Saturday, January 23, 2010

Walmart or Target?

So I'm a Target girl. I love going to Target. There are 3 Target's I frequent, quite frequently. But one day a few months ago I went to Walmart instead; I needed a few clipboards and I remembered that Walmart used to sell my favorite clipboards for $0.97, the cheapest one I could find at Target was $3.99. I also ended up picking up some diapers that were over a dollar cheaper than Targets price for Huggies. So it made me wonder if Walmart really was cheaper?

Last week I decided to do a price comparison on a few items. The first price is Walmart's price, the second is Target's. *** Prices vary from region to region.***

Baby  Department: 
Huggies Jumbo Pack: $8.97, $8.99 This JUST changed up until last Sunday they were $10.29
Huggies Mega Pack $18.97, 18.99

Toddler wipes Store brands (48 wipes) $.97, $1.27
Huggies Toddler wipes $1.51, $1.72

Store Brand wipes $1.88, $1.89
Huggies Wipes Natural Care (72 wipes) $2.37, $2.39

Aveeno baby products $4.54, $4.54 up to $6.99

Johnsons (Pink) Lotion 15oz. $3.12, $3.14

Graduate Puffs $2.00, $2.04
Store brand $1.72, $1.67

Graduate Yogurt Melts $2.48, $2.94

Food/Snacks:
Goldfish 33.5oz (large carton) $6.46, $6.49

Heinz Ketchup 36oz 2.56, 40 oz 2.44

French's Mustard 14oz $1.38,$ 1.29

Keebler 100 Calorie Packs (6) $1.98, 2.25 this week, reg 2.69

Cheez-It 11.5 oz $2.50, $2.54

Dole Pineapple 20oz $1.42/ Did not have this product???

Betty Crocker cake mix $1.16, $1.17
Frosting $1.76, $1.77

Ghiradelli Brownie Mix $2.00, $2.04

Stationary/Supplies Department:
Crayola colored pencils (12) $1.97, $1.97
Crayola markers (10) $2.84, were $2.89, now $2.74

Gift bags (10 pack) available in white, paper bag brown, and neon $5.00, (12) 5.99

Cleaning Supplies:
Clorox bleach (3qt) $1.86, $1.89
Store brand $1.52, $1.52

Tide liquid detergent (48 loads) $13.97, $13.99

Oxi 24oz $3.86, $3.89

All and all Walmart is cheaper. On almost every single item Walmart was at least a penny less per product. I pulled out my receipts and I almost always buy atleast 20 items. So over time the savings would grow. And the more frugal I am about certain parts of my life the more money I have to endeavor to others. (ie like helping the poor or getting my hair done, I'm just saying...)  You know that extra hundred bucks the Dunbar's are no longer spending per month on cable is going to be put aside for something else. What? Not sure yet, perhaps towards a trip to Spain, the boys need passports and those are about a hundred bucks each.

Back to the topic at hand;
I still like shopping at Target. And if you don't make it to Walmart by 9am in these parts, Walmart has some scary scary clientele walking through their doors.

So I think for the Dunbar family we will be doing both. Essentials bought from Walmart and everything else; Target.

This was a lot of work, but at least now I know. Hope it helps you.

Have a nice weekend everyone.
The Dunbar's are out the door to enjoy some sunshine!

Mrs. Dunbar

15 comments:

jen@odbt said...

I'm a Target gal too. Have you seen the people of walmart site? Hilarious and scary at the same time. Enjoy the sun!

Anonymous said...

i too love target but i do frequent walmart! and yes, there are some sketchy people that go to walmart that i do not see in target! funny!

Janna said...

Thanks for sharing your research. I come from the South where WalMarts are the best thing ever. But not here - WMs here are so ghetto compared to the ones back home. Glad to know that I'm only sacrificing a few pennies by choosing Target over WM.

Genn said...

Wow. Thanks for your research on that one. I do find that I save in Wal Mart, but like you said, the clientele walking through those doors is a bit scary at times. I love Target and much prefer it to WM. I joke that you'll only catch me in WM on a Monday morning before 10am.

Enjoy that sunshine. It's beautiful today!

Lemonade Makin' Mama said...

I've always wanted to do this... just to see, cause I'm a TARGET girl all the way. Walmart gives me the vapors. Seriously. :) So I stick pretty close to Target.

(you didn't think women in 2010 still got "the vapors" did you?)

Lori said...

That is helpful! I've always wondered but never got organized enough to compare. :) Hope you enjoyed your day!

patty said...

I'm a Target girl! Sorry WM! Can't stand to walk in circles looking for stuff that seems to move every week (I think this is intentional to get us to buy more impulse items as we seek out what we need!). Also can't stand to walk from the far end of the parking lot, to the back corner of the store to the diagonally opposite corner of the store... guess i'm lazy that way! :)
and plus, some targets have starbucks.... tee-hee-hee!

patty said...

ps: but thanks for all the leg work... i, too, go to WM about once monthly for paper, cleaning and shelf-stable stuff... can only hit Target when we get to Knoxville, an hour away... :)

feather said...

i'm currently banning walmart. it is cheaper, which is why i shopped there for so long. but has anyone noticed, that they have, like, 30 checkout lanes and only use two? it doesn't matter what time you go there, you will always wait 10 minutes in line. every. time. i cannot accept that behavior! and, like you said, walmart does attract certain customers that are just...sketchy.

Mrs. C... said...

What are you a TRAITOR????? I am calling the RED DOT POPO on you!!! Ok, so one of our blogging friends did admit to even doing grocery shopping at Walmart to save her few pennies. I am not there yet, and because work is SO close to Target, the pennies I save in gas make up more than the pennies saved at Walmart. I am just saying :)

Amanda said...

I'm impressed with your work! well done!!!!

I shop at target for almost everything because I feel safer. Our walmart is in a "not so safe" area. Sometimes if I want to get a better deal I go early in the morning or bring my husband.

Anonymous said...

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Kristi~The Slipcover Girl said...

you go girl! thanks for doing that! i've always wondered and just assumed walmart was cheaper. now i know!

Becca @ My Crazy Good Life said...

Wow. I always figured Walmart was a little cheaper, but it's hard to ignore in print.

So, my problem is that the Walmart's that are close by in Tucson are SCARY. Like not just a little, either.

Hmmm... Something to think about.

Thank you!

Ashley said...

Thats great info..thanks for doing the work. I have always been alittle curious. However, Target still has my heart ;)