I went grocery shopping at Walmart and Target to compare the experiences and found a very clear winner

Mary MeisenzahlNov 12, 2022, 20:12 IST

Walmart vs. Target.Jessica Kirsh & HappyCreator/Shutterstock

I went grocery shopping at Walmart and Target to see how they compare.
Walmart feels like it was designed for grocery shopping, with a sensible layout and huge selection.

Walmart and Target are two of the biggest names in retail, and both sell groceries.

https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-amazon-prime-battle-streaming-disney-comcast-paramount-service-report-2022-8AP

There are 4,735 Walmart locations in the US, and the company did $393.2 billion in US sales in the last fiscal year, according to company earnings reports.

A Walmart store.Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Target has 1,938 US locations, with $106 billion in sales in 2021, the company reported in earnings.

I've shopped at both for household items, but I decided to compare them as grocery shopping destinations.

Getty/Alex Wong

I visited a Walmart location in Rochester, New York, where I live.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Upon entering, I passed rows and rows of snacks for sale as I got to the main shopping area.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There was a small hot food bar near the entrance, too, selling rotisserie chickens.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There were also some prepackaged sandwiches and salads available.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Past the hot food area, the store opens up into a large section mostly filled with produce.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Most fruits and vegetables are displayed in huge piles with clearly marked prices.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There's a huge variety of different types of apples, plus organic and non-organic options for most items.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Some produce is pre-bagged, or customers can select their own quantities and weigh them.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The bakery is next to the produce section, with no real physical separation between them.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It's a combination of custom cakes, packaged desserts, and other baked goods like bread and bagels.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There's also a large freezer with Carvel ice cream cakes.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

A small seafood section separates the bakery from the rest of the store, leading into the larger frozen food section.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The back wall is made up of meats and cheeses on refrigerated shelves, with frozen foods on display in the middle of aisles.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There are literally thousands of frozen foods for sale, from breakfast to entrees to sides and desserts.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Despite the massive selection, it's relatively easy to navigate thanks to easy-to-follow organization and aisle markers.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Walmart has a huge collection of private-label brands, with versions of most products that are on sale available through Walmart brands.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The pantry sections of the store are just as extensive.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Aisles are stocked with canned goods in name and private-label brands.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I noticed huge swaths of space dedicated to budget friendly foods, like dried beans.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

This Walmart is especially large because it was formerly a Sam's Club, owned by the same parent company.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The store seems to encompass every variation you could want of any product, from meat to cheese.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Cheese takes up nearly an entire wall alone.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

While there are some areas that are disorganized or have items out of place, for the most part it's very easy to find any standard grocery items and even many specialty items.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

While there are some areas that are disorganized or have items out of place, for the most part it's very easy to find any standard grocery items and even many specialty items.

It's also very easy to price compare and shop on different budgets, because there are so many variations of each item.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Grocery stores in New York can sell beer, wine, and cider, and Walmart had an extensive selection with White Claws getting their own display.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Next, I went to a Target located down the street.

A Target logo is seen at Target Canada in TorontoThomson Reuters

Unlike Walmart, where I had to walk past aisles of groceries to find any other products, at Target groceries are located in the very back of the store behind home goods, clothes, and other sections.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Unlike Walmart, where I had to walk past aisles of groceries to find any other products, at Target groceries are located in the very back of the store behind home goods, clothes, and other sections.

The grocery section feels very tucked away, like it was added as an afterthought.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It definitely has all the necessities like pasta, snacks, and cookies, but there's nowhere near the range of items available at Walmart.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Target's food selection centers on healthy and organic foods more than Walmart, like with this section of "better for you snacks."

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Target also has private-label brands, but they're much less ubiquitous than at Walmart.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Customers can definitely still price shop and compare for some items like juice, where there's a wide variety.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Alcohol gets just a corner at Target, compared to a massive aisle at Walmart.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The frozen foods section is quite small and doesn't hold a candle to Walmart's.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It's passable, and you could definitely get frozen vegetables and a pizza, but the selection is subpar compared to Walmart.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Another relatively small section combines produce, baked goods, meat, and dairy siloed off from the rest of the store.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It would work in a pinch, but I wouldn't want to do my regular grocery shopping here.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The meat section was the saddest of all, with only a few types of chicken, beef, and plant-based meat.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There are two or three varieties of eggs, which is probably all you really need, but it certainly makes the Walmart selection look more impressive.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There were some prepared foods thrown in next to the meats, and this was more comparable to Walmart.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

After walking the grocery aisles of both stores, I feel like they cater to totally different purposes.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Target is fundamentally a home goods and clothing store where you can pick up milk or eggs if you run out of groceries midweek.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Walmart definitely feels like a grocery store first, designed with food shoppers in mind.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Even though they overlap on many of the items they sell, Walmart and Target specialize in different items, and it's clear in the layout of stores and how they're stocked and organized.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Even though they overlap on many of the items they sell, Walmart and Target specialize in different items, and it's clear in the layout of stores and how they're stocked and organized.

