Target or Walmart?

[hope]

Did you see that they've changed the terms of the Savings Catcher? They have eliminated a lot of the categories that they were price matching, and eliminated categories of stores they'll compare to. Plus, they've stopped the doubling of the amount to the Bluebird card as of 2/28/15.

Somehow I knew they'd end up doing that when I ended up with almost $400 in savings over 6 months

I still prefer Walmart over Target, as I tend to be a creature of habit and have shopped there for years.

I thought something was wrong with my card or email account. Haha!

[permanentvacation]

The way I see it, it has to do with how broke you are, or how much you care about YOUR finances vs. how much you care about the integrity of a company that you support by spending your money there. Walmart is famous for things like hiring special needs employees. Not because they care to give them income to support themselves. But because the government gives the company benefits for hiring people with special needs. The same goes for people who are on welfare/food stamps, have very low income, etc. Walmart is also famous for buying life insurance policies on their employees so that when the employee dies, Walmart collects LOTS of money from their employee's death.

Target, on the other hand, is famous for donating money to local schools and other charity associations.

So, Walmart is truly only about making themselves rich and Target is about using some of their proceeds to help the community.

So, you can look at it that way and make your choice as to which store you chose to shop at based solely on the integrity of the store.

Or you can compare prices. Walmart typically has lower prices. So, if you are watching your pennies, you might want to go to Walmart more so than Target. Or you can compare items/brands. If you truly must have a specific item or brand, one store might carry that item/brand while the other does not. Or you can compare the quality of the items Walmart's items are typically of a lower quality than Target's.

Or, you can do like I do. I am broke off my rear end and often literally count pennies on the counter to make my purchases. So, I start with Walmart every time. If I can't find the items I am looking for, then I reluctantly go to Target, but I know that it will cost me more. I hate that I am supporting the habits of Walmart which I detest, but I just can't afford to stand by my morals and go to the store that I'd rather go to; Target.

[Starburst]

It varies product to product, sometimes I just go by whats closest. One thing Walmart has that I like is on the Walmart app they compare prices of nearby places and will give you the difference to redeem.

Also, I have one of those 5% off Target cards but there has been lots of credit card security breaches about Target in the news the last few years so I haven't used it much. Plus, I kind of think they way they did it was dumb because you have to link it to your bank account, so it only works if you use that as a payment method. It would have been better if it was just a rewards card that didn't need to be connected to a bank account.

[MarinaVanessa]

I dont even know where you can find a coupon. I only have seen them from Macy and kohls, but nothing to brag about

I'll be honest and tell you that I get 5 subscriptions to the Sunday paper from the LA Times. I don't read the paper, I just get the coupons that come in the papers. I clip them and organize them and I compare weekly sales so I stack sale prices, store coupons and manufacturer coupons to get a great deal. I also joined a few rebate groups that pay you a small amount for buying certain products. Doing this helps me buy $50 worth of grocery and household items for $20 on a regular basis.

[daycare]

I'll be honest and tell you that I get 5 subscriptions to the Sunday paper from the LA Times. I don't read the paper, I just get the coupons that come in the papers. I clip them and organize them and I compare weekly sales so I stack sale prices, store coupons and manufacturer coupons to get a great deal. I also joined a few rebate groups that pay you a small amount for buying certain products. Doing this helps me buy $50 worth of grocery and household items for $20 on a regular basis.

Well that explains a lot. I live in a small city where the paper comes on Wednesday for free and it's two pages. I've never seen the SF bay paper. Lol.

We do get sales adds with Safeway coupons but it's only to that store.
I looked at coupons today online and it's nothing my family or even daycare would eat.
It looked like lots of stuff I didn't even know what to do with. Sauces ? One I did see was spaghetti sauce but we make ours so I never buy the store can??? Or however it's coming from the store.

But that sounds amazing that you can do that. Good for you.

[MarinaVanessa]

Well that explains a lot. I live in a small city where the paper comes on Wednesday for free and it's two pages. I've never seen the SF bay paper. Lol.

We do get sales adds with Safeway coupons but it's only to that store.
I looked at coupons today online and it's nothing my family or even daycare would eat.
It looked like lots of stuff I didn't even know what to do with. Sauces ? One I did see was spaghetti sauce but we make ours so I never buy the store can??? Or however it's coming from the store.

But that sounds amazing that you can do that. Good for you.

