When you’re shopping in New England, especially in Massachusetts, you’ll see several locations for Big Y and Market Basket. With 72 and 88 locations throughout New England, Big Y and Market Basket serve many customers. If you’re wondering which is the best grocery store to visit for your weekly shopping trip, then you’ve come to the right place!
Big Y is a better grocery store than Market Basket. Big Y has lower prices and more departments than Market Basket, which makes it an appealing one-stop place to shop.
We’re going to discuss the three things that make a grocery store better than its competitors; price, quality, and variety. Read on to learn how Big Y and Market Basket compare and why Big Y is the better grocery store!
Big Y
Big Y began as a family-owned and operated business and continues to follow that model to this day. Back in 1936, brothers Paul D’Amour and Gerry purchased Y Cash Market with the mission of bringing personal service, quality, and commitment to their local community.
The original store was a small, simple grocery store. However, as the brothers expanded their business with new and bigger locations, they began stocking a wider variety of products. In 1952, they opened the first Big Y Supermarket. The chain expanded from there, eventually growing to 72 locations across various states in New England.
Market Basket
Athanasios and Efrosini Demoulas started Market Basket after the couple immigrated to the US from Greece. Athanasios began cultivating crops and livestock and opened his first food store in 1917 in Lowell, Massachusetts. The business was sold to the couple’s two sons in 1954, who opened a second location three years later.
In 1963, one of the brothers established the DeMoulas Profit Sharing Plan that allowed employees to benefit from the overall profit of the company. This plan is still in place today. The name Market Basket was adopted after several larger locations opened that sold a wider variety of products than the original food stores.
Market Basket remains a family-owned and operated business that focuses on offering high-quality products for affordable prices. They continued to expand across New England and now have 88 locations.
Comparison Questions (Big Y vs Market Basket)
Which Supermarket Offers More Products?
Big Y and Market Basket offer very similar products. Most supermarkets have the same departments with a few variations, and that’s true of Big Y and Market Basket. However, there are a couple of minor differences that are worth noting.
Big Y has a few departments you won’t find at Market Basket. Some Big Y locations sell home and office supplies, toys and games, and baby and childcare products. Most Market Basket locations focus solely on the sale of foods and beverages, with a few seasonal and general merchandise sections.
If you’re looking to find your next one-stop shopping location, then Big Y is a better option than Market Basket.
Which Supermarket Offers Better Prices?
Market Basket’s slogan is, “more for your dollar,” while Big Y’s slogan is, “Only the best from our family… to yours.” Both companies work to provide the best prices for their customers.
Big Y and Market Basket came out with private labels to provide further discounts for their customers in the 1970s. These private labels have expanded today to encompass tons of products and save customers a pretty penny.
Big Y lists all their products and prices online, which is excellent for customers who want to get a feel for their price range before setting foot inside the store. Unfortunately, Market Basket doesn’t list their prices online, so you’d be going in blind.
However, plenty of customers have taken to online forums to compare Market Basket’s prices to other stores, and the consensus seems to be that Market Basket offers great deals and prices, but they don’t offer the lowest prices.
Big Y generally has lower prices on most grocery staples like bread, meat, and milk.
Which Supermarket Offers Better Quality?
Finding high-quality products at affordable prices can be a struggle, but supermarkets like Big Y and Market Basket try to give their customers great products at great prices. Market Basket often rotates its produce throughout the year to provide its customers with the freshest in-season products. Big Y usually keeps the same produce year-round and imports from other countries to provide fresh fruit and veggies.
You’re more likely to purchase local produce from Market Basket than Big Y, which is an excellent way to support your local community and ensure you’re getting fresh products. However, both supermarkets import the majority of their other products, so we searched the FDA recall database to see which store experienced the most recalls.
Big Y had 11 products recalled during 2022, while Market Basket only had four recalls. This definitely suggests you’ll find better quality items at Market Basket than Big Y!
The Verdict– What’s the Better Grocery Store?
Big Y and Market Basket are two popular supermarkets across a few states in New England, especially Massachusetts. Market Basket almost always provides better quality products than Big Y, but you’ll find more variety and cheaper prices when you shop at Big Y. If you’re looking for a one-stop place to shop with the lowest prices around, then you’ll want to visit Big Y for your next weekly shopping trip!