A Major Retailer Wants To Make Holiday Shopping Less Stressful On Your Wallet

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Holidays are a joyous, yet expensive, time. While many Americans spend a surprising amount on holidays, money going out does not always reflect money coming in. Even without spending too much on decor or gifts that take multiple holiday seasons to pay off, people often still go as big as possible on meals while celebrating at home.

Unfortunately, rising grocery prices make the holiday season a burden for many. Those with already-tight food budgets must scrimp harder, and those who never had to cut a coupon may now be looking for ways to truly save on buying food. One major grocery retailer is attempting to meet this demand by vowing to be a one-stop shopping destination for highly affordable holiday meals, along with other value items.

Walmart CEO John Furner recently spoke with George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America about creating deep savings for holiday shoppers. Furner emphasized Walmart's value rollback program when describing low price points on electronics and other items. Furner specifically highlighted a low-priced Thanksgiving meal basket, which costs about $4 per person and can feed 10 people.

For an estimated total of $40, shoppers can pick up a 10-person Thanksgiving Meal Deal basket at Walmart. The collection of items includes a 10-to-13-pound frozen Butterball turkey, fresh cranberries, baby carrots, russet potatoes, a bag of brown-and-serve dinner rolls, a boxed stuffing mix, and an assortment of other items. Dessert fixings are also included, with a shelf-stable can of pure pumpkin, evaporated milk, and two frozen pie crusts. There are also gluten-free and protein-rich versions of the deal, and a prime rib meal basket for slightly varying prices. Sale pricing began on October 20, 2025, and will last until December 26, 2025, so the deal covers most winter holidays.

"Our merchants have done a really nice job of mixing things out," Furner told Stephanopoulos, as the holiday baskets feature brands like Butterball, Kinder's, and Campbells, as well as Walmart's Great Value items. Per Furner, Walmart turkey prices are at pre-COVID-19 levels: "Our turkey prices ... are all the way back to what they were in 2019, at 97 cents per pound."

Being able to save on turkey is particularly significant because of the rising cost of turkeys everywhere else. Flock numbers have declined steadily for decades, and recent disease outbreaks have driven down the supply even further. Per a 2025 Turkeys Raised report released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), only 195 million turkeys will be raised in 2025; that's down more than 35% from roughly 300 million raised annually in the mid 1990s (per a USDA report from 2000). 

Per the American Farm Bureau Federation, the cost of wholesale turkeys has spiked 40% from 2024 to 2025. Per analysis from the Purdue University College of Agriculture, the average retail turkey price in 2025 will rise about 25% over last year, for a cost of $2.05 per pound. That's quite pricey compared to a frozen turkey at Walmart's 97 cents per pound.

Turkey Day value when turkeys are scarce may not mean Walmart is taking a loss on holiday sales. For example, Costco keeps its rotisserie chicken so mysteriously cheap and cleverly eats the loss to draw customers in. Likewise, Walmart's low food prices show some strategy behind the pricing of other store products to account for such a savings. While Furner merely praised customers looking for value instead of answering Stephanopoulos on the impact of President Trump's tariffs, the newly imposed duties are a reason supply chains are struggling and prices on many products keep rising.

The impact of the 2025 government shutdown also cut SNAP benefits for millions of Americans. November SNAP payments will look very different (or get delayed) despite moves to end the shutdown. Walmart may lose billions of dollars in sales from an interruption to the SNAP program. Trump has praised the meal deal for being 25% cheaper than last year's basket. However, this year's basket offers far fewer items than last year's, notably skipping out on pecan pie, sweet potatoes, and marshmallow topping. This is a bittersweet reminder that stark savings always come from somewhere, and they don't always taste good.