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Did you know there are some groceries you should never buy at Walmart?
(Note: given the current state of all-the-things… I'd probably buy what I can where I can when I can 
but, these are good reminders even now to always double check your pricing!)
Now, there are plenty of things you should buy at Walmart (we update the list every week right over HERE!), but not every single thing is a great deal at Walmart.
So often (SOOOO often) I hear people say they just buy everything at Walmart because it's “so much cheaper.”
But, after years of penny pinching I cringe every time I walk in the store, because my “job” each day is to really watch prices, so I know they're typically priced too high!
The problem is, Walmart just doesn't offer much in the way of sales. They do have very reasonable prices every day especially on their store brands, however for many (many) things you're just paying too much.
Now, before you give up on Walmart completely, I do love the Walmart Grocery Promo Code (and now you can shop Walmart Delivery too)!
Walmart almost alwaysoffers a $10 off Walmart Grocery Promo Code which can really help you save, especially when ordering Walmart Pickup or Delivery. But you can't use those Grocery Promo Codes when shopping in store, so they don't always help.
Curious what I think you should never buy at Walmart because it will just bust your budget? Here we go.
Here's a sneak peek overview:
- Tide
- All Detergent
- Quilted Northern
- Potato Chips
- K Cups
- Pasta
- Produce
1. Tide.
Oh my word, please, please if you love Tide wait for a sale at your local grocery store! Tide Pods are regularly $17.97 for the 72 count at Walmart ~ let's do the math on that.
- Walmart $47.89 ÷ 73 = 66¢ per tab
- Amazon $23.49 when you subscribe and save ÷ 96 = 32¢ per tab
Tide goes on sale all. the. time. at most grocery stores and even the drug stores, so make sure to get a deal.
2. All Laundry Detergent
All Laundry Detergent is one of my favorites, and you can always find a deal on it if you're willing to wait for a sale! Here's the math:
- Walmart $7.97 ÷ 88 ounces = .09¢ per ounce
- Kroger usually will have them on sale for around $2.99 ÷ 40 ounces = 7¢ per ounce
Use a coupon at either store to save even more, but by far the better deal is at Kroger!
3. Quilted Northern.
Note: given the current state of all the things- buy the toilet paper at Walmart if you find it there! But normally… always do the math and watch for the best price!
Quilted Northern is always on sale at Amazon (always!) and their everyday price just beats the Walmart price. Here's the math:
- Walmart 12 double rolls = $6.97 or 58¢ per double roll (currently unavailable but hopefully will be back soon!)
- Amazon 24 supreme rolls = $19.07 or 20¢ per single roll (currently unavailable but hopefully will be back soon!)
- Publix 6 double rolls on sale = $2.49 or 41¢ per roll
4. Potato Chips.
Potato chips go on sale so often at your local grocery, and Aldi has a great selection of store brand ones as well. My target price on a bag of chips is $2 – $2.50, so don't pay more than that in a hurry at Walmart.
4. K Cups.
Unless you're super particular about your coffee, skip buying KCups at Walmart. Their Donut Shop Blend costs $19.88 or 55¢ per cup, which is still a little steep.
- Walmart Donut Shop K Cups $12.94 ÷ 24 = 54¢ per K cup
- Amazon Donut Shop K Cups $30.32 ÷ 72 = 42¢ per K cup
- Meijer 12 pack Donut Shop K Cups on sale $4.99 ÷ 12 = 41¢ per K Cup
5. Pasta.
If you're willing to buy Walmart brand pasta, you may get a decent price. But, if you like any national brand, Walmart typically is priced higher than your local grocery store if pasta is on sale. Just last week I stocked up on Creamette Pasta at Kroger for 49¢ in their Mega Sale, so watch for those stock up prices on sale at your grocery store.
6. Ice Cream.
If you love ice cream, watch for a sale at your local grocery store! While Breyer's at $3.94 isn't the highest price I've seen, I've often stocked up for around $2.49 when waiting for a sale at Kroger or Publix.
If you're willing to shop a store brand (we've been pleased with both the Publix and Kroger store brands), you can save even more at your local grocery store.
7. Produce that's not in season.
Occasionally Walmart will offer great prices on seasonal produce (I've scored grapes for 88¢/lb there and strawberries for $1.25 per pint), but typically I think their produce is high.
Your best bet for stocking up on produce is to shop Aldi (or even price match the Aldi ad at Walmart), or try out Sprout's or Fresh Thyme if they're in your area. Our local Fresh Thyme regularly drops the price on pineapples to $.99, so be willing to choose what's on sale each week when you shop the produce department.
Now I'm not saying nothing is a good deal at Walmart (at all!) but always remember which things you should never buy at Walmart, and shop other stores for those few things. It's so important to always do your research price matching research before shopping (that will help so much!) and never ever never pay full price.
Looking for more tips to help save on your budget? Here you go:
- The Ultimate Price Comparison Sheet
- Free printable budget spreadsheet
- Free printable what can you freeze spreadsheet
Do you have any other suggestions on what to buy (or not to buy) at Walmart? Leave a comment to share ~ I love hearing from you!
See more penny pinched deals at Walmart this week.
I’m just curious about something. On your post for July 22 (I’ve had this problem many times before) when I scroll down to comments, there are still comments that were posted years ago and I get confused and start researching something that is not currently a deal. Why don’t you remove these old posts? When a sale is no longer valid, why confuse your readers? I learn so much from you but this really bothers me.
