Price vs. Service or Walmart vs Target

As prices get higher and items seem to get smaller, I am forced to ask, How far do you go for lower prices?

As a proud resident of the land of Super Targets and Walmarts, I have the opportunity to visit both often (and did when I lived near them previously). With the possible exception of Tortillas, which hands down Walmart always has cheaper than Target or any other grocery store, I see little difference in their inventory.

From what I can tell, Walmart is cheaper in most things including customer service. Target is helpful, courteous and their prices aren't exactly expensive...Let's run down the list.

First let's take a look at the prices side of the equation:


Walmart: Dairy is priced similar to grocery stores. Milk, cheese and yogurt are as good there as anywhere.

Target: I wouldn't be caught dead buying milk, cheese or yogurt at Target, the prices are through the roof!

Walmart: Tortillas (as previously mentioned) can be bought there in larger than mission sized packages for just over, and often under a dollar. No other store can say that, I know I've checked.

Target: Tortillas are priced same as all other grocery stores, no more no less.

Walmart: Produce is OK, some things are lower than others, but nothing overly special.

Target: Not being a Sam's Club member I can't vouch for them, but Target is the only place I have ever seen that has bags of fruit besides apples. Seems like everywhere you can get a bag of apples (though usually only red ones), but in my local Super Target you can find bags of Nectarines, Plums, Peaches, Apples and even Pears, which only Costco can boast as well.

Walmart: Non grocery items seem to be fairly reasonably priced with a pretty good selection. Clothing wise Walmart even has a section for preemie sized baby clothes, which I have never seen in an a one stop shop like Walmart, Kmart and Target.

Target: Again reasonable prices, different inventory but the items are very similar and priced within the same range as Walmart. Here it's really a brand preference issue, they don't carry many of the same things.

Now onto the Service aspect:

Walmart: Checkout lines. Total Choas! This may just be the 6 Walmarts I have visited in my area, but the lines are horrendous and often only a few of them are open. It reminds me of a visit to Costco on a Sunday afternoon.

Target: I don't know if it's a planned aspect or a fluke, but in the 5 Targets in my area, I can't remember a time when they were as slammed as a Walmart. It almost seems as if they have a "Three's a Crowd" policy as new checkstands open up whenever there is an abundance of people waiting in line at the others.


Walmart: Price Matching? I'm told they do it, but just what does it take to accomplish this particular feat? I can't get them to even match their own prices without a battle. I have on only one occasion had a checkout price adjusted to match the sticker on the shelf. Generally what I get when questioning a discrepancy is the checker going to get someone else to walk with me over to the item in question's location and to make me feel like an idiot because their pricing was unclear or inaccurately placed. And then I get to go back and pay the price they rang up initially.

Target: Many is the time I have had an item ring up differently and pointed it out to the cashier. Typically what those cashiers do is to get the different price from me and the location of the item. Then they make the change. I don't have to go back and walk the isles to prove the discrepancy and they are not rude or derisive about it either. I guess this could be a deficit on their part if you were trying to trick them, but as I am not one of those people and I doubt many of us are, it's nice to have someone give you the benefit of the doubt and not make you and whoever else is in line, wait to be vindicated.


Walmart: Coupon Policy. Despite now having a clear printed document that lays out their coupon policy, my previous trips to Walmart resulted in having a manager called who informed me that a max of two IPs (Internet printed coupon) were allowed per transaction. Two! That's not even duplicate coupons. I can only imagine what would have happened had I had their policy to show them, because of course ultimately the discretion lies with the individual stores.

Target: After my single fiasco (after which I was given a gift card for my troubles), I have yet to find an issue at a single Target since. They are friendly polite and (I'm sure it's only a matter of time before this changes) I haven't received a single dirty look, regardless of the number of coupons, duplicate or otherwise, I have used in a single transaction.

All in all there are definitely price related reasons to go to Walmart and as I am not a political shopper, I will still go where the best price is for the items I want, but it makes me wonder if there isn't a real legitimate reason for the "Did your cashier greet you today?" question asked at the beginning of the transition process. Mine even have a more in depth "Click here for yes, no, or ignore this question" What does it say about a company where customer service is rated on a transaction level? I'd like to think it means Walmart cares about having good consumer relations, but from what I've seen, I think it's more of a real accountability issue, one that stems from not providing good customer service in the first place. For me, all things being equal, price, availability and product, I will definately be leaning more towards Target, I like leaving a store feeling better than when I went in.

What about you? What are your experiences with these two stores?