Dos and Don’ts of Shopping at Walmart
With 4,735 Walmart locations across the United States, if you haven't visited a Walmart yet, chances are that you will. Walmart is considered a one-stop shop of sorts. However, while you can pick up almost anything (within reason) that you need there, that doesn't mean Walmart is always the best choice.
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To help you save time and money, here are some dos and dont's of shopping at Walmart.
Do Consider Curbside Pickup
"This is a good solution if you don't want to wait for items to be shipped to you but also don't want to go into a Walmart store and be tempted into buying more stuff," said consumer analyst Katie Roberts with DealNews. "This service tends to be free for orders over $35. If your order is under that, you'll be saddled with an extra fee, so you may want to just use curbside pickup when you know you'll meet the order minimum."
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Don't Pad Your Order To Reach the $35 Free Shipping Minimum
Walmart offers free shipping for orders over $35, so it may be tempting to fill your online cart "with items reaching that amount," Roberts said. "But don't buy $25 worth of stuff you don't need just to get that $10 T-shirt shipped to you. Instead, wait to buy the item until you need enough Walmart products to meet that $35 minimum, or just pick it up at your local Walmart if you can. And if you need the item now, and it's not available at a Walmart near you, and [you] can't find it cheaper elsewhere, you may end up saving more by paying the $7 or so for shipping, compared to padding your order with several unnecessary items."
Do Shop Around Black Friday for Deals on Electronics
"Walmart has a lot to offer around Black Friday for shoppers who want to save on smartwatches, phones, TVs, and other electronics," Roberts said. "For example, last year Walmart offered up to $750 in eGift cards to shoppers who bought and traded in select smartphones. We also saw some incredible TV prices, plus some of the best deals we'd seen at the time for the Apple AirPods Pro and Fitbit Charge 4."
Don't Forget About Price Matching
"You may be able to save at Walmart by doing a little extra homework," Roberts said. "For example, when you're shopping at a Walmart store, it's worth checking the price of the item on Walmart.com before heading to checkout, as Walmart matches their website prices for identical products purchased in stores. And if you're shopping for an item on Walmart.com, see if any other online retailers have the product available at a cheaper price before you buy. Walmart says they'll match a lower price from almost 30 different online retailers."
Do Type 'Clearance' Into the Search Bar on Walmart's Website
For an easy way to shop clearance items on Walmart.com, type "clearance" into the search bar. From there, you can choose to shop for a specific item in the clearance section, view all clearance items or look at clearance items at specific price points, such as $5 and under.
You can find some great deals this way -- even on everyday products -- and although some of them will require shipping, many of them are available for pickup at your local store.
Don't Forget To Compare Walmart's Toy Prices With Amazon's
The Krazy Coupon Lady compared the prices of 100 products sold at Walmart versus Amazon and found that while Walmart was cheaper most of the time regarding medicines and cleaning supplies, toys were often cheaper at Amazon. Out of 11 toy products KCL compared, six toys were cheaper at Amazon than at Walmart -- by at least $5 or as much as $38.
So the next time you're in the toy aisle at Walmart, take the time to do a quick price check on Amazon to make sure you're getting the best deal.
Do Check In on the Mobile App When You're Headed To Pick Up an Online Order
If you like to order your Walmart items online and use the store's pickup service instead of shopping in person, you can save time by checking in on the mobile app when you're headed to the store. Checking in alerts the pickup employees that you're on your way, so they can have your order ready to go once you arrive.
Don't Rely on Buying Produce When You Shop
Although you might be able to find good produce at your local Walmart, there's also a chance you won't. Shoppers have been saying for years that Walmart's produce is lacking. Most recently, Mashed surveyed 593 shoppers and asked which store -- Walmart, Target, Costco, H.E.B, Kroger, Meijer, Publix, Aldi -- has the lowest-quality produce. According to the survey, 33% of respondents answered Walmart with Target as a second runner-up.
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