Groceries on a budget? How to track weekly sales at Aldi & other Centre County stores

Grocery budgets are getting tighter these days, and knowing where to find the best deals can make a big difference each week.

Food prices generally stayed level in February, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, but finding deals can help keep families full and flexible while shopping on a budget.

Recently, the Centre Daily Times found chains like Aldi, Walmart and Wegmans offered some of the cheapest prices for grocery staples in Centre County — and weekly sales and coupons can help you save even more.

So, how do you find the best offerings near you? To help, we’ve outlined where and when you can find the latest deals at the State College area’s major grocery stores.

Aldi

Locations in Centre County: 1798 N. Atherton St. and 780 Benner Pike

Both State College-area Aldi locations offer weekly ads running Wednesday to Tuesday (such as March 13 through 19). The chain’s weekly ads are available online by visiting aldi.us/weekly-specials/our-weekly-ads or in print near the entrance of each store.

Aldi often allows its shoppers to browse the following week’s ad in advance to help plan their trips to the store. Additionally, you can find other discounts through Aldi Finds by visiting aldi.us/weekly-specials/this-weeks-aldi-finds.

You can view Aldi ads and specials on the go by downloading the grocery chain’s free mobile phone app or receiving updates to your email inbox. Aldi stores do not offer memberships or rewards programs.

Giant

Locations in Centre County: 2121 S. Atherton St. and 255 Northland Center in State College, 2699 Benner Pike in Bellefonte

Giant’s weekly ads offer deals valid Friday through Thursday each week (such as March 15 through 21). Shoppers must enroll in the free Giant Choice Rewards program and scan their card or submit their phone number at checkout to see deals applied to their order.

Separate digital coupons can offer additional savings, but they must be “clipped” online before checkout to apply.

You can find Giant’s weekly circulars by visiting giantfoodstores.com/weekly-ad/print-view, using the chain’s mobile app or picking up a print copy in person or through the mail. All three State College-area locations offer the same sales.

Giant often uploads an online preview of the coming week’s ad each Thursday before it takes effect Friday. If the ad is available, shoppers can choose to view the current week’s selections or browse the new preview when they visit the chain’s website.

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Target

Locations in Centre County: 201 W. Beaver Ave. and 315 Colonnade Blvd. in State College

Target’s weekly ads run Sunday through Saturday (such as March 10 through 16). According to the Minneapolis-headquartered company’s website, weekly ads are updated every Sunday between midnight and 2 a.m. Central Standard Time.

You can find each week’s circular by visiting the discover tab within the Target mobile app or visiting target.com/weeklyad. Each advertisement varies by location, so make sure you’ve selected the correct store.

Target Circle, the company’s free loyalty program, offers additional savings for customers, including coupons that automatically apply at checkout.

Wegmans

Locations in Centre County: 345 Colonnade Blvd. in State College

Wegmans’ discounts are available for customers who join the chain’s free Shopper’s Club membership. Discounted items rotate roughly each week, store officials say.

“Shopper’s Club items generally change on Sundays, although many run for longer than one week,” State College store manager Adam Fleming wrote in an email. “Some run throughout a particular season. The easiest way to tell is to look at the tag, where you’ll see a future date, indicating the planned end of that special.”

Wegmans does not publish weekly ads in print circulars, but it does offer digital coupons through its mobile app and website. These offers generally apply to Wegmans-brand food items, as well as household staples like bath tissue, paper towels and laundry detergent, among other offerings. They must be digitally “clipped” before applying at checkout.

Shoppers can get notified of new digital coupons through email messages, push notifications to their phones and direct mail, Fleming said.

Weis

Locations in Centre County: 560 Westerly Parkway, 110 Rolling Ridge Drive and 1471 Martin St. in State College, 170 Buckaroo Lane in Bellefonte and 501 N. Centre St. in Philipsburg

Weekly ads at Weis stretch Thursday to Wednesday (such as March 14 through 20). Visit weismarkets.com/flyers to select your preferred store and see the current week’s deals. Shoppers can also use the Weis mobile app or pick up a print circular.

Shoppers must enroll in the chain’s free Shoppers Club Card program to get in on its weekly sales. The Weis Rewards program can turn each dollar spent into credit toward future discounts on grocery bills or savings at the gas pump.

What about Trader Joe’s and Walmart?

Unlike other stores in the State College area, Trader Joe’s and Walmart do not offer traditional weekly sales and coupons.

Walmart’s offerings are available online by visiting walmart.com/shop/deals and filtering for food at your preferred store. Trader Joe’s, meanwhile, does not offer discounts or loyalty programs.

“We know that maintaining our everyday focus on value is vital, which is why we don’t have sales, we don’t offer coupons, and there are no loyalty programs or membership cards to swipe at our stores,” the Trader Joe’s website reads. “Trader Joe’s believes every customer should have access to the best prices on the best products every day.”