Target vs Walmart

[MimitoAlex]

I shop at both, and here's kinda my breakdown.

First off - We shop at Costco and BJ's around every 8 to 10 weeks - I know that they are both big box stores yet they have really different stuff - so what I can't find or the price per item is more than that item or items in these stores goes on the list for Wal-mart or Target.

Walmart - I normally go to walmart once a month, I have a list, yep paper and pen in hand. I try to go early mornings like around 7:00 am during the holiday times 6:00 to 6:30 am. There are certain things that Wal-Marts prices can not be beat. Best selection on travel size stuff and price. Household and laundry items. I like the spice aisle for sure, lots of options and really great prices. Ethnic food aisle- Asian and Spanish - rice, seasoning, condiments, and more are pretty much half the price at the grocery store. As well I pick up Greeting Cards, and sometimes wrapping paper, bows. Computer paper and ink.

Target - I normally go in Target like maybe every other week or so... I like the travel items here as well, they offer more name brands which is nice. I like the target brands on OTC stuff, as well sometimes you can find some pretty good sales. Make-up and other Cosmetic and cosmetic implements. I like the dollar area. I always check out the clearance stuff, got alot of good outdoors stuff, things like floats, stuff for the boat, folding chairs at super cheap prices. This stuff normally only last a season or two, then it has to be replaced so a really good price is super important. Toys and Lego's during Christmas and for birthdays.

Our Target has so many self check outs now, its crazy and normally if your lucky 1 person, and if its like at my Target the lady has the biggest attitude when you have to ask a question or are buying something that they need ID to be able to purchase.

 

[MimitoAlex]

Walmart. They have better prices and more variety. Our Target doesn't have much variety in style or size, and although they have a nice grocery section, it's pricy. The store is also disorganized with stuff all over the place; I don't think they have enough help. Walmart has it's own issues, but at least we all know what it is. Target always feels like its trying to be Kohl's or something- and it's not (although I was just at Kohl's today and it's turned into a chaotic dump, so maybe not a great comparison?). I don't buy produce or meat at either store.

My Kohls just went under a bunch of changes and they took out one whole side of cashier stand, and replaced with self check out, and its not really working out, I was there with my friend on Friday, and it was chaos... apparently the self check out wasn't working, they were all down. The one poor cashier was about to have a full on melt-down. I have used it before and it is not user friendly, it took me a couple of minutes to figure out, if you are using Kohls cash, and your kohls points you have to jump around, and if you are getting Kohls cash back, they send it to your Kohls points account, which my friend is waiting on the last promotion for 40.00 dollars in Kohls cash to appear from weeks ago, and they told her that it was expired... She was not a happy camper. I want my Kohls cash in hand, When I see it in my bag then I'm reminded to go, so I wait in line... I will say that in my area there alot of Senior living communities, and in thinking about my parents they are not at all tech savvy there is no way that they would be able to use the self check out on their own. I had to help my dad years ago understand what to do like a Publix's self check out and its easy to use plus they always have someone... I always go to Kohls on black friday... I can't wait to see how this all works out. LOL

 

[EACarlson]

I drive past Target to get to Wal-Mart. There are certain things I'll buy at Target, but the cost savings and expanded selection lead me to Wal-Mart most of the time. I'm not looking to pay department store prices for discount store items. I'll go into Target if I need one thing or a couple things because it is closer. If Meijer was closer I would go there. Prices are better than Target, quality is better than Wal-Mart and it codes as grocery with AMEX. When I'm near one it's my preference over the other two.

 

[DisneyOma]

Daughter and I do a lot of shopping at Target. Walmart? It's closer, but we boycotted it for many years because when they moved to a larger building they blocked the sale of their old building to Target. They also closed our nearby Sam's Club. I've gone into Walmart near us maybe 3 times in a decade. Now we shop at BJ's and Target and Trader Joe's.

 

[RangerPooh]

Target. I rarely go to Walmart/Sams. It’s dirty, rude customers, rude staff, and a lack of assistance when needed.

I’ll spend a little more and shop at Target, Costco, and Kroger over Walmart and Sam’s.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Target. Mostly for skin care items, OTC medicines, hair color, etc. Not their food. It has gotten more expensive than my local grocery stores. I rarely go to Walmart anymore. Don't have those products I'm looking for. Poor stocking. Used to buy a lot of groceries from Walmart but not anymore. If I do now, it's usually just canned goods. Won't shop on line. Walmart says it can be returned to their store (many times it's a third party vendor) but when I did in the past, they told me I have to mail it back to the third party. I guess that's why there is a Fed Ex in our local Walmarts right next to Walmart returns.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Was at Walmart yesterday for the first time in a while buying underwear for my DH. Always super crowded with poor customer service and long lines. I probably do Target more than Walmart but I’m not in either very frequently, I tend to order most non-food items on Amazon and I do a combo of Lidl and Giant for groceries.

 

[fly girl]

Just because it’s the Target vs Walmart thread, and I’m Team Target.

