More in Groceries & food delivery.
Compare ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot on a $150 weekly grocery plan
PartialEvidence: Described by posterPosted Last checked
NBC4 tested ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot on a $150 family grocery plan; only ChatGPT gave live prices, and all missed household items.
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Plan a week of meals and a grocery list for a family of four with a $150 budget. Use stores near my location, give the price of each item and the store it's from, and keep the total under budget.
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Optional stronger version
Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.
Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish. Goal: Plan a week of groceries for my family that fits my budget, with prices I can check. Questions to ask me first: - How many people, and any allergies or foods to avoid? - Which stores can you get to, and do you shop online or in person? - Should the budget cover household items like paper towels and toilet paper? Inputs (fill in or confirm): - Family size: [PEOPLE / AGES] - Budget: [$ AMOUNT] - Stores: [STORES] - Location: [CITY / AREA] - Also needed: [SNACKS / HOUSEHOLD ITEMS] Rules: - Give a price and store for every item, and say whether each price is live or estimated. - Link each item to the store's page when you can. - Include snacks and household items I listed in the total. - Keep the total at or below budget and show the math. Checkpoint: Show me the meal plan first and wait for my OK before pricing the list. If you get stuck: If you can't get live prices, say so and give clearly marked estimates. Verify before you finish: Add up the list again and flag any item whose price you couldn't confirm. Output: A meal plan and a priced grocery list grouped by store, with a total. Done when: I have a list I can price-check and buy within budget.
AI tools
Outcome
NBC4 Washington's consumer team, Susan Hogan and Ambar Rodriguez, gave ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot the same request: plan a week of groceries for a family of four on a $150 budget near their location. ChatGPT gave a Walmart-only list with links and real-time prices; when the team checked, most prices matched and some were lower in the store. Gemini split the list between Aldi and Lidl but gave only estimated prices and no links. Copilot said it couldn't pull live prices and made a plan of about $145. None of the three lists included snacks, toilet paper or paper towels.
Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.
Known limitations
PartialThe source says it only partly worked, or had a significant problem a person had to deal with.
What went wrong: ChatGPT's prices mostly matched, but Gemini gave only estimates, Copilot couldn't pull live prices, and all three missed household items.
Source
- Posted
- by Susan Hogan and Ambar Rodriguez (NBC4 Washington)
- Last checked
- Method:
- How we verify
https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/how-to-save-money-on-groceries-using-ai/4016202/
Context: The prompt here is recreated from the article's description of the request. Prices were checked by the reporters at the time of the story and will have changed.
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