PROSPER, Texas — The holiday season is here but there's an uninvited guest at the dinner table this Thanksgiving -- inflation.
John Votava oversees corporate affairs for the Kroger Dallas stores. He said now is the time to shop early and shop smart.
"Thanksgiving is a time for family and a time for gathering," Votava said. "Check the Kroger app that we have or check the Kroger ad that we put out every Wednesday comes out with new items that are going to be available for the week ahead."
Shopping ahead means better options too, especially since side items may cost more this year. That includes desserts like sweet potato pie.
Stores like Target are running early sales on both main and side dish items. They placed stuffing on the main isle as an attention getter, have turkeys and other thanksgiving meat on sale. For example, right now, a half honey baked ham is just 99-cents a pound.
In 2022, Thanksgiving dinner for a family of 10 cost $64.05, according to the American Farm Bureau. That's a 20% increase from 2021 at $53.31 for the same size family.
Grocery partners, like food manufacturers, have seen their profits fall in the past year. That's forcing consumers to pick up the increase for raw materials, packaging and transporting goods. Thanks to sales and several in-store discounts, this year the thanksgiving dinner items WFAA's Scoop Jefferson's cart rang up to $57.09.
But if cooking isn't your thing, no problem. You can still enjoy a full Thanksgiving spread without ever putting on a cooking apron.
Votava said, "We also have heat and eat options as well, where everything is prepared. You just got to warm it up and serve it to your guests."
Votava also shared that customers should take advantage of cross savings, like the money they can save using fuel points. Other saving options include stores, like Target, which offers $10.00 off your final shopping bill after spending at least $50.00 in the store.