Both Kroger and Harris Teeter are among Some of the largest grocery store chains in the United States. Each sells similar items to a similar demographic of customers. But if you’re deciding between the two, which one is better?
To help you with this decision making process, I compared these two stores on three major decision factors:
- Price
- Quality
- Variety
This article you should have a much better idea as to which door is right for you based on your shopping needs.
Which is Better: Harris Teeter or Kroger? Kroger is anywhere from 11% to 55% cheaper than Harris Teeter. Additionally, Kroger offers more than twice the amount of items as Harris Teeter. However, Harris Teeter does have higher quality products, according to the FDA.
Is Harris Teeter Cheaper Than Kroger?
The price point of products is something that many shoppers consider as the most important factor when it comes to deciding where to shop. Majority of shoppers would prefer the store that has the most affordable prices, or offers the most value for every dollar spent.
To see what store has cheaper prices, I took a look at the most commonly purchased storebrand items from each store. Then average out the prices and put them into categories. The table below shows which store is cheaper for each common shopping category.
| Category | Kroger Brand | Harris Teeter Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | |
| Personal Care | ✓ | |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
Kroger is cheaper than Harris Teeter by a range of 11% to 55% for most commonly purchased store bought items.
More specifically, Kroger is cheaper than Harris Teeter in 6 out of 8 common shopping categories. The only category where Harris Teeter is the cheaper option is in the ‘Dry Goods’ category. Interestingly, both stores have the same average pricing for canned goods in their stores.
To give you a better idea of what the price differences between these two stores look like, above is a bar graph that shows the average prices in each shopping category for both stores. As you can see the biggest price deficits are in the bread, dairy, frozen goods, personal care, and cleaner categories.
No matter what you really buy at Harris Teeter, you’re more than likely going to spend more money than you will buying the same items at Kroger.
So, if you are someone who prioritizes saving money by going shopping at the grocery store, then Kroger is a much better option for you.
Product Quality: Harris Teeter vs Kroger
I arguably just as important as the price, product quality is something that a majority of shoppers also consider. Customers want to know that what they are buying is safe.
So to figure out which store has higher quality products, I took a look at the FDA’s product recall database. This database shows which store has had more product recalls in recent years. Through this we can see which store has lower quality products.
| Category | Harris Teeter Recalls | Kroger Recalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 0 | 2 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 0 | 1 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 0 | 2 |
| Food and Beverages | 14 | 46 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
According to the FDA database, Kroger has significantly more product recalls in recent years. This suggests that Kroger has lower quality products available in comparison to Harris Teeter.
While all of Harris Teeter‘s product recalls are within the food and beverages category, Kroger has recalls in a total of four different recall categories.
So if you are someone who prefers to purchase higher quality goods, then Harris Teeter is where you should shop.
Product Variety: Harris Teeter vs Kroger
Lastly, product variety is also something that customers consider. While it may not be as important as price or quality, it does play a role in which store people shop at. So, which store has more products to pick from?
For reference, both of the stores are considered supermarkets so we should expect that each of them sell a similar number of items at their install locations.
| Total Harris Teeter Products | Total Kroger Products |
| 30,000 | 70,000 |
After looking at the amount of products that each store has, it is clear that Kroger offers more product variety. More specifically Kroger has more than twice the amount of items to shop from in comparison to Harris Teeter.
For reference, the average grocery store has about 31,000 products available. What this means is that while Harris Teeter is very close to the industry average, Kroger is significantly higher than the industry average.
So, if you are someone that prefers shopping at a store that offers a lot of options, then Kroger is the right store for you.
What Does Each Store Sell?
For the most part, call Harris Teeter and Kroger sell the same types of items. You shouldn’t have any issues finding big brand names. Each store also offers their own affordable private label products.
Well each store doesn’t really specialize in a particular type of product (organic foods, non-gmo, etc.), you’ll still be able to find a limited selection of the specialty items as well.
Which One Should You Shop At: Harris Teeter vs Kroger?
When to shop at Harris Teeter: despite having higher prices, Harris Peter does offer higher quality products in comparison to Kroger. If you don’t mind paying a little bit more higher quality than Harris Teeter has the right store for you.
When to shop at Kroger: Kroger offers cheaper prices and more product in. While their product quality may not be as high as Harris Teeter‘s, you will be sure to find everything you need at an affordable price. If price and variety are two things you prioritize as a shopper, and Kroger is right for you.