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Gone are the days where you aimlessly Google search \u201ccheap flowers near me\u201d and all that pops up is an overpriced flower shop with limited hours. Grocery stores<\/a>, as I\u2019ve found, are the place to be when you\u2019re building a towering arrangement for your house, making homemade bouquets for a wedding, or simply treating a friend to a pick-me-up. It\u2019s pretty magical, really, that you can chase down deals on a dozen eggs, school supplies, and yes, cheap flowers \u2014 all in one trip.<\/p>\n But how do all the big grocers\u2019 flower selection really stand up when it comes to cheapness, quality, and selection? I searched far and wide for the best of the (very literal) bunch. To get a wide swath of options, I went to five different grocery store chains that offer flowers: Aldi, Costco, Trader Joe\u2019s, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Whole Foods Market.<\/p>\n First, \u201ccheapness\u201d can be pretty subjective, depending on the shopper. I used to work at a grocery store (and have many takes on how we value our groceries!), and I have my own rubric to explain what makes for a worthwhile shopping experience when it comes to picking out grocery flowers. Think of it this way: If your flowers are low in price, but low in quality (aka next-day wilting, cheap filler and sparse buds, browning petals), then that just feels like a waste, doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n So I chose the following picks that I felt were priced well according to their quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As a former Trader Joe\u2019s employee, I\u2019m no stranger to the grocer\u2019s petite bouquets, and they still stand out compared to the tinier bouquets available at other stores. While other stores have much sadder blooms at this price point and are punctuated with more filler, the Trader Joe\u2019s $3.99 bouquets are almost always perky, bright, and ripe for at-home customizing. I like to get two different $3.99 bouquets and sort them into my own personal arrangement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Also, can we talk about the next-level plant food included with Trader Joe\u2019s bouquets? I\u2019ve yet to have a bouquet that didn\u2019t last at least two weeks. Beauty and longevity? I\u2019m a forever fan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Once again, Trader Joe\u2019s steals the show with its mid-priced bouquets. I\u2019d bargain<\/em> to say that most pre-arranged bunches at Trader Joe\u2019s will barely set you back more than $13 (this one was just $12.99). That just wasn\u2019t the case at most other stores. On top of that, Trader Joe\u2019s selection and pricing makes it very easy to grab a few bunches of flowers of your own choosing (like hydrangeas, carnations, gerbera daisies, or sunflowers) to create your own, unique bouquet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Sprouts also has some notably solid picks, but the selection is more limited and there is less of a range in prices (typically Sprouts\u2019 tiers were $14.99 or $19.99, whereas Trader Joe\u2019s has $7.99, $9.99, and $12.99 options). Still, there are some beautiful selections available that won\u2019t set you back too much and still scream SPECIAL OCCASION.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n There are bouquets and then there are bou-quets <\/em>(pinkies very much up). If you\u2019re on the search for a fancy bouquet that looks like $$$$ but is more like $$, then Whole Foods is the place to be. This particular $29.99 bouquet is almost too big to fit into the frame. It\u2019s a true two-hander when it comes to holding, and I\u2019d be shocked to find a similar bouquet at this price point at a flower shop. If someone got me this bouquet, I\u2019d say, \u201cWhat are you doing this June, because we are getting married!\u201d Think about it: How often do you get to elicit such a lovely emotional reaction at just $30 bucks a pop? It basically pays for itself (per \u201cgirl math<\/a>\u201d).\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n One surprising thing I found in my search is just how well Costco does roses. The warehouse\u2019s rose game? Unstoppable<\/em>. Who knew? I didn\u2019t! So when I was greeted by a wall of roses and very little else, (which is totally fine! Do what you do best, right?), I was beside myself. These roses are a vibrant red, majestic, and large. Nearly cartoonishly perfect, even. Best of all? You can get two dozen of them for just $18.99. That being said, if you aren\u2019t looking to razzle and dazzle that hard, Costco is slightly limited in terms of sizing options (no half-dozen bunches like other grocers have), but for $18.99 for two dozen? Unbeatable. Plus, they\u2019re Rainforest Alliance certified<\/a>, so they\u2019re a sustainable option as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n That being said, if you want a smaller bundle, Trader Joe\u2019s and Whole Foods both have bouquets of roses (either a dozen or 16-stemmed) that will set you back only $9.99 to $10.99. The blooms are on the smaller size, but still plenty impressive and have a wider range of colors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In my opinion, I really value making as few stops as possible when it comes to shopping. In that case, I love a tried-and-true, surefire bet. No making second stops because the selection was roughed up, limited, or didn\u2019t have a range of prices depending on what I\u2019m wanting flowers for. That quality, to me, was exemplified in two different grocers: Trader Joe\u2019s and Whole Foods. They do a few things differently, but equally very well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In terms of the happiest flowers, I\u2019d vote for Whole Foods. I was honestly amazed at the selection of harder-to-find blooms that were so vividly bright and festive. Whole Foods even has peonies, tulips, and lilies in the middle of December! Plus, the mixed bouquets are on par with ones much like you might see in a stand-alone flower shop, with a few more \u201cdeluxe\u201d-feeling bouquets for when you really need something to be volume 12 extraordinary. It also has more affordable rose options than I was expecting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As for Trader Joe\u2019s, the grocer has such a wide range of pricing options for bouquets. You can, say, get a tiny bouquet for your 4-year-old niece\u2019s ballet recital for $3.99 and <\/em>also a dozen roses for your sweetie, and<\/em> plenty of fun blooms to make flower crowns for an upcoming girls\u2019 night. Plus, the store\u2019s flowers last oh-so-very-long, meaning the joy you feel when seeing those sunflowers you got last week just keeps growing and growing. That, to me, is one of the best deals in town.<\/p>\n Do you buy flowers at the grocery store? Tell us about it in the comments below.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe Least Expensive Bouquets ($5.99 and under)<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Best of the Bunch: Trader Joe\u2019s<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Mid-Tier Bouquets ($6.99 \u2013 $19.99)<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Best of the Bunch: Trader Joe\u2019s<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Best Deluxe Bouquets ($20.99 and up)<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Best of the Bunch: Whole Foods\u00a0<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A Dozen (or Two!) Roses ($9.99 \u2013 $18.99)<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Best of the Bunch: Costco<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Runners-Up: Trader Joe\u2019s and Whole Foods<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Which Grocery Store Had the Best Deal on Flowers?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n