[phairmason]

For mid-tier grocery stores, I've found that it depends on what you buy. When I was in my 20s, a friend and I shopped at different grocery stores. She asked me why I shopped at the more expensive store. It turns out that she and I didn't buy the same stuff beyond the staples. So we went with our lists and a calculator to both stores and added up each store's prices for for our typically purchased items. She spent less at her preferred store and I spent less at mine--for what we each chose to buy.