Walmart Vs Target In 2022: Prices, Products, Services & More

Walmart and Target are two of the largest big box retailers in the United States, offering customers a wide selection of products at discount prices. Both stores carry everything from groceries to clothing, electronics, home goods, toys, and more.

While the two retailers share some similarities, there are also some key differences when it comes to their stores, products, prices, services, and customer base. This comprehensive Walmart vs Target comparison lays it all out so you can see how the two stack up in 2022.

Walmart Vs. Target: Key Stats

Before we dive into the details, let‘s look at some quick facts about Walmart and Target:

• Walmart has over 11,500 stores globally. In the U.S. there are 4,750 Walmart Supercenters and nearly 600 Neighborhood Markets.

• Target has 1,915 stores, all of which are located in the United States except for one store in Toronto, Canada.

• Walmart‘s annual revenue in 2021 was $559 billion compared to Target‘s $106 billion.

• Walmart employs about 2.2 million associates worldwide. Target employs approximately 368,000 team members.

• 71% of Walmart stores are in the U.S. 90% of Target stores are in the U.S.

Walmart Vs Target: Store Size

On average, Walmart stores are much larger than Target stores.

• Walmart Supercenters range from 90,000 – 260,000 square feet. The average Supercenter is about 178,000 square feet.

• Target stores average about 130,000 square feet. Their small format stores can be as small as 12,000 square feet.

The extra space allows Walmart to carry a lot more product assortment and inventory compared to Target. A Walmart Supercenter stocks around 140,000 items while a Target stocks around 40,000 – 50,000 items.

Walmart Vs Target: Store Atmosphere

The in-store atmosphere and experience at Target and Walmart are quite different.

Target stores are bright, spacious, and have a more upscale feel. They put emphasis on design and style throughout the store. Walmart stores tend to look more cluttered and chaotic. You‘ll often see items crammed onto shelves and overflowing from displays.

Customer service also sets the two retailers apart. Target is known for friendly, helpful staff while Walmart employees get mixed reviews. Overall, Target does a better job at making the shopping experience pleasant and engaging.

Walmart Vs Target: Product Selection

Both Walmart and Target offer customers everything from groceries to clothes, beauty items, home furnishings, electronics, toys, outdoor/sports gear, and more. However, Walmart has a much wider selection with far more variety across all categories.

Some key product differences:

• Grocery: Walmart Supercenters have vastly larger grocery sections. Walmart carries national brands plus its Great Value private label. Target has a smaller selection under brands like Market Pantry and Good & Gather.

• Clothing: Walmart carries more clothing choices ranging from basics to trendy items under private labels like Time & Tru and George. Target has better quality, trendier apparel under labels like A New Day and Universal Thread.

• Home goods: Walmart dominates in overall selection size with over 25 private home brands. Target has higher quality offerings under brands like Opalhouse and Threshold.

• Beauty: Target has the edge in beauty with bigger brand name selection and the addition of Ulta mini shops inside stores.

• Electronics: Walmart competes aggressively on price but Target often has more innovative, unique electronics and tech accessories.

Overall, Walmart is the place to go for endless choice while Target curates products more selectively with an emphasis on style.

Walmart Vs Target: Private Label Brands

Both retailers rely heavily on private label brands to offer customers quality merchandise at lower prices compared to national name brands.

Walmart‘s major private labels include:

• Great Value (food)
• Equate (health and beauty)
• Parent‘s Choice (baby products)
• Mainstays (home goods)
• George (apparel)

Some of Target‘s top private labels:

• Good & Gather (food)
• Up & Up (health and beauty)
• Cloud Island (baby products)
• Threshold (home goods)
• A New Day (apparel)

Target focuses more on building trendy, premium private label brands shoppers love while Walmart‘s strategy revolves around value. Overall, Target gets higher marks for quality with their store brand items.

Walmart Vs Target: Prices

Across categories, Walmart has lower prices compared to Target. However, Target runs frequent promotions and deals that help narrow the overall pricing gap between the two retailers.

Some general price comparisons:

• Great Value (Walmart) canned veggies: $0.50 vs Market Pantry (Target): $0.69
• Parent‘s Choice Diapers (Walmart): $8.97 vs Up & Up Diapers (Target): $9.99
• Mainstays Kitchen Towels (Walmart): $2.36 vs Threshold Kitchen Towels (Target): $3.49
• George Men‘s T-Shirt (Walmart): $4.00 vs Goodfellow Men‘s T-Shirt (Target): $6.00

While Walmart is cheaper on the whole, the price difference on some items, especially grocery staples, can be fairly negligible. Target‘s Cartwheel app and RedCard program help loyal shoppers save more.