 

[wenrob]

I used to hate Walmart but when it came to groceries it pretty much became a necessity. Once grocery pick up became a thing I stopped going inside at all. Then the pandemic hit and we subscribed to Walmart+ and have been using it ever since. I don’t even have to go near it.

Loved, loved, loved me some Target. I’d go in and three hours would pass before I knew it. Slowly you just couldn’t find anything anymore. As someone mentioned I’d go in with a list and leave with that list pretty much intact. They would man zero registers and when I asked why they said I just had to get used to it. I was told this multiple times and I thought well, if I’m paying more and you won’t even check me out I might as well go Walmart. Imagine my surprise walking into Walmart after three plus years to find it remodeled, bright, clean and easy to navigate with actual products in stock. And while they do have the giant self checkouts they also have manned registers and don’t throw shade at you if you choose to use them. Meanwhile the Target closest to me has remodeled and it’s a nightmare. Kids section right in the middle so you can’t avoid it, no rhyme or reason to the layout and LOUD music like you were in Hot Topic and you can’t find anything. I don’t think I’ve made it through the entire store since the remodel before I just have to get out of there.

So my answer is: it’s complicated. The Target a few miles up the road is still the shopping experience it’s always been and if I have the time I’ll go there. But if need something quick and I can get it at Walmart that’s where I’ll go.

Walmart has one of the worst in person shopping experiences but I do occasionally use their website.

Target is typically more expensive than other stores in my area and they removed the majority of registers so the self checkout lines are nuts.

Interestingly I went to the Target near me where they told me I’m just going to have to deal with self checkout the other day and they had signs up near the self checkouts saying they were now only 10 items or less. This is after they upgraded to the much bigger ones so they must be suffering more loss than usual. They had manned registers for the first time I’ve seen in ages.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It's always Walmart over Target but there are some things I buy at Target such as their shaving cream and I've gotten a clothing item or two every now and then. They also had the travel shaving cream I use plus I can get my make up blenders there cheaper than Ulta. Sometimes I've gotten some herbs and spices at Target. And I've been getting this sugar exfoliator there. Walmart is 99% of the time cheaper.

I do find that Target's self-check out is an annoying process then again our local Walmart redesigned their self-check out for like the 3rd or 4th time and not for the better. It's still better than Target which moves like molasses. FWIW I find our Walmarts (at least multiple locations) to be better at it than Target in terms of store convenience, cleanliness and helpfulness. Target also has way worse clothing choices overall even though I've bought some stuff over the years there. I have no idea who is selecting their clothing but Walmart is moving on up in quality and desirability over the years and Target is like let's go prairie style happy (still...) and is significantly downgraded IMO.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Interestingly I went to the Target near me where they told me I’m just going to have to deal with self checkout the other day and they had signs up near the self checkouts saying they were now only 10 items or less. This is after they upgraded to the much bigger ones so they must be suffering more loss than usual. They had manned registers for the first time I’ve seen in ages.

I saw a recent article regarding this that they were looking to potentially switch to more the 10 items or less. I think part of it is theft but the other part is their lines have gotten so bad. Self-checkout doesn't work if you have an inefficient set up and Target never has seemed to be efficient. And it forced a lot of inexperienced people IMO to use them creating even more of an issue. Although to be fair we ran into employees who didn't have a clue how to adjust a price on the machines which would slow it down.

 

[CGB]

We have a Target about two miles away, both east and west of us. So, for convenience alone, we typically go to Target. However, we don't go there often.

I only go to Wal-Mart if there's something specific I'm trying to find. We had an issue with Wal-Mart several years ago that really soured me on them. An individual in Georgia wrote a bad check and made up a NC drivers' license number that matched my social security # (which had been my drivers' license # in KS years before). So, my social security & name was tagged in the bad check database, which most businesses used. I called multiple times over 2-3 months and corporate gave me lip service but never actually helped. In one of the last calls, I was finally told which store & where it was located. I called the store and talked to a sweet older woman working the night shift (who pulled the actual check). She and her manager finally fixed the issue. Yes, lots of miscommunication but it shouldn't have taken three months to straighten out. Wal-Mart left me feeling extremely insiginificant in their world and I've never been able to shake that feeling.

 

[wenrob]

I saw a recent article regarding this that they were looking to potentially switch to more the 10 items or less. I think part of it is theft but the other part is their lines have gotten so bad. Self-checkout doesn't work if you have an inefficient set up and Target never has seemed to be efficient. And it forced a lot of inexperienced people IMO to use them creating even more of an issue. Although to be fair we ran into employees who didn't have a clue how to adjust a price on the machines which would slow it down.

To switch back to more than 10 or less? Or switch to 10 or less?

Probably a month maybe a month and half that I’d been in this one so it’s relatively new at that location. The one I prefer a few miles away I haven’t noticed the self checkout at all because they always have manned registers so I don’t know if they have the same policy or not.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

To switch back to more than 10 or less? Or switch to 10 or less?

