The 26+ Best Value Deals At Walmart

Average Price: $1.04/paper towel roll*
Verdict: Skip It 

This is another one where buying in bulk probably makes more sense. Now, during the pandemic, Americans pretty much have to buy paper towels and toilet paper wherever they can get it, so maybe you can’t afford to be picky. However, Costco and Sam’s Club offer a lot of paper towels for a lower PPU than Walmart.

Cut Back on Paper Towels ©Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com

At Walmart, you can get Bounty Select Paper Towels, twelve double rolls, for $19.98. At Costco, you can get that same exact product for $15.99. Note that limits of one per member probably apply, just like they do pretty much anywhere.

Average Price: $5.24/pound*
Verdict: Skip It 

Mashed summed up why you shouldn’t buy ground beef at Walmart, even though the prices aren’t bad. According to a New York Times investigation, Walmart sells case-ready meat. Walmart has confirmed this in a Corporate Announcement on their website.

©gowithstock/Shutterstock.com

Though Walmart has opened a new plant to work out some of the kinks, that operation isn’t 100% off the ground. Case-ready meat, according to Mashed, is sometimes injected with saline to keep it fresh. This can lead to taste issues, though it is unconfirmed whether or not it impacts the health consequences of the product. Additionally, Mashed noted, Aldi and Costco actually sell cheaper ground beef.

Average Price: $20-$40 for a set*
Verdict: Skip It 

You might want to shop around before you commit to buying Walmart pots and pans. While Walmart does have sets that are far cheaper than you might see elsewhere (for example, Macy’s has a copper-bottom cookware set for $1,200), it’s not always about price. According to Good Housekeeping, the experts in all things domestic, you should consider quality above all.

Cookware ©easyasaofficial/stock.adobe.com

Pots and pans from high quality companies like Black & Decker, Calphalon, and more aren’t always available at Walmart. Good news, however: Good Housekeeping’s choice for Best Value Nonstick Cookware, T-Fall, is available for the time being in a 12-piece set at Walmart for a little under $80.

Average Price: $6.27*
Verdict: Buy (Unless Using K-Cups)

Again, unless you’re buying K-cups (in which buying in bulk is likely the better idea), buying ground coffee at Walmart is a pretty good idea. You can get a range of Starbucks ground coffee for between $6 and $8 at Walmart. Starbucks has contracted with Walmart to sell pretty much all of the coffee types you see in the store—just not ready-made.

Starbucks Coffee Pixelshot/Canva

Walmart also has rewards with Starbucks, similar to those you’d see on your Starbucks Rewards Card. For example, you can get two Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew glasses for free when you buy a Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew eight-pack and redeem it.

Average Price: $750-$800 for a set*
Verdict: Skip It 

For patio sets and furniture, you might want to skip purchasing them at Walmart in favor of price-comparing at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Wayfair, or even furniture stores like Levin Furniture. At Walmart, a lounge chair costs around $104. At Wayfair, there are comparable chairs for just $89.99.

©Photographee.eu/stock.adobe.com

Also, furniture stores often have good deals on sets and other, BOGO-like offers. Though Walmart is a good idea for cheap beach equipment, like an umbrella ($24.60) or beach chairs ($19.99), you’d do well to shop around first. More than likely, you’ll be able to dig up a better deal elsewhere.

Average Price: $17-$20/six-quart container*
Verdict: Buy It 

Unless you’re driving a Formula One race car or another really expensive vehicle, there isn’t anything wrong with heading to Walmart for some motor oil. At Walmart, for example, you can buy Mobil 1 Extended Performance 10W-30 Motor Oil for $24.37 for a single, five-quart canister. A 12-pack of these costs $317.16.

Motor Oil @virtualstatman / Twitter.com

Advance Auto Parts, Jiffy Lube, and other stores are also good places to scout before buying motor oil at Walmart. On Walmart.com, the store has added a feature that allows you to input your vehicle information to see which motor oil best “fits” your particular car.

Average Price: $150-$229 for a tent*
Verdict: Buy It 

Most in-person Walmart stores have a pretty large outdoor section, which sells all manner of camping gear. At Walmart you are able to buy items from some of the biggest brands in outdoor activities such as Coleman, Ozark Trail, and Elegantoss.

