Everybody likes to save money, and saving money on groceries—a household's third-largest expense—is a priority for many families, especially during uncertain economic times.
Denver7's Smart Shopper aims to help families save on grocery costs by tracking prices at four major supermarkets in the Denver metro area.
Each Wednesday, we’ll update our Smart Shopper Price Check with the latest prices of nine essential grocery items from King Soopers, Safeway, Walmart, and Target.
Here is the latest Denver7 Smart Shopper Price Check from September 17, 2025. See the results below, or view them in fullscreen here.
Overall totals have remained relatively stable over the past 20 comparisons, particularly for prices of several staple items.
Walmart secured the top position again this week, with a total of $25.61 for nine items, about the same as last week.
It has become clear over the past 20 weeks that the nation's largest retailer is the one to beat, as Walmart stays steady while others swing in price by as much as 20%.
If you want the lowest consistent prices with no need to chase sales, Walmart is the choice for you.
King Soopers came in second place, with a total of $29.11, exactly 20 cents more than last week's total.
Denver's largest grocer has remained competitive for the five months, as evidenced by the Smart Shopper price checks.
Target came in third, with a total of $29.71, a slight increase from last week.
We've noticed that the Minneapolis-based retailer has been steadily increasing prices on some grocery staples over the past couple of weeks.
However, Target remains the moderately low and stable price leader.
Safeway came in last place again this week with a total of $31.51, which is more than a $2 hike from last week.
Despite consistently ranking last in our Smart Shopper comparisons, Safeway has maintained a competitive pricing strategy.
The grocer relies more heavily on sales than the other stores, especially meat prices.
Remember to utilize digital coupons and loyalty programs for extra savings.
The items we compared are all store brands and are as follows:
- 2% milk (1 gallon)
- Loaf of wheat bread (sandwich)
- Skinless chicken breast value pack (price per pound)
- Non-tubed ground beef 80/20 (price per pound)
- Dozen eggs (large A or AA)
- Toasted oats cereal (12 ounce)
- Creamy peanut butter (16 ounce)
- Bag of baby carrots (16 ounce)
- Box of four butter sticks (16 ounce)
