Ralphs and Vons are two quite well known supermarkets in the United States. They have a combined 700+ locations across the entire country. Additionally, they both help hundreds of thousands of customers each year. However, there are many differences between the two stores. If you are deciding whether to shop at Ralphs or Vons, and are not sure, this article should be of help to you.
I looked at 3 major decision making factors and compared these two stores. These 3 factors are:
- Price
- Product Quality
- Product Variety
By the end of this article, you should have a good idea as to which store is better for you.
Which is Better: Ralphs or Vons? Ralphs is 16% to 49% cheaper than Vons across multiple different shopping categories for store brand items. However, Vons does seem to have higher quality products offered in their stores.
Is Ralphs More Expensive Than Vons?
Price point is a huge decision factor for most shoppers. In other words, many shoppers prefer the store that gives them the better price or the best ‘bang for your buck’. So, between these two stores, which one is going to give you the best price?
| Category | Ralphs Brand | Vons Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | |
| Personal Care | ✓ | |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
Which one is cheaper, Ralphs or Vons? Ralphs is much cheaper than Vons across multiple common shopping categories. Customers are much more likely to save money shopping at Ralphs.
From my findings, it appears that Ralphs is anywhere from 16% to 49% cheaper than Vons.
To clarify, I compared the store brand items. I figured comparing the store brand items would give a much better idea as to how affordable or expensive a store is. So, if you are someone who enjoys saving money, you are much better off shopping at Ralphs instead of shopping at Vons.
Product Quality: Ralphs vs Vons
Another big decision making factor is quality. The quality of products can also make or break someone’s decision to shop at a particular store. So, to see which store has higher quality products, I took a look at the FDA’s recall database to find out how many products each store had to take off of their shelves due to the quality.
| Category | Ralphs Recalls | Vons Recalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 0 | 0 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 1 | 0 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 1 | 0 |
| Food and Beverages | 8 | 6 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
According to the FDA, it seems that Ralphs has had a total of 10 recalls and Vons has only had 6. While both of these numbers are quite low in comparison to other grocery stores, Vons is much lower than Ralphs. This suggests that Vons has higher quality products for customers to pick from.
Ralphs: 10 Total Recalls
Vons: 6 Total Recalls
So, if you consider yourself as someone who prioritizes product quality when shopping, then Vons is the better place for you to shop at.
Product Variety: Ralphs vs Vons
Another aspect to shopping that many people look at is the product variety. Essentially, shoppers like to have a store where they can have different options to pick from. When comparing these two stores, which one offers more products to pick from?
Both stores are considered supermarkets, which means they both sell a very large variety of consumable items. Keeping this in mind, they should both sell a similar amount of products in their stores.
| Total Ralphs Products | Total Vons Products |
| 10,000 products | 11,000 products |
Unsurprisingly, both of these stores sell a very similar amount of products. While Vons does sell an estimated 1,000 products more than Ralphs, the number is almost negligible. To be honest, you are likely not to even notice the difference in the amount of products at each store.
So, if you are someone who really likes product variety, either of these stores is a good choice for you.
Which One Should You Shop At: Ralphs vs Vons?
When to shop at Ralphs: Ralphs is a much better option for you if you like to have a mix of low prices and product variety. Not only is Ralphs cheaper than Vons, but they also offer a very similar amount of products in their stores too.
When to shop at Vons: Although they do not have the lowest prices, they do have higher quality products. For most shoppers, higher quality products are with the extra dollar or two. So if you don’t mind paying a bit extra for the quality, then you should shop at Vons.