on the bird Thursday, Nov. 28, they won’t all be eating the same kind of bird prepared the same way.
Options abound, after all. Before most birds will be fried, roasted or smoked, they will be sourced from a market. And as shoppers search aisles for the crown jewel of the holiday meal, they may see turkeys labeled fresh, frozen, organic, kosher or heirloom, packaged in a generic or name-brand wrapper.
Triangle residents have access to plenty of grocery stores selling plenty of turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving.
The holiday, for a number of reasons, may cause celebrants anxiety. We at The News & Observer think selecting a turkey shouldn’t exacerbate that — which is why we spent a rainy Wednesday, Nov. 20, visiting 15 grocery stores in Raleigh.
We recorded the per-pound price of available birds to help residents locate the best-value turkeys around.
Here are our results.
Which Raleigh grocery store has the best prices on turkeys?
Nine grocery stores are selling turkeys for less than $1 per pound. Of those, six have turkeys priced at less than 50 cents per pound:
- Lowes Foods: Jennie-O premium frozen (19 cents per pound)
- Carlie C’s: Honeysuckle White frozen (28 cents per pound), Butterball premium all natural (98 cents per pound), Jennie-O fresh premium (98 cents per pound)
- Food Lion: Shady Brook Farms frozen (28 cents per pound), Plainville Farms pre-brined (99 cents per pound), Butterball premium all natural (99 cents per pound)
- Harris Teeter: Harris Teeter frozen (29 cents per pound), Harris Teeter fresh (99 cents per pound)
- Wegmans: Shady Brook Farms frozen (29 cents per pound), Wegmans fresh (99 cents per pound)
- Publix: Publix frozen (39 cents per pound)
- Aldi: Honeysuckle White frozen (77 cents per pound)
- Target: Good & Gather basted (79 cents per pound), Butterball premium all natural (99 cents per pound)
- Walmart: Honeysuckle White frozen (88 cents per pound)
Several of these deals are part of special promotions.
- Lowes Foods: The Jennie-O premium frozen turkey’s price is good for a 10-pound turkey with the $8 off coupon and use of Fresh Rewards card or telephone number at checkout. Price varies by turkey weight. Limited to one per household.
- Carlie C’s: Shoppers are limited to one
Honeysuckle White frozen turkey
per household through Thursday, Nov. 28 while supplies last. To score the Butterball premium all natural turkey’s price, shoppers must use their FAM card and are limited to one per household through Nov. 28 while supplies last. The Jennie-O fresh premium’s price is good through Nov. 28 and requires FAM reward card. Limited to one per household. - Food Lion: For the Shady Brook Farms frozen turkey, shoppers must use their MVP card and make a $35 purchase (excluding turkey). Limited to one per household. Shoppers also must use their MVP card for the Plainville Farms pre-brined turkey and Butterball premium all natural turkey.
- Harris Teeter: For the frozen turkey, shoppers must use their VIC card and make an additional purchase of $40 (excluding turkey) while supplies last through Nov. 28. Limited to one per household. For the fresh turkey, shoppers must use their VIC card.
- Wegmans: The Shady Brook Farms frozen turkey price is good for Shoppers Club members through Sunday, Nov. 24. The fresh turkey price is good for Shoppers Club members through Saturday, Nov. 30.
- Publix: Customers are limited to two frozen turkeys while supplies are available.
How we price checked Raleigh turkeys
We visited the following 15 stores in Raleigh on Wednesday, Nov. 20:
- Aldi: 4031 Wake Forest Road
- Carlie C’s IGA: 4111 New Bern Ave.
- Food Lion: 4317 Fall of the Neuse Road
- Harris Teeter: 120 St Albans Drive
- Lidl: 4308 Wake Forest Road
- Lowes Foods: 9600 Strickland Road
- Publix: 417 W. Peace St.
- Sprouts Farmers Market: 9414 Falls of Neuse Road
- Target: 4191 The Circle at North Hills St.
- The Fresh Market: 6325 Falls of Neuse Road
- Trader Joe’s: 3000 Wake Forest Road
- Walmart: 1725 New Hope Church Road
- Weaver Street Market: 404 W. Hargett St.
- Wegmans: 1200 Wake Towne Drive
- Whole Foods Market: 8710 Six Forks Road
The prices recorded reflect the lowest available for turkeys in stock at the time of the visit.
Some prices depend on turkey weight. There may also be requirements to take advantage of those prices, such as having a store loyalty membership, using digital coupons or making additional purchases.
For example, the Butterball Premium All Natural turkey from Lowes Foods is available for $1.29 per pound through Nov. 28 with a digital coupon and an additional $35 purchase.
Weaver Street Market did not have turkeys at the time of our visit, but store employees told The N&O that a few birds will be available in store Monday, Nov. 25. The prices included in this story were taken from the store’s website.
Note: This is not a scientific study, but it is a real reflection of turkey prices at grocery stores in Raleigh this November. We encourage you to take a look at the 2022 Thanksgiving ingredients price check to get an idea of how the grocery landscape has changed in the Triangle over the past few years.
Thanksgiving turkey advice from the pros
Drew Jackson, The N&O’s food and dining reporter, spoke with some of Raleigh’s top chefs ahead of the holiday to get their bird-prepping tips:
▪ Give your turkey more rest: “Make everything the day before except the bird. This way all you have to do is heat it up! And leave plenty of time for the turkey to rest. A well-rested turkey will cut and eat way better. If you’re serving at 6 p.m., have that turkey out of the oven by 4 p.m.” - Jeff Seizer, chef of Ponysaurus Brewing
▪ Don’t brine a small bird: “If you’re cooking a turkey under 14 pounds, don’t bother to brine it. Rub a mixture of salt, a little bit of pepper and a mix of your favorite savory herbs inside the cavity getting mainly towards the breast, and let it sit for a minimum of 36 hours. Rub the outside down with butter, salt, pepper and little bit of Chinese dark soy afterwards and roast.” - William D’auvray, chef of East End Bistrot and Giorgios Epicurean Market
▪ And if you don’t like turkey... don’t cook one. “You can have Thanksgiving without it. I never dream of Thanksgiving turkey so this year, ... I am going to do something else!” - Angela Salamanca, owner of Centro and Gallo Pelon
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 12:08 PM with the headline "We visited 15 Raleigh grocery stores for the best Thanksgiving turkey prices. The results."