Yep, I buy mostly feminine products, cleaning products, laundry stuff, hair products (shampoo/conditioner), soap, juice, razors/shaving cream etc. Things that don't go bad. I rarely get food products because the coupons are usually for frozen food items and we try to stay away from processed food as much as we can. We don't make our own sauce so we do use coupons for pasta and pasta sauce sometimes. It has helped us cut down our grocery and household items cost by a lot.

It helps too that I have several of each store near me (within 10 minutes) Ralph's, Winco, Vons, Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Food 4 Less etc. Everything is so close I can chase the deals and it doesn't take up too much time or gas.

[KiddieCahoots]

Depends on what I'm buying and where it's cheaper, or how much time I've got, because Target is closer.

Although when my automatic pilot clicks in, it seems to always be taking me to Walmart, ! Have had that happen more times than I care to say ::....

Like pp I don't care for the way Walmart treats their employees. I have family members who have worked at Walmart and Sam's, and their benefits alone are awful....if they hire you for a full time position, to even offer benefits in the first place

[Jack Sprat]

Our closest Target is 50 minutes away. Wal Mart is 15 minutes away. I don't like shopping at the $100 store but, I can't always run to Target.

I love Amazon Prime. I have considered doing the subscribe and save they offer. I would still have to run to Wal Mart for milk etc but, it would cut down on other things.

[sharlan]

When shopping at Target, be sure to stack your coupons - manufacturer's coupons with Target coupons and don't forget Cartwheel if you have a smart phone.

[originalkat]

I love love Target and the style of things they have. However, I only shop at Walmart because 9 times out of 10, Walmart has it cheaper.I am one of those people that will do what I have to in order to save money but I do live in an area that has a Target and a Walmart pretty close to me.

Me Too.

[Leigh]

When shopping at Target, be sure to stack your coupons - manufacturer's coupons with Target coupons and don't forget Cartwheel if you have a smart phone.

Walmart is cheaper on things that people are most price sensitive about. But, Target can be WAY cheaper than Walmart. For people who use RedCard, it is 1.4% cheaper. Then you can add Target coupons, Mfr. coupons, and cartwheel.

I much prefer Target to Walmart, but we don't have a grocery store in our Target, so many of my groceries come from Walmart. When I'm in a city that has a Target grocery store, I'll go and load up on pantry items. When comparing quality, Target absolutely always wins, IMO. Especially with product. Walmart's product is already rotten on the shelf (I can't tell you how many times I've seen mold on strawberries that have already turned black). Target's produce is cheaper and fresh.

If not for buying food, I'd probably never set foot in a Walmart again.

[Unregistered]

Produce at the Target near me is awful. Stopped buying Cuties/Halos there because they are half rotten.
Tomatoes are only good the day you buy them. Bananas are sold per banana at a high price so they sit there til they are brown. The only produce worth buying is bagged lettuce because at least it has a date.

[Controlled Chaos]

Again, I am going with Amazon.com I use their subscribe and save, so I save 15% on diapers that are shipped to my house! I don't have to put pants on ladies...MAGIC!

[spud912]

I shop for regular groceries at Wal-Mart, but I go to one of their new "Neighborhood Markets." I price match so I get things like milk, cereal, eggs, paper towels, toilet tissue, general food merchandise. I price match by writing down the competitor prices and which store on my grocery list, I separate the items at the register and then tell the cashier item by item. It doesn't take very long at all when you're organized.

For my other groceries, I go to Costco (meats, some fruits, some dried goods) and Sprouts (the bulk of my produce and some meats).

I do go to Target and just lovethis them! I buy my daughters clothing there, nursing tops, seasonal items, and stuff in their dollar section. Our closest Target also has a Michaels store next door that I go in automatically . Otherwise, I do most toy/book/electronic purchases online, mostly via Amazon.

[Leigh]

I shop for regular groceries at Wal-Mart, but I go to one of their new "Neighborhood Markets." I price match so I get things like milk, cereal, eggs, paper towels, toilet tissue, general food merchandise. I price match by writing down the competitor prices and which store on my grocery list, I separate the items at the register and then tell the cashier item by item. It doesn't take very long at all when you're organized.

For my other groceries, I go to Costco (meats, some fruits, some dried goods) and Sprouts (the bulk of my produce and some meats).

I do go to Target and just lovethis them! I buy my daughters clothing there, nursing tops, seasonal items, and stuff in their dollar section. Our closest Target also has a Michaels store next door that I go in automatically . Otherwise, I do most toy/book/electronic purchases online, mostly via Amazon.

I love shopping at Costco! The nearest one is 100 miles from me, though, so I only go every few months.