Walmart has long been known as a low-price leader. And in response to fierce pricing competition from smaller rivals like Aldi and Kroger, the retailer is slashing prices even lower.
Whether you're shopping at Walmart for groceries, back-to-school staples or gear for your next backyard barbecue, these items are always cheaper at Walmart.
PANTRY STAPLES
Walmart is the most popular grocery store in America, with about 25 percent of the grocery market in the U.S. The retailer gets consistent low marks for quality and customer service, but rock-bottom prices keep grocery shoppers coming back for more.
Personal finance expert Brett Anderson does his own shopping at Walmart _ especially for pre-packaged items, like soup, cereal and other pantry staples. For example, a 21-ounce box of Honey Nut Cheerios at Walmart is $3.64 vs. $3.99 at Target, and a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup is $1.29 a can on Amazon (where there is no bulk pricing), vs. $1.25 for a single can or 87 cents each for a pack of four at Walmart.
BEEF
In 2011, Walmart began investing in higher-quality beef for its stores. The retailer had traditionally only sold lower grades of meat to keep prices low, but this new investment created a surge in demand, driving the price difference between low-grade and high-grade beef to 19 cents, up from 3 cents.
You can find ground beef for under $3 a pound at Walmart, compared to over $4 on AmazonFresh. Roast beef averages $9.98 a pound, compared to $10.99 a pound at Vons. If beef isn't your thing, you can find other meats at super low prices, like cans of tuna for 75 cents each, compared to the same product on AmazonFresh for about $1 each. Chicken is also just as cheap at Walmart: boneless, skinless chicken breasts are about $2.43 a pound, while AmazonFresh sells them for $3.20 a pound.
INSULIN
Just over 9 percent of the American population has diabetes, according to the Center for Disease Control. And people who use insulin to control it can spend over $700 a year on this life-saving medicine _ more than triple what it cost in 2002.
Like many other medicines, the price of insulin can vary depending on where you get it. In an interview with Consumer Reports, Dr. Jeremy A. Greene said Walmart is the cheapest place in the country to get insulin because high demand keeps the retailer's prices competitively low. According to Greene, Walmart sells Novolin N for just $25, whereas the same product, without a coupon, can be over $160 at competitors like Walgreens, Target and CVS.
While insulin prices are always cheaper at Walmart, there is one distinct difference. Diabetes patient Roger J. Willard said, "Walmart's insulin comes in vials, so you have to use syringes. It's not as convenient as the insulin pens, but it works for me. No other pharmacy or store beats the price _ a lifesaver for many."
PHOTO PRINTING
You can get your traditional 4-by-6-inch photos printed for as little as 15 cents apiece at Walmart. The retailer also offers specialized prints, like posters starting at $5.86, high-gloss metallic prints for $7.44 and collage prints for as low as 9 cents each.
Target's prices for products other than standard photo prints is almost twice the price: posters start at $17.99, metallic prints start at $14.99, regular prints are 29 cents each if you want to pick them up at a store and collage prints start at 15 cents. Costco also has a photo center, but its prices still aren't as low as Walmart's: Regular prints are 17 cents each, the smallest metal print it offers is $33.99, posters are $6.99 each, and collage prints start at $1.79.
PAPER TOWELS
Walmart even beats Costco on Bounty paper towel prices. A 12-roll pack of Bounty Select-a-Size double paper towels sells for $17.47 at Walmart, which comes to about $2 apiece. The same size case sells for $27.99 at Costco, or about $2.33 a piece.
Vons also sells a six-pack of these paper towels _ which will save you storage space _ but they're a whopping $19.99 per package, or $3.18 apiece. If you have the room for it, you'll save a bundle by buying this household necessity in bulk at Walmart.
