Thanksgiving may be more than a month away, but with the calendar closing in on Turkey Day, retailers are preparing to help hosts and home cooks get all the grocery essentials planned ahead for the food-centric holiday.
“You’ll start to see these Thanksgiving bundles from meal delivery services, called heat and eat deals, that will include turkey, stuffing, and potatoes and gravy,” Ali Furman, a retail expert for professional services network PwC, told ABC News.
Earlier this week, Aldi announced a $40 Thanksgiving meal to feed 10 people, a $7 price drop from a similar deal last year.
BJ’s Wholesale, meanwhile, confirmed to ABC News that its annual free turkey promo will be returning this season. Members who spend $150 or more on all the Thanksgiving fixings can get a free Butterball turkey — fresh or frozen — with their purchases.
Costco has begun preorders for its Complete Gourmet Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner, which serves eight people for $25 each when members use the current manufacturer’s discount online.
The entire meal includes a 5-pound Amish-raised, free range turkey breast; mashed potatoes; green bean casserole; mac and cheese; stuffing; sweet corn; a whole pumpkin pie; apple cobbler; cranberry relish; turkey gravy; and dinner rolls.
Wholesale turkey prices are forecasted to rise by 40% this holiday, which the American Farm Bureau Federation said in a new report is due to both “economic factors” and “disease challenges.”
“Overall, grocery bills are up. Just the price of meat is up, the price of other commodities are up — this is why retailers are putting promotions on for Thanksgiving staples earlier than they typically would,” Furman explained, adding it will “help people spread out that spend.”