I toured one of Nike's new 'Unite' concept stores, and now I only want to shop for Nike apparel in person. See inside.

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I went grocery shopping at Walmart and Target to compare the experiences and found a very clear winner

Walmart and Target are two of the biggest names in retail, and both sell groceries.

There are 4,735 Walmart locations in the US, and the company did $393.2 billion in US sales in the last fiscal year, according to company earnings reports.

Target has 1,938 US locations, with $106 billion in sales in 2021, the company reported in earnings.

I've shopped at both for household items, but I decided to compare them as grocery shopping destinations.

I visited a Walmart location in Rochester, New York, where I live.

Upon entering, I passed rows and rows of snacks for sale as I got to the main shopping area.

There was a small hot food bar near the entrance, too, selling rotisserie chickens.

There were also some prepackaged sandwiches and salads available.

Past the hot food area, the store opens up into a large section mostly filled with produce.

Most fruits and vegetables are displayed in huge piles with clearly marked prices.

There's a huge variety of different types of apples, plus organic and non-organic options for most items.

Some produce is pre-bagged, or customers can select their own quantities and weigh them.

The bakery is next to the produce section, with no real physical separation between them.

It's a combination of custom cakes, packaged desserts, and other baked goods like bread and bagels.

There's also a large freezer with Carvel ice cream cakes.

A small seafood section separates the bakery from the rest of the store, leading into the larger frozen food section.

The back wall is made up of meats and cheeses on refrigerated shelves, with frozen foods on display in the middle of aisles.

There are literally thousands of frozen foods for sale, from breakfast to entrees to sides and desserts.

Despite the massive selection, it's relatively easy to navigate thanks to easy-to-follow organization and aisle markers.

Walmart has a huge collection of private-label brands, with versions of most products that are on sale available through Walmart brands.

The pantry sections of the store are just as extensive.

Aisles are stocked with canned goods in name and private-label brands.

I noticed huge swaths of space dedicated to budget friendly foods, like dried beans.

This Walmart is especially large because it was formerly a Sam's Club, owned by the same parent company.

The store seems to encompass every variation you could want of any product, from meat to cheese.

Cheese takes up nearly an entire wall alone.

While there are some areas that are disorganized or have items out of place, for the most part it's very easy to find any standard grocery items and even many specialty items.

It's also very easy to price compare and shop on different budgets, because there are so many variations of each item.

Grocery stores in New York can sell beer, wine, and cider, and Walmart had an extensive selection with White Claws getting their own display.

Next, I went to a Target located down the street.

Unlike Walmart, where I had to walk past aisles of groceries to find any other products, at Target groceries are located in the very back of the store behind home goods, clothes, and other sections.

The grocery section feels very tucked away, like it was added as an afterthought.

It definitely has all the necessities like pasta, snacks, and cookies, but there's nowhere near the range of items available at Walmart.

Target's food selection centers on healthy and organic foods more than Walmart, like with this section of "better for you snacks."

Target also has private-label brands, but they're much less ubiquitous than at Walmart.

Customers can definitely still price shop and compare for some items like juice, where there's a wide variety.

Alcohol gets just a corner at Target, compared to a massive aisle at Walmart.

The frozen foods section is quite small and doesn't hold a candle to Walmart's.

It's passable, and you could definitely get frozen vegetables and a pizza, but the selection is subpar compared to Walmart.

Another relatively small section combines produce, baked goods, meat, and dairy siloed off from the rest of the store.

It would work in a pinch, but I wouldn't want to do my regular grocery shopping here.

The meat section was the saddest of all, with only a few types of chicken, beef, and plant-based meat.

There are two or three varieties of eggs, which is probably all you really need, but it certainly makes the Walmart selection look more impressive.

There were some prepared foods thrown in next to the meats, and this was more comparable to Walmart.

After walking the grocery aisles of both stores, I feel like they cater to totally different purposes.

Target is fundamentally a home goods and clothing store where you can pick up milk or eggs if you run out of groceries midweek.

Walmart definitely feels like a grocery store first, designed with food shoppers in mind.

Even though they overlap on many of the items they sell, Walmart and Target specialize in different items, and it's clear in the layout of stores and how they're stocked and organized.