SoDu Shopping Basket: Food Lion Slips Ahead of the Pack

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SoDu Price Check - Week of Feb. 19, 2026

Where can you stretch your grocery dollars the furthest in South Durham this week? We priced 17 everyday items - from eggs and milk to meat, pasta, and toilet paper - at nine major grocery stores serving the SoDu area.

This week’s SoDu Shopping Basket shows South Durham grocery prices edging down again, with the average basket at $65.80. Food Lion's cheapest this week, followed by Walmart and Target.

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Basket Totals This Week

1. Food Lion — $53.26
2. Walmart — $54.67
3. Target — $54.83
4. Wegmans — $56.33
5. Harris Teeter — $57.46
6. Aldi — $60.69
7. Publix — $78.39
8. Sprouts — $87.81
9. Fresh Market — $88.73

Average (all stores): $65.80

Best Deals and Big Gaps

Best Buys

• Eggs: $1.97 (Walmart)
• Milk: $2.39 (Wegmans)
• Chicken breast: $2.57/lb (Walmart) (but Fresh Market/Harris Teeter also at $2.99)
• Ground beef: $5.99/lb (Harris Teeter)
• Tuna: $0.89 (Harris Teeter)
• Cheddar cheese: $1.87 (Walmart)
• Spaghetti: $0.98 (Walmart)
• Apples: $1.45/lb (Walmart)
• Roma tomatoes: $0.82/lb (Walmart)
• Sugar: $2.97 (Walmart)
• Toilet paper (12-pack): $5.99 (Target)
• Lettuce: $1.59 (Harris Teeter)

Price Watch

• Sprouts sugar: $9.99 (clear outlier vs ~$3 elsewhere)
• Publix ground beef: $10.99/lb (highest in the set)
• Fresh Market remains premium overall (highest basket total; eggs $4.59, milk $7.99, bread $4.59)
• Coffee spikes at Fresh Market & Sprouts: $12.99, while Wegmans is $7.49 and Aldi $7.15
• Publix toilet paper: $12.99 vs $5.99 at Target

Food Lion wins the overall basket this week, but Walmart posts the most “lowest-price” wins item-by-item (eggs, apples, tomatoes, sugar, spaghetti). If you’re optimizing: Food Lion for the full run + Target for toilet paper is a strong combo.

🛒 What’s your favorite store for savings? Hit reply and share your strategy!

Keep checking the shopping basket page on our newsletter site for updates on comparisons.

🚗 Need a Traffic Update?

Check our Southpoint Access Live Traffic Map for real-time road conditions across Fayetteville Road, NC Highway 55, and I-40.

Avoid delays and plan your route smarter!

Looking for the best deals on gasoline? Check out the SoDu Fuel Tracker!

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