You get free, no-minimum next-day or two-day shipping, free at-home delivery on grocery orders over $35 and local in-store items (sometimes same-day, depending on your store). You also score free at-home returns — another retail process I dislike, no matter the store type.

A comparison of Thanksgiving meal essentials at Aldi, Walmart and Hy-Vee showed the total price differences varying by about $4 between the most and least expensive options.

Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 27 and many national grocery stores and retailers will be closed on the holiday this year, allowing employees the chance to celebrate the day with their families.