Walmart Sets $35 Holiday Meal Basket for 10 at Record Low Price

Walmart's Oct. 28 release lists 26 items including a Butterball turkey at $0.97 per pound, stuffing, cranberries, casseroles, rolls, and pie. The basket is available through Dec. 24 for pickup or delivery with free Express Delivery through Nov. 30. This follows four years of the program that the company states has saved customers over $350 million. The move occurs against BLS data showing the food-at-home index down 0.1 percent in September yet up 30.27 percent cumulatively since September 2020.

Food price relief remains partial. The September CPI report recorded a 3.7 percent annual increase overall, with holiday costs cited as a top stressor by 43.8 percent of Walmart customers in its internal survey. Retailers face volume pressure from elevated cumulative inflation even as month-to-month food indexes stabilize. Walmart's basket pricing absorbs some input costs to maintain foot traffic and basket size during peak season.

Competitors responded with parallel offers. Target priced a six-person meal at $30 with a $0.79 per pound turkey option, while Aldi offered a ten-person package under $39. These parallel moves indicate coordinated efforts to defend market share rather than broad deflation. Primary records from BLS and company statements show no reversal of the multi-year price run-up, only targeted promotions.

The pattern suggests retailers will extend similar low-margin holiday bundles into 2027 if CPI food components fail to decline further. Sustained volume at these prices depends on stable turkey and grain costs through the first quarter.