Wegmans, Kroger offering Thanksgiving feasts under $6 per person

As Thanksgiving approaches and consumers are seeking to stretch their food dollars for the holiday meal, grocery giants Wegmans and Kroger are vying to provide families with affordable holiday meals.

Both grocers empathize affordability, convenience and variety — with plenty of fresh produce options — ensuring shoppers can enjoy a traditional holiday dinner at a fraction of the normal cost.

Here's a look at each retailer's offerings for a Thanksgiving meal.

Wegmans

Wegmans says it is helping customers sit down to a delicious and affordable holiday meal for less than $6 a serving.

The grocer's offering serves eight and includes all the essentials for a traditional Thanksgiving, according to a news release. Many of those essentials are included in the company's new hot zone pricing program, which makes it easy for customers to find the best values throughout the store, the release said.

Frozen turkey promotional prices are available now, with the remaining Thanksgiving promotional prices going into effect Nov. 17, the company said.

“Offering competitive prices and a great value to our customers is extremely important to us throughout the year, and that includes during the holiday season,” said Tom Way, senior vice president of pricing, analytics and insights for Wegmans. “We recently launched our hot zone pricing program to make it easy for customers to find our best values throughout the store, and that's where customers will find many of their Thanksgiving meal essentials.”

Wegmans' Thanksgiving meal includes:

• Shady Brook Farms frozen turkey, 13 pounds.
• McCormick brown gravy mix, two count.
• Wegmans stuffing mix, two count.
• Wegmans FYFGA yellow onions, 2-pound bag.
• Wegmans celery, one bunch.
• Wegmans chicken stock, one count.
• Wegmans dinner rolls, one count.
• Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, two count.
• Wegmans canned corn, two count.
• Wegmans cranberry sauce, one count.
• Wegmans cut green beans, two count.
• Wegmans french-fried onions, one count.
• Wegmans cream of mushroom soup, two count.
• Wegmans FYFGA russet potatoes, 5-pound bag.
• Yams, three count.
• Sara Lee frozen pie, one count.
• Wegmans whipped topping, one count.

“The meal is often the centerpiece of Thanksgiving Day celebrations, and we want to make it easy for our customers to put a delicious, affordable meal on the table,” Way said. “At less than $6 per person, we hope our Thanksgiving meal allows customers to spend less time stressing about the meal, and more time enjoying the day with family and friends.”

View the Thanksgiving meal product collection here.

Kroger

The Kroger Co.'s zero-compromise Freshgiving meal offering customers a holiday basket that includes all the staples for less than $4.85 per person — even more affordable than the retailer's turkey day bundle last year, according to a news release.

"As families gather together to give thanks and reflect on all they are grateful for, we are humbled to be part of their celebrations," said Rodney McMullen, chairman and CEO for Kroger. "At Kroger, we are incredibly thankful for our outstanding associates and for another year of serving our communities and feeding our neighbors in need. From life's most joyous moments to a simple family dinner, we understand the important role food plays in connecting us, showing love and expressing gratitude. Bringing people together to experience this joy is at the heart of our Thanksgiving basket and Kroger's everyday promise to be Fresh for Everyone."

Kroger says these holiday favorites that will feed 10 people.

• Kroger brand whole frozen turkey (14-16 pounds) — as low as 49 cents per pound.
• Kroger brand turkey stuffing.
• Kroger brand chicken broth.
• Kroger brand super sweet corn.
• Kroger brand baby carrots.
• Kroger whole berry cranberry sauce.
• Sweet Jewel yams.
• Kroger brand Idaho potatoes.
• Campbell's turkey gravy.
• Kroger brand french sliced green beans.
• Campbell's Cream of mushroom soup.
• Kroger Crispy french-fried onions.
• Kroger brand brown-and-serve rolls.
• Kroger brand traditional ready-to-bake pie crusts.
• Kroger brand 100% pure canned pumpkin puree.
• Kroger brand original whipped topping.

Customers can also look forward to more than $800 in available Freshgiving savings, including hot weekly digital deals on items across the store, BOGOs, 4X fuel points Fridays and 4X fuel points on gift card purchases (limited time only), the release said.

For those wanting the convenience of a heat-and-eat Thanksgiving meal, Kroger says it also offers a protein and sides bundle for six starting at $75.

For recipe ideas, experts from Kroger's "The Fresh Lane" blog have customers covered with tons of holiday inspiration including the secrets to sensational homemade stuffing, a side dish guide, appetizer ideas and more.

In addition, the Kroger Family of Companies invites customers to join in their mission to fight food insecurity. From now until Jan.1, customers in participating divisions will have the opportunity to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar with donations going directly to local hunger relief organizations, the release said. Donations can be made at checkout with Kroger associates, self-checkout or online.