Hosting a July 4 BBQ? This grocery store has the cheapest items in Tri-Cities

The Fourth of July is commonly a day spent barbecuing. Across the country, many people spend Independence Day with hot dogs and burgers on the grill, enjoying the summer weather with loved ones while waiting for the evening’s fireworks displays.

While preparing for a Fourth of July barbecue, it’s easy to default to your nearest grocery store. But you might be able to save money by driving a little farther out for an alternative.

The Tri-City Herald visited six grocery store options in Tri-Cities on July 1 to find the best prices on 10 necessities for your Independence Day barbecue. The list includes:

• Frozen burger patties

• Burger buns

• Hot dogs

• Hot dog buns

• Heinz ketchup (38 ounce)

• Corn

• Lay’s barbecue chips (party size)

• A case of 12-ounce Coors Light

• A&W root beer (12 pack)

• Vanilla ice cream (1.5 quart)

July 4 shopping in Tri-Cities

We went to one location for six grocery stores with multiple locations in Tri-Cities. We avoided places with limited groceries, like Walgreens and Rite Aid, as well as membership-required options like Costco.

The Herald visited:

• Target - 1106 N. Columbia Center Blvd.
• Walmart - 2801 Duportail Street
• WinCo - 101 Columbia Point Drive
• Yoke’s - 454 Keene Road
• Fred Meyer - 101 Wellsian Way
• Safeway - 1803 George Washington Way

While we aimed for uniformity across items, there were some discrepancies that could not be avoided at the time of our visit. While examining prices, keep the following discrepancies in mind:

• Oscar Mayer brand bun-length hot dogs were found at every store except Target, where Ball Park brand hot dogs were compared instead.

• A 12-pack of Coors Light was found at Target, Walmart and Safeway, but WinCo and Yoke’s offered an 18-pack and Fred Meyer offered a 30-pack. To accommodate this difference, we’ve calculated the price per can.

• Walmart, WinCo and Safeway sell corn by the ear. Target, Yoke’s and Fred Meyer had bundles available at a set price. For these stores, a price per ear was calculated for comparison.

Cheapest barbecue groceries in Tri-Cities

While the item-by-item comparison varies, the cheapest total for all 10 items was at WinCo for $35.75. Totals do not include taxes or additional fees like Washington’s 8-cent bag fee. The most expensive total was at Safeway for $63.89.

• Target total: $48.92

• Walmart total: $47.05

• WinCo total: $35.75

• Yoke’s total: $43.62

• Fred Meyer total: $55.79

• Safeway total: $63.89

Note: This is not a scientific study, but it is a real reflection of items’ prices at grocery stores in Tri-Cities during the first week of July 2025.

This story was originally published July 2, 2025 at 12:02 PM.