When it comes to price and quality, which supermarket tops the list? Editors at the Puget Sound Consumer's CHECKBOOK magazine tried to get to the bottom of that question.

They price-shopped the market based on 152 items to get a handle on price. They also asked more than 4,000 shoppers to rate local grocery stores on a number of factors, including: variety of products, quality of the meat and produce, speed of checkout, convenience and the helpfulness of the staff.

And it turns out some of the biggest chains in the area fall short on price and quality.

Among the area's four largest chains-Albertsons, Fred Meyer, QFC, and Safeway-Fred Meyer was the clear price winner, with average prices for CHECKBOOK's full market basket at the surveyed stores six percent lower than the average CHECKBOOK found at Albertsons, 10 percent lower than the average at Safeway, and 17 percent lower than the average at QFC.

That 17 percent difference could mean a yearly savings of more than $1,300 per year by shopping at Fred Meyer for a family that would otherwise spend $150 per week at QFC.

Even bigger savings are available at Wal-Mart Supercenter and WinCo Foods stores, with prices about 32 percent lower than the prices CHECKBOOK found at QFC, 27 percent lower than the prices found at Safeway, and 24 percent lower than the prices found at Albertsons.

Prices at surveyed stores for QFC were the highest among the area's four largest chains, with prices about seven percent higher than prices at Safeway, the second-highest priced big chain.

On CHECKBOOK's survey of consumers, QFC received the highest overall quality ratings among the big four chains and Albertsons received the lowest. For "overall quality," 61 percent of QFC's customers rated it "superior," compared to 52 percent for Safeway, 50 percent for Fred Meyer, and 36 percent for Albertsons.

For overall quality, and for quality of fresh produce, several small operators-including Ballard Market, Central Market, Greenwood Market, Haggen, and Metropolitan Market-scored very high on CHECKBOOK's survey of consumers. All were rated "superior" overall by 90 percent or more of their surveyed customers.

Haggen, with six area stores in Skagit and Snohomish counties, proves that it is possible to get high ratings for quality and still have reasonable prices. The surveyed Haggen store had prices comparable to those of Safeway, but also received very high ratings from its surveyed customers for quality of products and customer service.

The highest prices among stores CHECKBOOK surveyed were found at PCC Natural Markets and at Whole Foods Market, with prices 45 percent and 32 percent higher, respectively, than the average prices found at the Safeway stores CHECKBOOK surveyed. Despite their relatively high prices, these two chains' scores on CHECKBOOK's customer survey were not as high for overall quality or for fresh produce quality as the scores of Ballard Market, Central Market, Haggen, or Metropolitan Market, all of which had substantially lower prices than Whole Foods or PCC Natural Markets.

Membership warehouse stores CHECKBOOK surveyed offered big savings for some shoppers. For items that could be compared, based on unit prices (price per pound, for example), the surveyed Costco and Sam's Club stores had prices that were slightly lower that prices at Wal-Mart Supercenter and WinCo Foods and dramatically lower than prices at the area's big-chain stores.

Since shoppers can't typically get everything they need at a warehouse club, CHECKBOOK looked at how much consumers might save by going to both a warehouse store and a traditional supermarket, assuming the shopper would buy the lowest cost size available at either place. CHECKBOOK found, for example, that by shopping at Costco and Safeway, one might save about 14 percent compared with shopping at the Safeway store alone.

Savvy shopping and a little planning can help you feed your family for less. A few cost-cutting tips:

• Plan meals and make lists to limit impulse buying and multiple shopping trips. You can make a list of commonly purchased items in the order you come to them in the aisles, then photocopy it and mark it up before each trip to the supermarket
   
• Stock up on items on special.
   
• Try substituting generic and store brands for national brands. When CHECKBOOK made these substitutions for about one-sixth of the items in its price-shopping market basket, the cost for the market basket dropped by three to six percent at the big chain stores.
   
• Buy inexpensive cuts of meat and learn ways to cook them. Or, eat less meat to save money and reduce fat intake.
   
• Compare the price of fresh produce to frozen or canned. Savings change with growing seasons.
   
• Compare weights when selecting item-priced produce. One head of lettuce may be significantly larger than another-yet cost the same.
   
• Don't pay for small conveniences. Slicing your own cheese or making your own sauce saves money.
   
• Look at your travel patterns and make it a point to visit a less expensive store when you are in the neighborhood even if that store is not convenient for shopping every week.