Grocery tracker marks one year of Fort Wayne price checks
After 52 weeks of weekly shopping-basket checks, WPTA's 21Investigates Grocery Tracker is pausing to review a full year of in-store price data from Fort Wayne Kroger, Meijer, and Walmart. Starting next week, the tracker moves to Friday mornings so shoppers can plan trips when paychecks land.
Key Takeaways
- 21Investigates: Grocery Tracker has compared the same 10 staple items across three Fort Wayne stores for 52 weeks.
- The weekly tracker feature is shifting from Wednesday updates to Friday morning broadcasts.
- Prices reflect in-store sale tags only, excluding coupons, loyalty cards, and bulk discounts.
- Viewers can suggest new stores or items for future tracker comparisons.
What is the 21Investigates grocery tracker?
Fort Wayne's WPTA 21Alive launched 21Investigates: Grocery Tracker as a weekly on-air and online feature built for real-world price comparison. Each week, the investigative team shops three major retailers and publishes what shoppers would pay for a fixed basket of everyday groceries.
After one full year, the station says it is time to step back and examine what the tracker has revealed about local food costs. The milestone arrives as families nationwide continue watching grocery bills closely, a theme our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries desk also tracks through consumer-impact investigations.
How does the grocery tracker measure prices?
The tracker lists sale prices found in stores without factoring in coupons, loyalty cards, credit card bonuses, bulk buys, or other extra discounts. Investigators report the exact shelf or sale tag price they encounter, even though those other savings tools could lower a final bill.
That methodology is meant to create a consistent baseline. The team acknowledges the list may not match every household's brands or quantities, but it offers a repeatable snapshot of what staples cost week to week.
Which stores and items does the tracker follow?
Prices come from three Fort Wayne locations: Southgate Plaza Kroger, Illinois Road Meijer, and Apple Glen Walmart. The standard basket includes a dozen store-brand grade-A large eggs, one gallon of store-brand 2% milk, one pound of Land O'Lakes butter sticks, one loaf of Sunbeam Giant White Bread, and a family-size box of Cheerios.
It also tracks a 16-ounce jar of Jif creamy peanut butter, one pound of store-brand 80/20 ground beef, one pound of store-brand boneless skinless chicken breast with rib meat, one pound of bananas, and one pound of russet potatoes.
Why is the tracker moving to Friday mornings?
Starting next week, Grocery Tracker will air first on Friday mornings instead of its prior Wednesday schedule. WPTA says the shift is deliberate: many viewers plan grocery runs on the same day their paychecks arrive, and Friday timing is meant to align price updates with that shopping rhythm.
The July 8 edition still ran on the Wednesday cycle and included a patriotic freezer-aisle segment alongside the usual price check. Full coverage and the year-one review are available from 21Alive News, the station's investigative unit.
How can viewers shape the tracker next?
WPTA is inviting audience input as the feature enters its second year. Shoppers can contact 21Investigates with suggestions for which three stores should be compared next or which items belong on the list.
That feedback could reshape a tool that has already delivered 52 straight weeks of local grocery price transparency for northeast Indiana viewers.