CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) — Western Massachusetts residents are gearing up to gather around the dinner table with loved ones with Thanksgiving less than a week away. And there’s good news for shoppers who might still be heading to the stores!

“Really grateful to spend some time with family and looking forward to having that opportunity,” expressed Ludlow resident Evan Dellolio.

Something to give thanks for this year: lower prices at the grocery store. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, a dinner of 10 people will cost just over $61 this Thanksgiving compared to last year’s record of $64.05. That marks a 4.5-percent decrease.

Local shoppers like Kyle Bernard of Ludlow are welcoming the news, “Yeah, I think it helps anyone. Obviously with it being a larger family gathering, so that means more on the table, so I think anyone welcomes the prices dropping a little bit. It’s definitely nice to see.”

“It seems like there’s been a lot of things, groceries, gas, I’ve seen here and there that are going down so that’s been a really nice relief to see,” expressed Ludlow resident Michelle Bernard.

As far as food costs go, the decline is in part due to an increased supply of turkeys. That’s what has caused the staple of the Thanksgiving meal to slide down in price. A 16LB-turkey costs $27.35 on average. That’s over five-and-a-half percent less than what consumers paid last year.

Despite this year’s relief, Thanksgiving food prices are still much more expensive than pre-pandemic times. Costs are floating at around 30% higher than in 2019.

“I think they’ve gone down a bit, although today I actually bought a few paper products and I realized that those are still pretty high,” said Dellolio, “So definitely some changes possibly but still a few high items too on the list.”

Some, willing to take a slight hit to their wallet for the sake of the holiday.

“For me, personally I think it’s worth it for the traditions,” expressed Michelle Bernard. “And I hope everyone has a very safe and happy holidays!”