Grocery Store Discounts for Seniors

Everyone needs groceries, it’s just a fact of life. The nice thing though, is that many of the larger grocery stores offer various senior discounts. And really, who doesn’t love to save money?

Unlike, other discounts we’ve featured, grocery retailers are rarely nationwide like hotels and restaurant chains. But we have included a wide range of markets from all over the US.

Though many stores and services are doing away with senior discounts in favor or other reward programs, we were able to find some supermarkets still honoring senior discount days.

The grocery stores listed below all have specific days they offer a senior discount, so it is imperative to be sure you are shopping on the specified day of the week or month.

We have chosen grocery stores with varying discounts and age requirements, and have done our best to ensure we found stores in most of the US states. The discounts range from 5%-15%, some stores offer a once a month discount, whereas others are a weekly discount.

Also, the age requirements start as low as 55 and go up to 65 years old, so always check the age requirements before assuming the discount prices.

Finally, be sure to check before you shop to ensure the discount program is still in place since policies are subject to change and may also vary depending on location.

None of the discount programs listed below require you to be an AARP member, they are all strictly based on age. If you don’t see your local grocery store listed, it doesn’t mean they don’t offer a discount. So, take the time to inquire while you are there to ensure you are receiving the best prices possible.

Grocery Stores with Discounts for Seniors

• Gristedes Supermarket
• Harris Teeter
• Hy-Vee
• New Seasons
• Publix
• Piggly Wiggly
• Uncle Guiseppe’s Marketplace
• DeCicco Family Markets
• Fry’s Food Stores
• American Discount Foods

Gristedes Supermarket

• Discount: 10% on Tuesdays
• Age Requirement: 65+
• Pharmacies services available at select locations

Gristedes Supermarket has been in business for over 100 years in the New York area. They first opened in 1888 in New York City and were owned and operated by the Gristede brothers.

After a lot of hard work and numerous sacrifices, the brothers were able to open a second store several years later. After that, things got a bit easier, and they continued to expand outside of New York. By 1938 there were 161 stores.

Over the years, Gristedes was bought and sold a couple of times. Today it is owned by the Red Apple Group. Today the markets are primarily located in the New York and Manhatten areas.

Harris Teeter

• Discount: 5% on Tuesdays
• Age Requirement: 60+
• Pharmacy services available

Harris Teeter had initially been two different stores that eventually merged in 1960. Teeters was owned by the Teeter brothers and the other store’s founder was W.T. Harris.

It didn’t take long before Harris Teeter was a success, and in three years, there were 25 stores in North Carolina.

Over time the company was purchased and sold, and today Harris Teeter is owned by the Kroger company. There are currently 230 Harris Teeter stores located in the seven different states east of the Mississippi and in the District of Columbia:

• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Virginia
• Georgia
• Florida
• Delaware
• Maryland

In addition to the grocery stores, Harris Teeter also owns:

• Fuel Centers
• Grocery distribution centers
• Frozen food distribution centers
• Perishable distribution centers

Their headquarters are still located in Mathews, NC.

Hy-Vee

• Discount: Varies Based on Location
• Age Requirement: Varies Based on Location
• Pharmacy services available

Hy-Vee, founded in 1933, under the name Hyde & Vredenburg after its two founders, first opened in Beaconsfield, Iowa. In 1938, they expanded with the help of 14 others and incorporated 15 additional stores in Missouri and Iowa.

Over the years Hy-Vee has continued to expand in the midwest and is now owns 240 in:

• Illinois
• Minnesota
• Kansas
• Nebraska
• Wisconsin
• South Dakota
• Iowa
• Missouri

Hy-Vee excels at offering a wide range of high-quality products at reasonable prices. Hy-Vee is one of the top 25 largest grocery retailers in the US, with $10 billion in annual sales.

Many of their grocery stores also feature an in-store restaurant.

New Seasons

• Discount: 10% on Wednesdays
• Age Requirement: 65+
• Carries wellness products, but does not offer pharmacy services

New Seasons is a privately owned chain of grocery stores located primarily in the northwest region. They are only present in three states at this time:

• Oregon
• Washington
• California

They first opened in 2000, founded by three families who were inspired to open a local grocery where people had the opportunity to connect to where their food originated. The concept was an absolute hit, and their success grew from one store into 20 stores.

They strive to do their part in being environmentally responsible, reduce food waste, decrease excess packaging, and reduce emissions. Their goal is to create a new type of shopping experience that will better both the customer and the environment.

