Best hamburger and grocery deals for Labor Day cookout

Labor Day is a big sale day for meat producers, which is a win for anyone who plans to barbecue the ever-popular hamburger on the holiday.

Ground beef is averaging $5.72 a pound, up 5.9% compared to Labor Day a year ago, according to marketing company Food Market. If you find it for less, you’re getting a deal.

Photo: Deposit Photos

Here is what local grocers are selling ground beef for this week. Shopper alert: Read the fine print. Comparisons aren’t always clear. While some fat makes a hamburger taste better, cheap meat often will shrivel as the fat drips away, so you’ll need more meat to serve enough people. Also, if you buy less than the minimum weight, the price will go up and that change may be invisible even when you get to check out.

Aldi’s, $9.95 for 5 pounds ($1.99 a pound)
Costco, $19.99 for 5 pounds of hamburger. That’s $4 a pound.
Fresh Market, $5.49 for a pound of sirloin.
Publix, $4.49 for a pound of ground chuck with a 3-pound minimum.
Sam’s Club. Member’s Mark prime rib beef patties, $4.98 a pound ($31.13 per package).
Sedano’s, 80% lean chuck for $3.99 a pound.
Sprouts, 85% lean ground beef for $5.99 a pound, 2-pound minimum.
Target, 80% lean ground beef for $5.99 a pound, 2-pound minimum.
Trader Joe’s, 80% lean ground beef for $4.99 a pound.
Walmart, 85% lean ground beef for $5.49 a pound, 4-pound minimum.
Whole Foods, 89% lean ground beef for $7.49 a pound.
Wild Fork, 73% lean ground beef, $4.28 a pound.
Winn-Dixie, 93% lean ground beef for $4.99 a pound.

More cheap barbecue tips

Homemade is cheaper – and better

Just for an example, a pound of deli coleslaw at Publix is $6.29. At the Walmart deli, it’s $3.97.

Meanwhile, a head of cabbage is 82 cents a pound at Walmart and 97 cents a pound at Publix. Typical heads are 3 pounds, so that’s $2.46 at Walmart and $2.91 at Publix.

Dolly Parton has a pennies-on-the-pound coleslaw dressing recipe in “Dollywood Presents Tennessee Mountain Home Cooking.” Mix 1 part vinegar, 4 parts mayonnaise and 1 part pickle juice. It takes a little experimentation the first time around. After that, it’s simple – and delicious. Plus, the cost is under $3 a pound.

Photo: Deposit Photos

Swallow your Bud Light objections

Bud Light lost about 20% of its business over a spat with singer Kid Rock, who objected to a Bud Light marketing ploy that featured a transgender influencer. It has been doing its best ever since to win back drinkers. For Labor Day, it’s offering a hard-to-beat $15 off coupon on Bud Light, Budweiser, Budweiser Select or Budweiser Select 55.

It isn’t simple to collect, but $15 is nothing to sneeze at. Here are the instructions:

Buy a 15-pack or larger by 9/6
Hold onto your receipt after you pay.
Take a photo of the UPC (barcode) on the pack of Budweiser products you purchased.
Fill out the questionnaire on the rebate page
Upload a photo of your barcode and a photo of your receipt for the $15 rebate by 9/6.