Need savings on food and gas? See how Centre County grocery store rewards compare

Do you feel like your money isn’t stretching as far these days? You might not be wrong.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, both overall food prices (up 2.2%) and gasoline prices (1.3%) have increased on average over the last year . People across the country are paying more to fill their grocery carts and gas tanks, but rewards programs at regional and national chains can help provide additional savings for diligent shoppers.

Recently, the Centre Daily Times found chains like Aldi, Walmart and Wegmans offered some of the cheapest prices for grocery staples in Centre County, and even more feature weekly sales and specials . Rewards programs and memberships can help you build credit toward future grocery bills or even make your gas a bit cheaper.

So, how do you sign up, and which store has the best offerings near you? To help, we’ve outlined the advantages and costs of each rewards program offered by the State College area’s major grocery stores.

Giant

Shoppers at this grocery chain can sign up for Giant Choice Rewards , a free rewards program that offers savings at checkout and the gas pump.

You can sign up for Giant’s rewards program by visiting giantfoodstores.com/registration and creating an account with a valid email address. Shoppers can eventually use the Choice Points they accrue by shopping in-store and online to receive $1-increment discounts off their grocery bills, take $0.10-per-gallon increments off their gas or redeem free products through special offers.

One hundred Choice Points can become $1 in grocery discounts or $0.10 off each gallon of gas you buy at Giant. Shoppers who are savvy (and patient) can use the program to receive free gas at the pump once they rack up enough $0.10 increments. You might use Choice Points to redeem items through specials, such as a free spiral-cut ham available for 400 points around Easter.

Shoppers enrolled in Giant’s rewards program can enter their phone numbers at checkout to make sure their points get counted. You can also scan a membership card that Giant will eventually send you in the mail after signing up for the program.

Giant’s Choice Points expire on the last day of the month following the month in which they were earned, the company says. Redeemed grocery dollars expire on the last day of the following month.

The chain operates three stores in Centre County: 2121 S. Atherton St. and 255 Northland Center in State College and 2699 Benner Pike in Bellefonte. Its weekly sales run from Friday through Thursday each week.

Target

This retail chain offers a rewards program through Target Circle , a free membership that provides exclusive deals and credit toward future purchases.

Target Circle, launched in 2019, once allowed shoppers to credit 1% of their bills toward future savings, but that initiative ended this year following a re-brand of the program . Still, Target Circle provides access to exclusive deals and discounts that are applied automatically at checkout as long as you’re logged into your account online or entered your linked phone number at checkout in person.

Additional savings are available with a few more hoops to jump through in the form of a Target Circle Card. This card — available as a credit card, a debit card or a reloadable debit card — earns shoppers 5% off their purchases, an extended return window and free two-day shipping for online orders. Target recently re-branded its former RedCard into this new program, and existing cardholders do not need to take action until current cards expire.

Finally, Target Circle 360 is a paid membership that offers several perks, including unlimited same-day delivery, an extended return window, access to hundreds of retailers through the Shipt Marketplace and more. Target is offering a deal until May 18 that gives shoppers their first year of Target Circle 360 for $49, after which the price reverts to $99 annually.

Target operates State College stores at 201 W. Beaver Ave. and 315 Colonnade Blvd. The company’s weekly sales run from Sunday through Saturday.

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Walmart

Walmart offers a paid membership, Walmart+ , for $98 per year (or $8.17 per month) following a free 30-day trial period. Some key perks include free deliveries from local stores, free shipping, free flat tire repairs at Walmart Auto Care Centers, early access to new product releases and options to return items from home without needing to repackage your purchases.

The company’s corporate partnerships open the door for other Walmart+ perks, including complementary subscriptions to the Paramount+ streaming service and fuel savings at more than 13,000 gas stations across the country, including Exxon and Mobil stations.

Walmart has State College stores at 1665 N. Atherton St. and 373 Benner Pike. The company does not offer traditional weekly sales or coupons, but you can find some deals online by visiting walmart.com/shop/deals and filtering for your preferred store.

Wegmans

Wegmans offers its Shopper’s Club membership at no cost. Those who use the program receive rotating digital coupons for store-brand food items and household staples, but they must be digitally “clipped” before applying at checkout.

A Shopper’s Club membership also provides access to features through Wegmans’ pharmacy, including options to order refills, check prescription statuses and sign up for free home delivery. Membership also allows users to find personal recommendations, view past purchases, create digital shopping lists and more.

The only Wegmans in Centre County is located at 345 Colonnade Blvd. in State College.

Weis

Those who sign up for a Weis Preferred Shoppers Club Card gain access to the company’s sales and specials, plus discounts at the gas pump at eligible stations.

You can register for a Weis club card by visiting weismarkets.com/get-club-card . Each dollar spent on qualifying purchases builds up rewards points that can be used toward select grocery items and discounts at checkout . There is no limit to accruing these points, but they do expire. Check the bottom of your Weis receipts for point expiration dates or monitor them online through a MyWeis account .

Participating Weis Gas n’ Go and Sunoco stations offer discounts on gas through Weis rewards , but no options are particularly close to Centre County. Every 100 points redeemed provides a 10-cent discount on each gallon, topping out at a maximum discount of $1 per gallon.

Shoppers can earn additional Weis rewards by filling prescriptions, shopping online and purchasing gift cards. Signing up for the program provides a 10% discount on your next in-store shopping bill. Weis also offers 10% discounts on store-brand products for seniors Tuesdays and 10% discounts on store-brand products for all active-duty, reserve, retired and veteran military members and their families every Thursday.

Weis offers five locations throughout Centre County: 560 Westerly Parkway, 110 Rolling Ridge Drive and 1471 Martin St. in State College, 170 Buckaroo Lane in Bellefonte and 501 N. Centre St. in Philipsburg. Weekly sales at Weis stretch from Thursday to Wednesday.

What about Aldi and Trader Joe’s?

Unlike their contemporaries in State College, Aldi and Trader Joe’s do not offer rewards programs for their shoppers.

Aldi is often known for refusing to offer plastic bags, charging a quarter for grocery cart use and filling roughly 90% of its stores’ shelves with its own brands’ products. The company also sticks out for not offering a rewards program or membership.

“Because Aldi focuses on providing high-quality food and everyday low prices to all of our customers, we do not offer rewards or rewards cards,” the company wrote on its website .

Aldi recently poked fun at its membership-free services with a series of parody social media posts . The company also published a spoof press release to introduce “Aldi+,” a grocery membership that gives shoppers limited access to Aldi products at no extra cost because it does not exist.

Aldi’s State College-area stores — located at 1798 N. Atherton St. and 780 Benner Pike — run weekly sales from Wednesday to Tuesday. You can find copies of those ads online, plus other deals and specials available at aldi.us/weekly-specials/this-weeks-aldi-finds .

Trader Joe’s, whose State College store is located at 243 Patriot Lane, says it avoids a rewards program to provide customers equal access to its products.

“We know that maintaining our everyday focus on value is vital, which is why we don’t have sales, we don’t offer coupons, and there are no loyalty programs or membership cards to swipe at our stores,” the Trader Joe’s website reads .