YOUNGSTOWN - Weekly ads for Valley grocery stores have been published and they include the prices for frozen turkeys.

Stores have traditionally offered competitive prices on the turkey day staple in order to lure customers to shop for other holiday items at their stores.

Depending on whether you want a store brand or a name brand, you could pay anywhere from .33 cents a pound to several times that much for the Thanksgiving bird this year.

Some stores are limiting quantities or urging customers to shop early for the best selection.

The least expensive turkey we found in the ads was the .33 cents per pound for a store brand bird from Meijer.

Here is a sampling of the per pound frozen turkey prices appearing in the most recent grocery store ads in the Valley.

  • Aldi - .87 cents per pound
  • D'Onofrio's - .89 cents with $25 purchase. Honeysuckle White
  • Giant Eagle - Store brand .49 cents per pound with Advantage Card.
  • Marc's - .77 cents per pound. Honeysuckle White or Jennie-O
  • Meijer – Store brand .33 cents per pound. Limit 2.
  • Rulli Brothers - .87 with coupon. (Honeysuckle White)
  • Save a Lot - .79 cents Honeysuckle. Limit 1
  • Sparkle - .88 cents per pound. Honeysuckle

The United States Department of Agriculture has some advice on what you need to know when you go to the store to buy your holiday turkey:

Fresh or frozen?

Buy a frozen turkey if you want to buy it well in advance of your meal, keep it frozen until you’re ready to thaw it. Turkeys can be kept frozen in the freezer indefinitely; however, cook within 1 year for best quality. Remember to allow time for thawing (see the Turkey Thawing Chart for details). Once thawed it is safe for two more days. Buy a fresh turkey no more than two days before cooking.

Size?

When selecting your turkey, allow 1 pound of turkey per person for fresh or frozen, 1¼ pound per person for frozen pre-stuffed.

Hen or tom?

Don’t worry about it! The designation of "hen" (female) or "tom" (male) turkey is optional on the label and is an indication of size. Toms are larger but both toms and hens should be equally tender. Turkeys of either sex that are less than 8 months of age are considered "young" turkeys.

Do not buy fresh pre-stuffed turkeys, says the USDA. If not handled properly, any harmful bacteria that may be in the stuffing can multiply very quickly.