Shopped for Groceries at Walmart and Target to Compare Prices, Experience

My kids love snacking on fresh fruit, so we go through a lot of produce-aisle staples, like grapes and strawberries, in my house.

Both stores offered similar prices on the fruit we’re known to stock up on, but Walmart’s were typically cheaper.

A pound of strawberries cost me $2.32 at Walmart, but would’ve been over $3 at Target. I found green grapes for $1.74 a pound at Walmart. At Target, they cost about $2.40 a pound.

The produce seemed fresh and high-quality at both places, so Walmart will probably stay my go-to store for my kids’ favorite fruits going forward.

Soda and sparkling water are two must-haves in our house, so I was sure to check the prices at both Target and Walmart. Once again, they were lower at the latter.

The eight-packs of Bubly sparkling water we purchase most often were $3.97 each at Walmart and $4.39 at Target. A 12-pack of our favorite Barq’s root beer costs $6.86 at Walmart, but $8.39 at Target.

Aside from fruit and drinks, I didn’t find huge price differences between most staples we purchase every week.

Walmart’s Great Value brand white sandwich bread was $1.42 per lof, and Target’s Market Pantry white bread was $1.50, for example.

I found 24-ounce jars of Rao’s marinara for $6.89 at Target and $6.88 at Walmart. Though varieties differed, similar Old El Paso taco kits were available for under $4 at Walmart and Target.

My teens’ go-to snacks were similarly priced at both stores, too.

Both Walmart’s Great Value and Target’s Market Pantry offered boxes of 18 to 24 chewy granola bars that came out to about 16 or 17 cents per bar.

Several bags of my kids’ beloved kettle-style potato chips from brands like Cape Cod and Lay’s were all under $4. When I crunched the numbers, the chip bags from Walmart tended to be a a cent or two cheaper per ounce.

Items like Premier protein shakes, my son’s go-to breakfast before work or school, were just under $10 for a four-pack at both stores. Though, at Walmart, they cost one cent less.

I snack on Noosa yogurts every day, and find they do’t often go on sale. They were $1.99 each at Target and $1.98 each at Walmart, so I grabbed a few at each store.

Both locations carried my go-to flavors like blueberry and lemon, but Walmart had a seasonal pumpkin variety I was sure to pick up.

I noticed plenty of deals and sales on other popular yogurt brands (like Dannon and Yoplait) at both chains, too.

On the day I shopped, Walmart was the spot for yellow-stickered markdowns on many groceries, from meat to heat-and-serve meals to produce.

I got a 2-¼ -pound package of ground beef discounted to under $14 — a $3 savings. I use ground beef for weeknight meals like tacos and spaghetti, so I was happy to save on something I usually buy anyway.

I didn’t spot any of these markdowns on groceries during my Target trip, but, to be fair, I’ve seen many on previous visits.

This could simply be due to when I visited. In my experience, it’s a good idea to ask associates which days of the week your specific store marks down products that have to sell fast.

If you plan your shopping trips around those deals, you can stock your freezer and save big.

On grocery-shopping trips, I also restock our other household staples.

To save money, I usually try to buy items from Walmart and Target’s store brands. They’re often cheaper than similar offerings from bigger labels, though they can vary in quality.

Generally, I prefer to purchase paper products from Target’s Up & Up instead of Walmart’s Great Value brands. In my experience, Walmart’s store-brand paper towels aren’t nearly as sturdy, despite costing around the same price as those from Target.

I found great deals on store-brand laundry items at both Walmart and Target.

Both chains had its own version of Oxiclean stain remover for a few cents less per ounce than the name brand. I also found Target’s Up & Up and Walmart’s Great Value fabric softeners were cheaper than similar name brands and came to roughly the same price per load.

When prices are so similar, I still prefer to buy store-brand household basics from Target. I’ve yet to purchase an Up & Up dupe that wasn’t as good as the national brand.

At around noon on a Thursday, my Walmart store felt incredibly crowded, to the point where it was hard to push my cart down each aisle without running into another shopper.

I spotted a lot of employees in the aisles stocking shelves, which only added to the stressful feeling of having to navigate a crowded store while checking off items on my grocery list.

I wasn’t surprised, though, since many of my shopping trips to Walmart tend to feel this way, regardless of the time of day I visit.

I usually have a more pleasurable experience shopping at Target than Walmart, and this trip was no exception.

The store felt fairly empty and spacious — I didn’t encounter any employees partially blocking aisles to stock shelves or many shoppers on this Thursday afternoon.

My experience at each store seemed on par with the broader trend I’ve been reading about: Target’s foot traffic has fallen this year while Walmart’s has stayed steady.

All in all, I spent just over $100 on similar hauls of essentials at both Target and Walmart. Honestly, I was surprised by how many products my family buys on a nearly weekly basis cost about the same at both stores.

Though I took advantage of a few solid deals at Walmart, my savings weren’t significant enough to impress me. On some products, I only saved one cent.

Sure, minor savings add up over time — but personally, I’d pay a little more just to have a less stressful shopping experience at Target. Plus, I typically prefer its store-brand household goods over Walmart’s.

Fortunately, though, I don’t really have to choose between the stores because I have both Walmart+ and Target Circle 360 memberships that allow me to get my orders delivered.

This makes it easier for me to snag the best deals and choose my preferred products without having to drive to two different stores. I plan to continue ordering from both retailers on a regular basis for convenience — especially since sales and product availability can vary.