November means it's time to buy turkeys for many Island families who stock up now because of seasonally low prices on the big birds and other traditional holiday foods.

Nearly every grocery store drops prices on turkey, stuffing, ham and other holiday fare to lure people into the store for their holiday shopping. Others chop prices on Hawai'i staples like rice.

Locally, Safeway stores launched an early ad on Sunday offering turkeys that ranged in price from $4.99 to $8.99 for turkeys with a $25 minimum purchase. And a $10 off coupon for a $50 purchase that ended Tuesday.

But Foodland Supermarkets just started a promotion that's even cheaper. "We have the best-priced turkey in town," said Foodland spokeswoman Sheryl Toda. The company can do that by pricing a penny lower than most specials at $4.98, $6.98 and $8.98 for everyone with the store's Maika'i loyalty card.

The Hawai'i-based chain offers a guarantee "to be 1 cent lower than any major competitors." And customers with two of the rewards certificates can use it for a free 10- to 16-pound turkey.

It's an important time of year to check the supermarket ads in the newspaper and sometimes online as well. It's also a good time to know you stores and your regular prices so you can tell the best deals.

And many of us have friends or relatives who stock up and always have a turkey — or two! — in the freezer.

Remember the year-round advice that it's often worth your time to regularly shop at two or at-most three stores. Then you know the sales patterns and can buy things cheaper from one store one month while the other store has other items on sale. While some items are seasonal and get cheaper across the board. Others are cyclical, and if you know that a 5-pound bag of sugar often goes to $2.50 or even less during the fall, you know to wait if it's on sale for $2.99.

Trying to go beyond two or three stores usually isn't worth the time, energy, gas or hassle because the savings of a few cents get lost in the quest.

One friend mentions an uncle who buys frozen turkeys in November and then pulls them out to cook for various gatherings all year round.

Toda said turkey competition has grown so fierce that her company won't publicly reveal the number of turkeys brought in for sale this year, but will only confirm that "this year there were more than ever."

If the ads are a gauge, this is the best time to buy seasonal items like stuffing, chicken broth, and sometimes sweet potatoes, persimmons, and even chestnuts.

It's also a good time to stock up on baking staples: flour, sugar, butter, chocolate, nuts and specialty items.

Foodland's corporate chef Keoni Chang doesn't encourage people to freeze indefinitely because food will start to lose quality.

What about those frozen turkeys? "Six months would be safe," Chang said. "You want to make sure it remains at a constant temperature, that there are no rips in the bag, that it doesn't get freezer burn."

Toda laughed when we asked her how long you should freeze a turkey. Turns out she just visited her mom on Maui who prepared a delicious turkey dinner. Toda said she just assumed that her mother had bought the bird at the new seasonal sale.

No, her mom confessed, "This is my Foodland turkey from last year."

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.