KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. Share your story idea with Megan.
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As Thanksgiving approaches and shoppers check off their holiday lists, artificial intelligence is emerging as a new tool to help with meal planning and grocery shopping. However, some prefer to stick with traditional methods.
"I shop early for everything that is not perishable. I get everything ready and prepared," said Sherry Brogdon, a shopper in Raytown.
Traditional shopping lists remain popular.
"Sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese," shopper Kathleen Jones said as she read from her paper list.
Jones expects about 20 for her Thanksgiving gathering.
As for Brogdon, her Thanksgiving essentials are turkey, dressing, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
"For Thanksgiving, I'm going to cook a small Thanksgiving, and I make dressing cause I like it from scratch, not a box," Brogdon said.
Retailers are encouraging shoppers to consider AI tools for their holiday planning.
Jamie Rhoden, a Walmart store manager, promotes the store's AI assistant, Sparky.
"Help you plan a party, a game-time theme," Rhoden said, describing the AI helper's capabilities. "You can ask it, 'Can you give me the ingredients to a hashbrown casserole on a $20 budget?'"
The AI tool provides ingredients, creates shopping lists, and allows customers to purchase items immediately through the Walmart app.
Chris Kovac, president of the Kansas City AI Club, uses AI for meal planning in his household.
"We do that in our own family to make sure everyone's happy, and over time, these tools get to know you to know what I like or what my nephew likes," Kovac said.
For newcomers to AI, Kovac has prompt advice.
"If you've never used AI before, you can say, 'My goal is to save money on groceries. How would I do that?'" Kovac said.
AI tools respond with follow-up questions and provide step-by-step instructions to help users with a plan.
However, shoppers continue to lean on tradition.
"I know how to incorporate what I need and plan, so I won't use AI," Brogdon said.
Similarly, Jones said she already knows what she needs, so she doesn't want to rely on the technology "too soon."
AI can also help with price comparison. Kovac mentioned a tool called Perplexity that compares prices across multiple stores.
"Ten different grocery stores, and it would give you the price of that turkey in real time," Kovac said.
This technology allows shoppers to skip the traditional method of looking through paper advertisements for deals.
But for those preferring a simpler approach, Brogdon said it's best to "keep it simple."
"And relax, because that's what Thanksgiving is for: giving thanks for what we do have, not about what we don't have," Brogdon said.
AI tools can also assist with Black Friday planning. Kovac said AI can provide advanced warning about when sales begin, help identify which stores offer the best deals on specific items, and determine whether Black Friday or Cyber Monday typically offers better prices for particular products.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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