Publix

• Discount: 5% on Wednesday – Only in the following states: Tennessee, North Carolina, and the northern areas of Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia
• Age Requirement: 60+
• Pharmacy services available

Publix first opened in 1930 in Winter Haven, Florida. Publix sets themselves apart from their competition by being the largest employee-owned company in the country.

Publix has won several awards, most notably for being a great place to work:

• Indeed.com ranked them #4 for job security
• Forbes listed them in the top 100 best companies to work for 1998-2020
• Fortune’s listed them #7 for best companies to work for

But in addition to those achievements, they have also topped the charts in customer service.

• According to Southern Living readers, it’s the South’s Best Grocery Store
• Marketforce.com listed it among the country’s favorite supermarkets
• Temkin Customer Experience rated it #2
• J.D. Power rated them Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Supermarket Pharmacies

Additionally, Publix does offer a delivery service, but you should inquire if senior discounts would still apply.

Piggly Wiggly

• Discount: 5% on Wednesdays
• Age Requirement: 65+
• Pharmacy services available

Piggly Wiggly prides itself on being the first self-serve grocery store in America. Clarence Saunders first opened in 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee. In the 1920s, Saunders lost primary control of Piggly Wiggly to shareholders.

However, Piggly Wiggly continued to grow, and now they are located in 17 states, mainly in the midwest and southeast:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Florida
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Illinois

Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace

• Discount: 5% on Wednesdays
• Age Requirement: 65+
• No Pharmacy services available

Philip DelPrete, one of the founders of Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, opened the first store in 1998 in East Meadow, New York. Since then, they have opened an additional six stores in New York and one in New Jersey.

Though Uncle Giuseppe’s is a full-service grocery store, they do specialize in Italian foods. It is their goal to bring their customers the old fashioned local market feel, but with all of the conveniences found in today’s traditional supermarkets.

One of Uncle Giuseppe’s unique features is their in-store pizzeria. All of the pizzas are made from hand-stretched dough and topped with their own secret sauce. In addition to their pizzas, they also make fresh Calzones and Stromboli daily.

DeCicco Family Markets

• Discount: 5% on Wednesdays
• Age Requirement: 60+
• No Pharmacy services available

DeCicco Family Markets opened over thirty years ago in the Bronx. DeCicco Markets is still family-owned and operated, but today it is run by the second generation of DeCicco’s.

Over the years, DeCicco’s markets have expanded, but they still have held tight to the personal service they provide to each customer that walks through their doors. DeCicco Family Markets prides itself on the individual interaction they have with all of their customers, retaining the feel of a friendly neighborhood market.

Today they own five markets in New York.

Fred Meyer

• Discount: 10-15% depending on the department, on the first Tuesday of each month 
• Age Requirement: 55+
• Pharmacy services available

Fred Meyer is not the traditional grocery store. Instead, it was the founders, Fred Meyer, desire to create a one-stop shopping experience, so in 1922, Fred opened the first store in Portland, Oregon.

Fred Meyer’s stores offer more than 225,000 items, some of the departments you will find at their stores are:

• Clothing
• Outdoor gear and equipment
• Gardening
• Kitchen and home interior
• Electronics
• Health and Beauty

In 1998, Kroger purchased Fred Meyer but retained the Fred Meyer name.

Fred Meyer stores are commonly found on the western half of the US, they are located in the following four states:

• Oregon
• Washington
• Idaho
• Alaska

Fry’s Food Stores

• Discount: 10% off the first Wednesday of the month
• Age Requirement: 55+
• Pharmacy services available

Donald Fry opened the first Fry’s Food Stores in 1954 in California. But, later, with the help of his brother, Charles, expanded into Arizona. In 1960 they decided to sell the stores to Dillons, who owned it until 1983 when they sold the business to the Kroger Company.

There are now over 100 Fry’s Food stores, mainly located in the southwest area in Arizona and Texas.

American Discount Foods

• Discount: 10% on Mondays
• Age Requirement: 62+
• No Pharmacy services available

American Discount Foods was first named Harvest Market and opened in 1998 in Mesa, Arizona. The family-owned business soon changed its name to American Discount Foods when they realized it better portrayed the store.

Since 1998, they have relocated multiple times and are currently located in a larger facility in Mesa with a second location in East Mesa.

They are a liquidation store, which allows them to pass on the discounts to their customers. They offer name brand quality products purchased from other grocery stores that:

• Were overstocked
• Short coded
• Discontinued
• Damaged case products