Walmart vs Target: Payment & Store Credit Cards

Both retailers have their own credit and debit cards that offer perks:

Walmart:

• Walmart Credit Card – 5% back on Walmart.com purchases including grocery pickup and delivery, 2% back on Walmart fuel stations, 1% back on Walmart in-store purchases

• Walmart MoneyCard (prepaid debit) – 3% back on Walmart.com purchases including grocery pickup and delivery, 2% back on Walmart fuel stations, 1% back on Walmart in-store purchases

Target:

• Target REDcard (credit or debit) – 5% off all Target purchases in-store and online

Target‘s REDcard gives the biggest discount and easiest rewards, with 5% taken off automatically at checkout every time.

Walmart Vs Target: Services

Walmart has a much wider array of additional services available in store compared to Target. Popular services at Walmart include:

• Pharmacy
• Vision center
• Hearing center
• Auto care center
• Tire and lube express
• Arcade/gaming center
• Bank/credit union branches
• Fast food restaurants

Target has pharmacies inside stores and that‘s about it for extra services. A few locations also have a Starbucks cafe inside. But overall, Walmart is the one-stop-shop when you need more than just retail shopping.

Walmart vs Target: Pickup and Delivery

Both Walmart and Target offer several pickup and delivery options for added convenience:

In-Store Pickup: Free at both retailers

Curbside Pickup: Free at both retailers

Same-Day Delivery:

• Walmart: $9.95 minimum order of $35+

• Target: Starts at $9.99, free for Shipt members on orders $35+

Next-Day Delivery:

• Walmart: $9.95 minimum order of $35+

• Target: Starts at $9.99, free for Shipt members on orders $35+

Two-Day Delivery:

• Walmart: Free for Walmart+ members on orders $35+

• Target: Free for Shipt members on orders $35+

Subscription Delivery:

• Walmart+: $98/year, unlimited free grocery delivery

• Shipt: $99/year, free same-day delivery from Target

For pickup and delivery, the retailers are pretty evenly matched. Target offers more flexible same-day options through Shipt while Walmart has the superior grocery delivery subscription.

Walmart Vs Target: Return Policy

Walmart and Target have similar return policies:

• 90 day return window
• Returns allowed without a receipt for store credit
• Free, easy returns by mail

A few small differences:

• Target accepts returns on opened electronics while Walmart only exchanges unopened electronics

• Target offers free return shipping while Walmart charges $7-$10 for return shipping

• Target returns go back on original payment method while Walmart doles out store credit for no receipt returns

Overall, Target edges out Walmart with a more hassle-free return process. But Walmart still makes returns convenient enough.

Walmart Vs Target: E-Commerce

Both retailers have heavily invested in improving their e-commerce capabilities in recent years. However, most analysts give Target higher marks for having a more seamless, user-friendly website and app.

Target‘s app and website make browsing and buying products really simple. Walmart‘s website still faces some clutter and organization issues that hinder site navigation. However, Walmart‘s acquisition of Jet.com shows they are serious about boosting their online shopping experience.

When it comes to online-only assortment, Walmart.com offers a lot more variety thanks to its Marketplace platform. But Target does have some online exclusives and makes use of the popular “Add to Cart” icon on social media.

Walmart Vs Target: Private Label Groceries

Walmart and Target both rely heavily on store brands for groceries to provide good quality at lower price points versus name brands. Walmart’s major food private label, Great Value, was launched in 1993 and now includes over 100 food items. Target launched their flagship Good & Gather food brand in 2019 to replace Archer Farms and Simply Balanced and better compete with Walmart.

Here‘s how the retailers compare when it comes to their private label staple food products:

Product	Walmart Great Value	Target Good & Gather
White Bread	$0.88	$0.99
Dozen Eggs	$0.88	$1.29
Milk Gallon	$2.98	$2.69
Bagged Salad Mix	$0.98	$1.19
Frozen Vegetables	$0.98	$1.00
Pasta Sauce	$0.98	$1.29

Across basics like bread, eggs, produce, and more, Walmart maintains a pricing edge. But quality is comparable between the two brands.

