While Walmart is usually kind of a last resort for me (read through to the bottom to see why), I realized there are some deals I’ve completely missed the boat on, and you may be missing too. So, here are my top 15 secrets you need to know before shopping Walmart.
Walmart General Shopping Tips
1. Shop Walmart early in the morning (or late at night if you must.)
Folks, this may seem ridiculous to as my very first tip, but it. is. so. important. I rarely shop Walmart, but when I do I make sure to go bright and early. I try to shop between 5 and 6AM (I know, crazy, but it works!) but really think as long as you’re there before 9 AM you should be fine.
Curious why? Since many Walmart stores are open overnight, the entire store is cleaned out and shelves are restocked at that time of day. There’s no waiting in checkout lines, store employees are everywhere as they re-set the store for the day, and you can easily navigate the store in literally half the time it would take later in the day.
Now I know this may not work for everyone, but if you know you have a Walmart trip ahead of you, try planning a time early in the morning (or if you have to late at night, but things won’t be as clean as they were first thing!) I promise this will completely change your Walmart shopping experience, and you might just find it your favorite place to shop.
2. Shop “Great Value” or “Equate” brands.
While I don’t think you’ll save all that much on most name brand items at Walmart (keep reading for more), you can save a bundle if you’re willing to shop the Walmart store brands. Their Great Value products in the grocery section are offered on just about everything. On plastic storage bags the Hefty bags are 10¢ per bag compared to Great Value brands priced at 5¢ per bag ~ just by choosing the store brand you’ll save 50%, no coupon clipping or sale shopping required!
I’ve used the “Equate” version of Olay for years, and saving over $5 on that alone is a huge savings! The ingredients are exactly the same, and you can easily save on Equate brand without a single coupon. Success!
3. Take advantage of Walmart’s Savings Catcher App.
Walmart’s Savings Catcher App allows you to shop Walmart and let them do the price matching for you. Basically after you shop, you enter your receipt in the app, and within 7 days you’ll be updated as to whether or not other store prices were lower. If they were, you’ll get a Walmart gift card including the price difference!
Read more on the Savings Catcher App Program HERE and HERE – I’d love to know if it’s worked for you!
4. Take advantage of additional Ibotta savings at Walmart.
Ibotta offers a ton (seriously folks, a ton) of rebates via the Ibotta app. I just checked and there are currently $183 in Ibotta rebates available right now, on everything from Tyson, Quaker and Kleenex brands to milk, fresh produce, eggs, pasta and more. Such an easy way to save if you’re purchasing these items already, and be sure to take advantage of Checkout 51 and Snap by Groupon as well while you’re at it!
5. Price check against the Amazon App.
I love, love, love my Amazon App to make sure I’m always really getting a deal.Especially on merchandise other than groceries, it’s a great way to quickly make sure that the Walmart price is best, and never pay too much.
I use it just about any time we shop (it’s great to have on hand at Kohl’s, Lowe’s, and Home Depot) as well. Just as an example, those Coleman water jugs are over $9 now on Amazon but just $7 at Walmart. Without the app I would have thought that was a decent price but there was no way to know for sure, so having my Amazon virtual “cheat sheet” helps me to double check my savings.
6. Walmart price matches online prices at several stores including Amazon.
Walmart will price match those Amazon prices if you can show proof of the pricing in store. To learn more, go HERE (you may want print this policy to have in hand when you’re price matching in store.)
7. Take advantage of the Favado app for weekly in store Walmart savings.
Items You Don’t Want to Miss at Walmart
8. Walmart has fantastic prices on partyware, gift wrapping supplies, cards & more.
I’ve always shopped the Dollar Tree for most of our party supplies (Michaels has a great selection occasionally as well), but when I was at Walmart this week I realized their 97¢ party supply selection might just have the Dollar Tree beat!Their stuff is so cute (I was surprised?) and many of the items are larger count quantities than you’d find at the Dollar Tree.
And birthday cards for 47¢? Love that!
9. Walmart has great seasonal prices on produce.
Walmart deeply discounts produce if you watch for their special values, and you can stock up pretty easily at great prices. I noticed grapes for as low as 88¢ per pound this week (my stock up price), strawberries for $1, great prices on pre-cut apple slices (thanks to reader Jennifer for commenting about that for me), and you can also price match your weekly Aldi sales ad to save even more.
I know produce at Walmart can be hit or miss, but by shopping early in the morning you’ll get the best picks. The last few times I’ve shopped Walmart I’ve been pretty pleased with their produce, so it may be worth giving it a try if you tend to shy away from produce when you’re there.
10. Walmart has great prices on crafting supplies, including yarn, glassware, wreaths and more.
If you’re in a hurry and need something that’s not on sale at Hobby Lobby or Michael’sthis week, Walmart may be your best bet.
11. Don’t miss the container section at Walmart.
Similar to the Dollar Tree, Walmart carries a large selection of small storage bins for $1 or less. I’ve always picked up my shoebox sized bins for Operation Christmas Child at the Dollar Tree, but they’re actually cheaper to purchase in 5 packs at Walmart ~ who knew?!
12. Unless you’re taking advantage of free paper after rebate at Staples (which comes around pretty frequently), Walmart has the best price on copy paper that you’ll normally find.
They also have great pricing on most office supplies including tape, envelopes, pens, pencils and more, so it’s often worth a trip to Walmart before hitting the office supply stores.
13. Watch Walmart for clothing basics.
Walmart has very good every day prices on those very basic clothing items your family needs. If you need to stock up on t-shirts, tank top basics, socks and more, Walmart will usually offer the best price.
Items You Should Skip at Walmart
14. Don’t pay for diapers at Walmart.
I know it’s hard to believe, but Walmart just doesn’t offer the best prices on diapers. The drug stores offer great sales as well as Amazon, and you can usually stock up for less at other retailers. For example, currently the Huggies at Walmart come out to $.27 each for size two, compared to 19¢ per diaper at Amazon when you clip the $2 off coupon in the middle of the page and choose to subscribe and save. That’s a savings of 8¢ on every single diaper, plus you’ll save shopping at Walmart with tiny kids in tow!
15. Avoid buying toiletries at Walmart unless you knowthey’re a good price.
Pricing at Walmart on toiletries (and most other groceries?) always seems so high to me, because I watch deals at other stores. This week for example you can pick up Old Spice for $1.59 at Amazon, Colgate for $.46 at Walgreens, Herbal Essences for $.72 at Target, and Pantene for $1.63 at CVS. While it does take a little more research to score these deals, you can save a bundle even by simply shopping the sales ads at other stores. And if you’re willing to clip a coupon or two, you’ll save even more!
Not sure how to find those crazy good deals at other stores? If there’s a specific item you’re looking to stock up on, enter it in over HERE and see if a store in your area has it on sale this week.
Curious how Walmart prices really stack up? Go HERE to print your FREE Aldi, Target, and Walmart Comparison Cheat Sheet – my bet is you’ll be surprised at how the prices stack up!
So, there you have it! Ready for my one frustration though with Walmart shoppers? (Hopefully not stepping on too many toes here, but here goes . . . )
So many folks think it’s always cheaper to buy everything at Walmart, but it’s just not the case. Walmart does have very good every day low prices (especially on their store brands.) However, other grocery stores usually offer better sales especially on name brands, so it’s often worth taking a few minutes to do your research, and always know your stock up price before you head out to shop.)