Aside from the vegetarians and vegans of the world, who doesn’t love a good steak?
On second thought, there are more than a few vegetarians and vegans out there who, when pressed, will sheepishly admit they love steak too.
I only bring this up because last month I received yet another mailbox offer from Omaha Steaks imploring me to try their products.
Frankly, I have to admire Omaha Steaks’ persistence because, after an almost decade-long courtship, I finally gave in and agreed to try their introductory “American Celebration” offer for “$59.99” which included:
- four (4) 5-oz. filet mignon steaks
- two (2) 5-oz. top sirloin steaks
- two (2) 4-oz boneless pork loin chops
- eight (8) quarter-pound burgers
- eight (8) 3-oz gourmet jumbo franks
- four (4) 5.5-oz. stuffed baked potatoes
After trying everything in my introductory sampler, I will say all of the meat was good. Now, I can’t say that the Omaha Steaks meat is a noticeable step up in quality from the steaks and chops being offered at my local Costco — or even Walmart for that matter. Yes, I’m sure there will be people out there who disagree with me — but I’ll bet they’re in the minority.
With that in mind, I did a price comparison of my Omaha Steaks introductory special to the same basket of items from my local Walmart. Where there was no direct comparison, I used the closest available substitute. For example, my local Walmart didn’t sell pre-packaged quarter-pound hamburger patties; so I used the price for their bulk ground beef instead.
Anyway … here is my detailed price analysis comparing the introductory “$59.99” Omaha Steaks offer I received in the mail to a similar package of goods from Walmart:
As you can see, at “$59.99” the Omaha Steaks deal is about $10 more expensive than Walmart. That 20% price premium is reasonable — assuming you find that Omaha Steaks comes with a noticeable quality upgrade over Walmart’s fare.
Here’s the rub: After you include the $17.99 shipping charge, the final cost of the Omaha Steaks introductory package actually comes to $77.98. Uh huh. That’s a 55% premium over the similar Walmart package that many people may find even harder to swallow. Er … so to speak.
Of course, common sense suggests that the introductory offer I received from Omaha Steaks’ is based on some one-time deep discounts not offered to returning customers. With that in mind, I went back to the Omaha Steaks website to evaluate their typical prices. Here is a sample of some of Omaha Steaks offerings this week (along with the applicable competing price from Walmart):
- eight (8) 8-ounce top sirloins at $26.25/lb. (vs. $7.44/lb. at Walmart)
- eight (8) 8-ounce ribeyes at $32.25/lb. (vs. $9.97/lb. at Walmart)
- six (6) 8-ounce filet mignons at $40/lb. (vs. $18.82/lb. at Walmart)
- six (6) 18-ounce t-bones at $27.41/lb. (vs. $10.47/lb. at Walmart)
- eight (8) 10-ounce bone-in pork chops at $13.80/lb. (vs. $4.68/lb. at Walmart)
So, as you can see, Omaha Steaks are pretty pricey. Strike that; they’re extremely pricey.
That’s not to say some home-delivered Omaha Steaks wouldn’t make a thoughtful birthday or Christmas gift. I know I certainly wouldn’t mind! (Hint, hint.) But if you’re on a tight grocery budget, you’ll definitely save a significant amount of money by buying your meat at Walmart.
As for those of you who prefer higher-quality cuts of meat at reasonable prices, stick with your local butcher or Costco.
Photo Credit: Omaha Steaks
Good overview, Len. The big benefit of Omaha Steaks is convenience. Nobody should be buying them for the price. I’d never buy them for myself but, like you say, I’d be happy to get them as a gift.
I got some for Christmas two years ago and they were pretty good. I got filets and rib-eyes.
My father-in-law received them once and was not impressed. He thought what he bought at the chains were much better and much cheaper.
For me, it’s the fact of eating frozen meat, instead of fresh meat.
If I want steaks for dinner, I go to the butcher shop down the street and pickup fresh meat that was never frozen.
I hear you, Don. I have to say, the best steak I ever had was from a steer that was butchered the same day.
I think Omaha Steaks are pretty good! But if you really want the best quality and don’t care about the price, then check out a video on how to dry age your meat at home. Then spend $120 on a great piece of meat, and dry age, cut and freeze what you don’t eat that night.
I found this video on dry aging, Bob. Very interesting! Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the breakdown. We are in the enviable position of getting several orders a year gifted to us by different family members. We really love the cheesy potatoes and the Carmel Apple Tartlets. I actually had to buy a bigger freezer last year because we had so many boxes of Omaha Steaks and sides
I agree. Those potatoes were good, Jon.
While I don’t want to be belligerent, I wish I could see the prices from a store that I would actually shop at. I despise Walmart and never set foot in their store so this means nothing to me. And I find it hard to believe (though I am not saying you are lying) that even though you didn’t find the quality of the Omaha steaks superb, that Walmart would have anything to even compare. This all being said, it is very possible I am too jaded by my hatred for Walmart to read this rationally….. . sorry. I know I’m ranting….
I understand, Shirley. But to be fair, the only way you’ll know if your feelings about Walmart meat are legit is if you actually sample the steaks in their butcher case!
I too despise Walmart. I would rather send my money to a Nebraska based company than a Chinese based company.
Walmart is a totally American company. While in fact most of their products sold in their stores may have a Chinese ‘imprint’ , show me a store in the USA that does not have products from China on their shelves. rmc
If you live in the sticks, you can also look into cow sharing. You can’t beat the value in my opinion and you have more freedom to select your cuts. Just contact a local farmer and find a friend or two to split the cow. You won’t regret it.
I like it, Denny! That’s another good idea.
I bought a whole Beef Tenderloin and cut it to the thickness I want or make Beef Wellington. I got it last week for $10.45 lb with my old person discount.
I have been buying meats etc. from Omaha Steaks for 4 years. I never pay for shipping. You just wait until they have free shipping. It is true, that you have to spend $ 99.00. They have many products that Walmart and local butchers do not carry. You do have to know your prices and let that be your guide on what to buy. You are right you do pay more for the convenience. I do appreciate your effort to compare. I am not a supporter of Walmart either but still like to save money. I just received my order from Omaha this past week!
Thanks for the tip, David. Eliminating shipping costs makes Omaha Steaks a much better proposition — at least for me.
Quality is decent, but a bit pricey.
Great gift idea though.
Doubt I’ll purchase again
You cannot beat Costco prime beef, anywhere. Quality second to none, and the price is right.
Since Covid 19, Omahas prices have doubled….SAD
You ain’t seen nothing yet, Charles. The US is killing the dollar … I won’t be surprised if the price is 10 times higher in a year or two.
You didnt mention that the quality suffer when a steak is frozen.
They had a 50% off for Fathers Day 2021 and Free Shipping and 8 Free Burgers.
You completely left out the steaklover reward system. Free shipping AND points toward FREE food. Support your local grocery store, not Walmart or the other billionaire chains.
First time order: 8 strip steaks and 12 free filet burgers. steak are GRAY and no texture, looks like they thawed and were re-frozen. Burgers are like mush, no taste. Total rip-off, will never order again!!!