🥜 Summit Staples Snapshot, Week 8: Drinks & Shelf Goods (November 2025)

 

Part of the Summit City Scoop Series.  Tracking Fort Wayne’s Real Grocery Prices

 

📊 This Week’s Prices & Changes

 

✅ = Price Down 🔺 = Price Up — = No Change

 

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💵 Total Basket Comparison

 

 

📊 Walmart and Aldi led price drops this month, while Kroger saw the largest increase from higher oil and peanut-butter prices. Meijer held steady overall.

 

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🧠 What We’re Seeing in Fort Wayne

 

• 🥤 Orange juice prices softened slightly at Kroger and Aldi as supply improved.

• 🛢️ Cooking oil stayed flat or rose a bit with retailers adjusting post-holiday inventory.

• 🥜 Peanut butter crept up at every store but remains under $2.30 for most brands.

• 🧂 Walmart now has the cheapest five-item basket for the second straight month.

 

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🌎 How Fort Wayne Compares

Statewide food-at-home inflation is hovering near 3 %, while Fort Wayne’s five-item basket rose just 1.2 % month-to-month — showing local grocery costs are still cooler than the Indiana average.
Nationally, the USDA reports slight price increases for cooking oils and snack foods, but orange-juice and cereal costs continue to ease.

 

 

📈 Summit Staples Index Number Month-to-Month

 

¹ Aldi’s first full 20-item cycle began in November; month-to-month change will be available next report.

 

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🧾 Month-to-Month Highlights

 

• 🏷️ Walmart held the lowest overall basket for the second month in a row, finishing under $50.

• 🛒 Kroger posted the largest rise (+ 4 %) driven by cooking oil, peanut butter, and lettuce.

• 🧺 Meijer stayed remarkably stable (+ 0.5 %), absorbing dairy increases with produce savings.

• 🍞 Aldi’s first full basket came in mid-range ($55.45), strong in dairy and pantry staples.

 

📊 Bottom line: Fort Wayne grocery prices rose less than 1 % overall, compared with Indiana’s statewide 3 % increase, proof our local costs remain more stable than most of the state.

 

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🥛 Category Snapshots

 

Dairy & Basics:
Milk, eggs, and butter stayed mostly flat; Walmart kept the cheapest five-item basket.

Proteins & Pantry:
Chicken and beef prices eased, while pasta crept up slightly.  Kroger and Meijer led the drop.

Produce & Fresh Goods:
Harvest season helped lower apple and potato prices; lettuce and carrots edged higher.

Drinks & Shelf Goods:
Orange juice ticked down, cooking oil up, peanut butter up a touch, but no major swings overall.

 

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🌎 How Fort Wayne Stacks Up

 

• Indiana: Food-at-home inflation ≈ 3 %

• U.S. Average: ≈ 3.3 %

• Fort Wayne: ≈ 0.8 %

 

✅ Our local market is outpacing both state and national stabilization trends.

Local grocers appear to be holding steady through year-end despite national transport and packaging cost pressure.

 

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🔮 Looking Ahead

Next month launches the Summit Staples Holiday Edition, tracking key seasonal items like baking supplies, canned veggies, and holiday beverages.

By December, we’ll have a three-month trend line showing which stores are truly saving Fort Wayne families the most.

 

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📌 Disclaimer

Prices recorded between October 19 – November 5, 2025 from Walmart (46818), Meijer (46818), Kroger (46825), and Aldi (46818).
Prices may vary by time, store, or promotions. Summit Staples tracks overall trends, not guaranteed checkout totals.

 

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💬 Join the Conversation

Spot a deal? Drop your price finds or receipt pics in our Summit Secret Scoops Facebook Group, your insight might appear in next week’s chart!