Dive Brief:

• This week, both Aldi and Lidl announced offerings for affordable Thanksgiving dinner essentials starting Wednesday.
• Aldi’s “Thanksgiving Price Rewind” will match pre-pandemic prices on appetizers, desserts, sides and beverages while Lidl’s Thanksgiving basket provides shoppers with enough ingredients to feed up to 10 people for under $30.
• These holiday discounts come after a year of ongoing struggles with inflation and the looming threat of a Thanksgiving turkey shortage.

Dive Insight:

Aldi’s pricing on Thanksgiving ingredients and products will match the store’s 2019 prices, equaling discounts of up to 30% off. Starting Wednesday, shoppers can look for the red circle icon that reads “Thanksgiving Price Rewind” in local ads and throughout stores, according to the grocer’s Tuesday press release.

Lidl’s Thanksgiving basket, which can feed up to 10 people for under $30, consists of frozen turkey, pumpkin pie mix and crusts, dairy products, an assortment of vegetables, stuffing mix and Hawaiian Sweet rolls, the announcement lists. The turkey included averages $0.49 cents per pound — $1.50 less than the national average, per the press release, and is available through the discount grocer’s myLidl loyalty program. 

The announcement notes the basket is modeled after items selected in the annual Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation. The Farm Bureau’s survey last year found that the average basket cost more than $53. 

Lidl’s Thanksgiving basket will be available starting Wednesday, and the deal will run for as long as supplies last.

Inflation has been an ongoing issue for grocers and shoppers with food-at-home prices increasing 13% year-over-year in September, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

This persistent rise in inflation has largely replaced fears of COVID-19 as the holiday season fast approaches with 45% of surveyed shoppers reporting fears about rising prices for holiday meals and celebrations, according to a recent Food Industry Association survey.  

Adding to fears of inflation around holiday food essential prices is the warning of a bird shortage this Thanksgiving due to avian influenza outbreaks that have already wiped out 2.5% of the turkey population, Food Dive recently reported. Compared to last year, turkeys will cost 23% more, according to a recent Wells Fargo report. 

Hard discounters like Aldi and Lidl are not alone in trying to ease these upticks in prices as Thanksgiving nears. 

On Tuesday, BJ’s announced a free turkey promotion where its members, after spending $150 in a single online or in-store transaction, will receive a digital coupon for a free Butterball whole turkey. Coupons will be dealt out between Nov. 1 and Nov. 10 and can be redeemed between Nov. 12 and Nov. 23 while supplies last, the announcement noted.