Probably a month maybe a month and half that I’d been in this one so it’s relatively new at that location. The one I prefer a few miles away I haven’t noticed the self checkout at all because they always have manned registers so I don’t know if they have the same policy or not.

Switch to 10 items or less for the self-checkout lanes (sorry I realize I had a confusing order of words in my first comment) which forces the normal check out lanes to be used again.

The several Targets around me that I've gone in don't seem to have regular lanes open except like a customer service one for returns/refunds which then doubles as a normal checkout and it's not always manned unless they call someone, they heavily favor the self checkout. I will almost always exclusively use self-checkout in stores but have found Target's to be one of the worst in terms of efficiency. From not having enough machines to not having workers who know how to quickly fix issues (especially with Target circle problems) to people taking forever to ring up their stuff and the line was super super long.

This was from a few weeks back “At select locations we are testing self-checkout lanes of 10 items or fewer in order to reduce wait times and better understand guest preferences" I should pay attention the next time I'm in to see if any around here have done that.

 

[easyas123]

Well honestly I really, really dislike Walmarts - at least the ones around me . Targets aren't bad though. I don't go grocery shopping at Target though - I may go there if I need to stock up on a lot of personal/household type items.
If I happen to need a loaf of bread or box of this or that I'll grab it when I'm there for convenience sake, but I do my regular grocery shopping at a local grocery store - local to us is Food Lion, ACME & Harris Teeter.

 

[gncntry]

Both. I do grocery delivery through Walmart as they are definitely less expensive. I like Target for non-grocery items.

 

[wenrob]

Switch to 10 items or less for the self-checkout lanes (sorry I realize I had a confusing order of words in my first comment) which forces the normal check out lanes to be used again.

The several Targets around me that I've gone in don't seem to have regular lanes open except like a customer service one for returns/refunds which then doubles as a normal checkout and it's not always manned unless they call someone, they heavily favor the self checkout. I will almost always exclusively use self-checkout in stores but have found Target's to be one of the worst in terms of efficiency. From not having enough machines to not having workers who know how to quickly fix issues (especially with Target circle problems) to people taking forever to ring up their stuff and the line was super super long.

This was from a few weeks back “At select locations we are testing self-checkout lanes of 10 items or fewer in order to reduce wait times and better understand guest preferences" I should pay attention the next time I'm in to see if any around here have done that.

That last part I think is probably bigger than we realize. I’m typically not someone who “complains to the manager” I just simply stop going to a place if I’m not happy with the service but the time before this last visit they sent a survey and I did not hold back. I think lots of other people are fed up as well. This thread is evidence of that. What’s crazy is the one a few miles down the road is SO different, the Target experience you’ve always had and when I mention how bad it is at the other they wrinkle their noses and say “I know.” That tells me managers must have some leeway in how the stores are actually run.

 

[MillauFr]

I don't bother going to either. We just shop online and have things delivered. Why pay for parking and tolls so you can drive to a store?

 

[JulieBeeRN]

Walmart, but only if I can do a delivery pickup. I hate shopping in that store. I do like a local grocery store enough to physically set foot in the place.

 

[MimitoAlex]

Was at Walmart yesterday for the first time in a while buying underwear for my DH. Always super crowded with poor customer service and long lines. I probably do Target more than Walmart but I’m not in either very frequently, I tend to order most non-food items on Amazon and I do a combo of Lidl and Giant for groceries.

I really think its where you live at and the store manager - I have 2 Wal-marts and 2 Targets in less than 10 to 15 minutes away for our home, and the nearest Wal-mart is super clean and has really nice people working there, the other Wal-mart bounces around with the cleaning, and employees they are hit or miss at this location.
The Target stores while both are clean they employees at both locations, are just miserable... if you ask for something before you can get it out of your mouth, they are saying look on-line... on-line .... on-line... Okay I got it... I wanted to know where to go for a return as this location was being remodeled and the normal area was boarded up with plastic, and the young woman goes how am I suppose to know.... look on line, she did not even hear me, I really wasn't feeling all that great at the time, and this really hit me the wrong way, So glanced at her name tag, and off I went, I found another employee and asked the same question, she pointed in a general direction, I found the desk and asked for the manager. Which when I explained what happened she actually said well I tell them to say look on line, then without thinking I said so the fact that this store is under remodeling and I need to return something, I should be told to look on line to find out where to return it at, then she snapped her head up and said huh? I repeated what I just said, and included her name and the employees name. To which she said well looks like you found it. So I got my refund and left the store. As I was walking away, I can't say what she said its not Disney friendly... But while I don't speak Spanish I do understand quite a bit, and I turned around and repeated what she said back to her, in Spanish and then in English and her face just dropped. then I just walk out, I sat in the parking lot and called the corp offices, and logged a complaint, about 3 days later I got a call from the district manager, who apologized up and down. She said both of these employees are no longer with Target, they sent me a gift card in the mail. I really did not want to get someone fired, I did tell the District manager that, he said this was not the first time or the first complaint.. yet at the same time no one should be treated like I was treated that day.