Thanksgiving shopper left shocked by 'BMW of turkeys' that costs a whopping $180

As families across the US race to stock up on Thanksgiving Day essentials, a customer at a Los Angeles grocery chain was shocked to discover a single turkey retailing for nearly $200.

The Reddit user, who was shopping at a Gelson's grocery store in West Los Angeles shared a picture of the pricey poultry on the platform, prompting one person to comment that it is “like the BMW of Turkeys”.

Gelson's 16-pound turkey is shown to be selling for more than $180, its high price due to it being “dietsel regenerative” which is described as being part of a regenerative farming programme.

"These birds graze on rotational plots of land that are treated to regular applications of our nutrient-dense compost and allowed rest periods of two to eight months," according to the Dietsel Family Ranch website.

The ranch sells 12 to 14 pounds for $150, with 20 to 22 pound birds priced at $215, or nearly $10 per pound.

A Gelson's butcher told Fox News Digital that the birds are in fact priced between $150 to $200-plus, and that they stand behind the price and quality of the turkey.

"Yes, we do in fact sell turkeys for over $200. They are not like other turkeys and are the highest quality, all natural, and better than other frozen, non-fresh turkeys you can buy from other stores," he told the outlet.

For comparison, The Farm Bureau put a price tag of $27.35 on a 16-pound bird this year, which is just $1.71 a pound, a drop of 5.6 percent on this time last year, according to Morningstar.com.

It comes as The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued warnings about cooking Turkeys safely this year.

Among various safeguarding measures the agency strongly advises against the common practice of washing turkeys before putting them in the oven.

According to the agency, surveys suggest most people wash or rinse their turkeys before cooking, but it advises against doing this as it can spread germs.

"Washing raw turkey can spread germs to other food. Federal agencies have recommended not washing turkey or chicken since 2005," the agency reports on its website.