Walmart Vs Target: Store Brand Apparel

Walmart and Target both outfit entire families in affordable, stylish clothes under their private apparel labels.

Some of Walmart’s major clothing brands include Time & Tru, Terra & Sky, George, and Free Assembly. Target’s leading apparel brands are A New Day, Wild Fable, and Universal Thread.

For men, women and kids, Target’s private label clothes tend to be trendier and better constructed. Walmart has more essentials and basics. You can outfit your family for less money at Walmart but likely get better quality at Target.

Walmart vs Target: Exclusive Brands

In addition to private labels, both stores also strike up partnerships with recognizable brands to create customized, exclusive collections you can‘t find anywhere else:

Walmart exclusive brands:

• Scoop (actress Sofia Vergara’s affordable clothing line)
• EV1 (Ellen DeGeneres’ clothing line)
• Kidbox (subscription box for Walmart shoppers)

Target exclusive brands:

• Levi’s Red Tab collection
• Eddie Bauer outdoor gear and apparel
• Disney store-within-a-store shops
• Ulta beauty mini-shops

These special brand partnerships help attract and delight shoppers. Target tends to land more coveted, premium partnerships. But Walmart partners with names like Sofia Vergara for broader appeal.

Walmart Vs Target: Employee Compensation & Benefits

Walmart and Target pay comparable hourly wages, both around $15 – $24 per hour depending on position. Here‘s how other compensation factors stack up:

Employee Discount

• Walmart: 10% discount + special "Associate Days" for 25-30% off

• Target: 10% + extra 20% off fruits, vegetables, and wellness products

Healthcare

• Walmart medical plans start at $31.40 per pay period for employee-only coverage. Dental and vision plans available.

• Target medical plans start at $30 per pay period for employee-only coverage. Dental and vision plans available.

• Both offer coverage for domestic partners. Target covers more extensive fertility treatments.

Retirement Savings

• After one year, Walmart matches 401k contributions up to 6%

• Target matches 401k contributions up to 5% right away

• Target also offers a pension plan once employees reach age 21 and accrue 1,000 work hours.

Paid Time Off

• Walmart full-time workers get up to 6 days paid time off to start. That increases based on tenure.

• Target full-time workers get up to 14 days paid time off to start. That increases based on tenure.

Parental Leave

• Walmart offers 6-16 weeks paid maternity leave and 4 weeks paid parental leave.

• Target offers 4 weeks paid parental leave and free breast milk shipping for moms who travel for work.

Overall, Target edges out Walmart for better benefits like earlier 401k eligibility, pension plan, fertility coverage, and more paid time off.

Walmart Vs Target: Social Responsibility

Over the years, Walmart and Target have worked to beef up their social responsibility and sustainability efforts. However, Target consistently ranks higher for environmental initiatives and ethical business practices.

Some highlights:

• Target gets 100% of energy for its U.S. operations from renewable sources like wind and solar. Walmart is at 50% renewable energy.

• Target aims for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Walmart‘s goal is zero emissions by 2040 without incorporating offsets.

• Target scores 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for LGBTQ-friendly policies. Walmart scores 95.

• Target sets sustainability standards for seafood, palm oil, paper and pulp, and chemicals in products. Walmart does as well, but Target is seen as more proactive.

• Target has affiliated PACs and 501(c)(4) organizations they use to advocate politically. Walmart does not donate through PACs.

• Walmart has faced numerous workplace discrimination lawsuits. Target has better employee relations.

• Target‘s starting wage is $15 while Walmart‘s ranges $12-$17 based on location.

While both retailers still have room for improvement, Target maintains higher marks as an ethical, socially-conscious company.

Walmart Vs Target: The Verdict

Hopefully this comprehensive breakdown gives you a better sense of how Walmart and Target compare across all aspects of their businesses. To recap the key differences:

Walmart Advantages:

• Lower prices across categories
• Wider assortment and selection
• More services like auto, vision, restaurants
• Bigger stores with more inventory

Target Advantages:

• Trendier merchandising and brands
• Higher quality store brands
• Better e-commerce experience
• More pleasant shopping environment
• Greater emphasis on social responsibility

Walmart is the right choice when you want unbeatable prices and endless variety. Target shines when you value quality, style, and an enjoyable in-store experience. Most shoppers find room in their lives for both retailers.

At the end of the day, it depends what you prioritize more as a consumer. Now that you know how Walmart and Target stack up overall, you can feel confident choosing the right store for every shopping trip!