This is a tale of 3 different chickens. Everyone goes nuts over the $4.98 “Member’s Mark ™️” roaster at Sam’s Club, but it’s definitely not the “deal” you think, it’s also not the chicken “quality” you think you’re getting. I compared 3 stores: Sam’s, Wegmans, and Whole Foods.

Wegmans and Sam’s sell the same brine-soaked chickens you’d find at Acme, Stop & Shop, and ShopRite. So, keep in mind that only Whole Foods sells a real, all natural, non-nonsense pure chicken roaster. *

First, let’s look at Wegmans. Wegmans is probably one of the biggest fraudsters when it comes to their own brands. They label their roaster as “all natural,” and this couldn’t be a bigger lie.

Their roaster is $9.99 and includes an arsenal of unneeded ingredients and 14% of added salt-water weight, so you don’t get what you think you’re paying for. The laundry list of ingredients in their “all natural” chicken is:

1. Added Water
2. Sea salt
3. More salt (680mg per 3oz!)
4. Paprika
5. Spices
6. Dextrose
7. Garlic powder
8. Onion powder
9. Extractives of paprika
10. Silicon dioxide

Now let’s look at Whole Foods. This is the only store that sells the roaster in its 100% honest, all-natural form. No brine, no chemicals, no added color or flavors. Just 100% chicken.

The Whole Foods roaster is $8.99 for a 4lb chicken. And there’s no added salt-water weight to deduct. This is the “real deal.”

Now finally we get to Sam’s Club. One thing you need to know is that anytime you see a food product with the logo “Member’s Mark™️”, you can count on the absolute lowest quality with massive amounts of artificial and questionable ingredients. The focus at Sam’s is 100% price and not quality or health.

The laundry list of their roaster, which includes a ridiculous 18% of added salt-water weight, is:

1. Water: Added to help reduce food cost by adding weight but may make the ingredient list seem less natural.
2. Sodium phosphates: Also, for moisture retention but can make the product appear more processed.
3. Seasoning (salt, yeast extract, natural flavors): While salt is a common seasoning, yeast extract and undefined “natural flavors” may concern customers seeking recognizable ingredients. 430mg of sodium for a 3oz serving!
4. Chicken fat: Understandable addition for flavor, but some may question the need for extra fat.
5. Chicken broth: Logical ingredient for added flavor and moisture.
6. Yellow corn flour: Part of the spice rub but may give the impression of a filler ingredient.
7. Salt: Listed again as part of the spice rub, adding to the overall sodium content.
8. Spices: Ambiguous term that may leave customers wondering what exactly is included.
9. Yellow corn flour: Another potentially unnecessary filler ingredient.
10. Paprika [color]: Used for coloring, which may not appeal to customers seeking natural ingredients.
11. Garlic powder: A common seasoning, but some may prefer fresh garlic.
12. Sugar: Adds sweetness but may not be desired in a savory dish like roasted chicken.
13. Citric acid: Likely used as a preservative but may contribute to a processed image.
14. Onion powder: Similar to garlic powder, a common seasoning, but fresh onion might be preferred.
15. Paprika oleoresin [color]: Another coloring agent that may not appeal to health-conscious customers.
16. Natural flavors: Undefined and may raise questions about the naturalness of the product.
17. Color [with paprika]: Yet another coloring ingredient that contributes to a processed appearance.

So what’s the conclusion?

1.  Sam’s Club “430mg Sodium” 🚑 Chicken:
•   Price: $4.98
2.  Whole Foods Chicken:
•   Price: $8.99
3.  Wegmans “680mg Sodium” 🚑 Chicken:
•   Price: $9.99

So, in reality, after deducting the water weight, the prices per ounce and per pound are as follows:

•   Sam’s Club Chicken: $0.1265/oz, $2.02/lb 👎
•   Whole Foods Chicken: $0.1168/oz, $1.85/lb ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•   Wegmans Chicken: $0.3417/oz, $5.87/lb 👎

Believe it or not, the Whole Foods “all natural” chicken comes in at the “best deal” at $1.85 per pound, with the chemical-laden Sam’s roaster close behind at $2.02.

What I didn’t expect, and you probably wouldn’t either, is Wegmans with their absurd price of $5.87 per pound. That’s absolutely insane for this chemical-laden chicken with the deceptive packaging that makes you think you’re getting “Whole Foods” quality when it’s the same chicken you’d get at Acme or Stop & Shop.

BEST DEAL & HEALTHIEST: Whole Foods ⭐️⭐️⭐️
2ND BEST DEAL & UNHEALTHIEST: Sam’s
WORST DEAL & ALSO UNHEALTHY: Wegmans

*Shoprite recently began to sell a honest all-natural chicken as well! I couldn’t include it because they overcook their chicken to the point where they literally “explode”. See the video here:

One Last Honorable Mention! H-Mart!

Another (not-so) honorable mention has to go to H-Mart. H-Mart is a favorite “to go” place for a lot of reasons but if they can find a way to swindle the American consumer they’ll grab the opportunity.

Their chicken roaster does list ingredients but does not supply the NUTRITION details in any capacity, so you’ll never know if this was a salt-water-brined roaster or not.

They even hide the weight so it’s rough to compare the value to anything else. H-Mart basically just says “here’s a chicken please buy me if you want” for $7.99.

Above: We had to carry the chicken to the fish department because H-Mart places the chicken far away from any scale in sight LOL…

So long story short, if this chicken was brined in the standard Wegmans formula of 14%, the chicken you’re buying would be 1.85lbs minus 14% salt-water weight:

Water weight = 14% of total chicken weight = 0.14 × 1.85 = 0.259 pounds Chicken weight without water = 1.85 – 0.259 = 1.591 pounds

Let’s calculate the actual cost per pound for the chicken without water. Cost per pound without water = Total cost ÷ Chicken weight without water Cost per pound without water = $7.99 ÷ 1.591 pounds ≈ $5.02 per pound.

So that’s pretty expensive but Wegmans ($5.87lb) still takes the cake for being the biggest rip-off in the Chicken Roaster game!