Walmart announces Thanksgiving dinner for a family of eight for less than $20

“Dedicated to helping American families save money on both holiday traditions and gift items,” Walmart announced significant price reductions on Thanksgiving dinner favorites last week.

The reductions allow a family of eight to have a Thanksgiving Dinner for $20. For a Wisconsin family of eight, this dinner would include a 12 pound turkey; three 11 to 15.5-ounce cans of Green Giant vegetables; Two 14-ounce cans of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce; Three 6-ounce boxes of Stove Top stuffing; and Two 12-ounce jars of Heinz Gravy.

If you’ve heard about this $20 dinner from friends, relatives, or bloggers who live in another state, you may be wondering what happened to the potatoes, rolls, and dessert they may tell you are included in this offer.

According to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel business writer Doris Hajewski:
“Wal-Mart ran full-page ads in metro daily newspapers Wednesday promoting its prices for Thanksgiving dinner items: a meal for a family of eight for less than $20.” However, she continues, “The Wisconsin version of the ad, when compared with other states, made clear the impact to consumers of the state’s Unfair Sales Act, known informally as the minimum markup law: In Wisconsin, thanks to the law, you don’t get dessert.”

Madison on the Cheap telephoned Walmart Media Relations to confirm this. They also sent us a copy of the Wisconsin advertisement (from November 4, 2009), which we’ve posted here. As Hajewski notes, “The ad in the Journal Sentinel offered frozen whole turkeys for 86 cents a pound. The same ad in the Chicago Tribune had turkeys for 40 cents a pound.” The difference in turkey prices accounts for the difference in the range of items included in the $20 dinner price.

If you want to read more about the minimum markup law (pro and con), you may want to start with Hajewski’s full report.

Offer has expired