You may want to go back and proofread this article. The Tide section is very confusing. You said that they were normally around $17 for 72 and then when calculating unit price you said it was around $40 for 73. The All section also says that it costs 0.09 cents/oz at Walmart instead of 9 cents or $0.09. There also seems to be some issues in your conclusion paragraph:
“It’s so important to always do your [__research price matching research__] before shopping (that will help so much!) and [__never ever never__] pay full price.”
Thanks for letting us know, Libby – we’ll be sure to check it out!
I agree I live in North Dakota, we don’t have Aldi, Publix, or Krogers here, I get most of my produce and chips at Sam’s or Target. I work at a business that is located inside Walmart and people go that must be nice, no I say I don’t buy much from Walmart. Thanks for all the hard work you do!
Thank you for sharing with us! I hope you can get one of those stores near you soon. Thank you for your support!
How do we get a store we love AKA Menards on Ibotta?
I work there & we have a ton of food selections.
While there maybe a few items I buy on your “never buy” list at Walmart (ie chips), for the most part I agree. I already shop at Costco, CVS, Aldi and Walmart so I’m not adding a local grocery store just to save a few pennies on ice cream or chips. Sometimes ones time should also factor in. I do appreciate the list and was happy to confirm that most of the items on your “never” list I do not buy at Walmart. Thanks!
Just a thought. That grocery that you use when you need to just grab an idea may not be there long if you don’t support it. I shop sales. Yea I may pick up milk, bread etc while I’m there but if I save $2 on chips & I buy 5 pkgs the extra $1 I spend for milk is still savings. Same with drug stores. You may save a few dollars by doing mail order but when that independent closes & I you have to wait 3 days for antibiotics or pain pills you’ll wish you had supported them
Those are very good points. Our team loves Walmart. We find some amazing deals there. We just find that those things are always cheaper somewhere else.
Disagree with the chips! I can buy a bag of Great Value tortilla chips for 92 cents! A regular full-size bag too! The lime ones are delicious!
Walmart price on meat is really High also the price on cereal is high too
I agree Dianna!
Their price on ground turkey is pretty low, but I agree on the rest of the meat section.
I love that you share your hard work and great knowledge of sales, coupons and general saving advice. Thank you! Just want to point out that Walmart is planning on stopping the savings catcher soon, not sure if you were aware of that, or if this post was maybe written a while back before they announced they were stopping that. At any rate I hardly ever shop at Walmart anymore since we have moved we have a lot better options to shop. Again thanks for all your knowledge of saving.
Walmart no longer offers savings catcher.
I figure toilet paper prices, not by the roll as you cannot know how much product you are getting by the roll since they vary in width and length. I figure per square foot. Most toilet paper has the total square feet per package on the label. Much more accurate. Costco’s store brand is consistently cheaper than any name brand. not as soft but you’re just flushing it!!
I prefer comfort! I know we’re talking Wal-Mart here, but we buy Member’s Mark at Sam’s Club – comfy and find we use less than Costco brand!
Thank you for the great and time consuming
Work you do for all of us. I really appreciate you
My husband took over the grocery shopping the week my son came out of diapers. He said now it’s my turn for a while. You don’t buy enough of my junk food!!! Wonder why??? So for 9 years y’all he has spent $300 every other week at guess who….Walmart. That was the only store he would go. So finally the kids and I took the control out of his hands again after I made him watch Laurie’s video last summer on the coupon challenge. He said I bet you can’t do it. But do I ever!!! Thanks to PPP our grocery bill is less than a $150 every two weeks!!!! So Walmart is out of the question. Mama is Rocking and Hubby is eating good. Including his junk food!! Love PPP and love the videos!!!!
We went to the Walmart in Folsom, CA last weekend, and they had fresh cherries for as high as $5.98/lb. That would be another item that should never be bought at Walmart. The grocery stores in that city don’t charge that much for this time of year.
If you buy the Great Value brand KCups, they are the best price that I have found, even out of sale prices! There are several flavors/roasts and are $14.98 for a 48 pack!
The Breakfast Blend is my favorite!
Your right Terra, I buy the 96 count of Breakfast Blend for $24.98 at Wal- Mart,I used to buy Green Mountain coffee in the breakfast blend and I can’t tell the difference,And I’m very picky about my coffee.
That’s what I buy all the time too.
I never buy meat from them either! Occasionally I will buy name brand chicken, but I never get red meat from Walmart. Not even a known name. I always go to stores with butchers for my meat.
I have had a problem with Walmart for years. It seems like they started out with low prices and then once people were hooked – went up on them. They did, however build a new one within 2 miles of my house earlier this year so there’s that convenience factor. I use (though am not a fan of) Savings Catcher which allows them to charge whatever and then if it is less expensive somewhere else refund the difference to you so that you can buy other high priced items in their store. Even though price matching was a lot of trouble, your savings was in cash. I visited Bentonville, AR in April and was very impressed with what Sam Walton and his family did for this town. After touring the museum I could only think he would be disappointed if he could see things now.
I think the Savings Catcher definitely helps Melinda – but I haven’t gotten much back after submitting a few receipts (and just can’t imagine a few of the items aren’t on sale somewhere nearby?) I think there’s a place for generic brands there (I do feel like I save on those) and I honestly do love curbside pickup, but tend to shop other places for most things. Thanks for sharing Melinda!
Thanks for the work you do in helping so many save money. It is invaluable information for the times we in today! I love your website and penny pinching ideas, but I live in Utah and stores like Aldi, Publix and Kroger are not here, unfortunately. Smith’s grocery stores sell the Kroger Brand, but I don’t think the sales, coupons, etc. work at Smith’s. Do you know of comparable stores here in Utah? Or of any blogs/websites that use stores here?
Thanks again for all you do!
Sherrie