Grocery chain's $39 Thanksgiving for 10 quietly drops three favorites

A budget supermarket chain says it can feed 10 people on Thanksgiving for under $39. That's less than $4 a head.

The deal was announced on Wednesday, October 14, and runs until November 25, the day before Thanksgiving.

"Thanksgiving shouldn't require a calculator or a coupon strategy," the chain's CEO said.

The chain is Aldi, and its CEO is Atty McGrath.

"No hoops. Just a really good meal at a really good price," McGrath said, according to Scripps News.

What's in the bag

The centerpiece is a 16-pound Farmer's Choice whole turkey, according to Aldi's announcement.

Around it: three boxes of stuffing, three pounds of sweet potatoes, a 12-ounce pack of Hawaiian sweet rolls, fresh cranberries, steamable frozen peas, and a veggie tray of baby carrots and celery.

For dessert there's pumpkin pie mix, pie crusts, heavy whipping cream and whole milk.

Not everything is in stores yet. Fresh cranberries arrive October 26, the turkey November 4 and the pumpkin pie mix November 11, Aldi says.

There are no coupons, loyalty cards, minimum spends or memberships. For the first time, shoppers can add the whole list to an online cart in one click, Scripps reports. It can also be ordered through DoorDash, Instacart or Uber Eats, where extra fees may apply.

What's missing this year

Shoppers with good memories will notice the bag is lighter.

Last year's deal had 21 items for $40, The Takeout reports. This year's is $1 cheaper, but the mac and cheese, the mashed potatoes with gravy and the green bean casserole ingredients are gone.

The sweet potato casserole has become plain sweet potatoes, and the cranberry sauce is now fresh cranberries.

Aldi isn't the cheapest, either. Rival Lidl's meal for 10 costs $35.86, though it doesn't start until November 11, according to The Takeout. Sam's Club's biggest Thanksgiving meal deal costs about $160 and feeds up to 16.

Turkey up, butter down

The timing is no accident. Thanksgiving is expected to cost the average American family about $90 this year, up from $88, consulting firm PwC told Good Morning America.

Turkey will cost nearly 8% more than last year, and cranberries are up nearly 15% after a smaller harvest and higher production costs, PwC says.

"But there's some bright spots," said Ali Furman, PwC's consumer markets industry leader. "Butter is down 10% and cream is down 6%."

PwC's tip is to plan early and buy shelf-stable basics when they go on sale.

Aldi, for its part, is betting on simple. "This year we put together a classic, easy-to-compare feast at a price that only ALDI can offer," said chief commercial officer Scott Patton.

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26.