Camping Gear ©photomaticstudio/stock.adobe.com

A tent will run you $150 or a little higher, while a sleeping bag costs $14.99-$30. There are occasionally great sales on tents as well. For example, you can get a Zimtown four-person camouflage tent for $30.99, knocked down from its original price of $65.88. You are also sometimes eligible to get free delivery with your purchase.

Average Price: $500-$600/Treadmill*
Verdict: Skip It 

This one comes down to simple price comparison. For smaller fitness equipment deals, such as yoga mats and weights, Walmart is a good buy. For larger fitness equipment items, such as treadmills, there are often cheaper prices to be had at sites like Amazon.com. A treadmill at Walmart can run you anywhere from $300 to $700.

Fitness Equipment ©Pixel-Shot/stock.adobe.com

On Amazon, there are comparable products for half the cost. while you probably don’t want to cut corners on spending money for fitness equipment, there are cheaper options available that won’t sacrifice quality. For this reason, we say “Skip It” for fitness equipment at Walmart. 

Average Price: $24.88/month*
Verdict: Skip It 

TracFone Wireless is the owner of the Walmart Mobile family plan, which is the owner of Total Wireless, Straight Talk, and Simple Mobile, among other prepaid plans. Walmart Family Mobile is Walmart’s prepaid plan, and Clark.com wrote a review about it that pointed out some flaws.

Family Mobile Walmart ©H. Ozmen/stock.adobe.com

One such flaw is the semi-exclusion of Verizon customers. Walmart doesn’t own any cell towers, so it partners with T-Mobile. This means that this plan works best for people who live in areas where T-Mobile has strong coverage. The problem? T-Mobile, according to Whistle Out, covers at least 8% less American territory than Verizon.

Average Price: $60 for a set*
Verdict: Skip It 

Legos are always a popular toy choice for kids, even decades after the company founding. Lego sets at Walmart are actually pretty pricey. For a Disney Frozen II set you’ll pay $63.99. It’s the same price on Amazon, but you get free two-day shipping.

Lego @LEGO / Facebook.com

Though Walmart offers free two-day shipping on toy brands like Lego and Mattel, it isn’t available on all items. You might check back and see that this toy no longer has that perk. Shop around first to see where you can get the best deal. eBay and Amazon are often the etailers of choice when it comes to toys.

Average Price: $1-$15*
Verdict: Buy It 

If you go into Walmart at any point during the later half of summer or the fall, you’ll notice that there are school supplies galore. Pretty much all Walmart stores have a walk-through school supply section that seemingly pops up out of nowhere. Walmart’s prices on things like folders, notebooks, pens, and pencils put other stores like Office Depot to shame.

School Supplies ©Davizro Photography/stock.adobe.com

You can get school supplies for as low as 25 cents. There is an entire section on the website dedicated to school supplies under $1. For example, a twenty-four pack of crayons costs $0.50. Rollback prices apply to a lot of popular supplies you see on school supply lists.

Average Price: $4.72/towel*
Verdict: Buy It 

Bath towels and beach towels at Walmart are quite cheap. Beach towels run between $3 and $4, and bath towels are $4.72 a towel (approximately). If you go for the Walmart Mainstays Value, you can buy a single towel for $0.47-$1.97. Unless you’re picky about your towels or a Bed Bath & Beyond devotee, Walmart is a good place to buy.

Towels ©New Africa/stock.adobe.com

Even if you want to splurge on a Better Homes & Gardens brand plush, textured beach towel, it’s still not going to hurt your wallet, costing only $7.72. Walmart also has a Turbie Twist Super-Absorbent towel for your hair for just $4.98.

Average Price: $3.27-$3.64*
Verdict: Buy It 

Walmart has all of your favorite cereals, both in family-size and regular. The regular-size cereals cost $3.27, while family-size tends to be about forty cents more. These include all of the classic brands from General Mills. If you want to choose from Walmart’s generic brand, Great Value, you’ll also save a lot, as their cereal tends to cost $1.98.

Cereal @KeithMalinak / Twitter.com

A possible exception is if your family eats a lot of cereal. In that case, you’d probably be better off trying bulk brands like Costco, which will save you money over time. At Walmart, you can also get Kellogg’s cereal in a variety-pack 48-count for under $18.

Average Price: $10/8 oz.*
Verdict: Buy It 

This is a tricky one, as so many people are using K-cups today that buying regular ground coffee has almost gone the way of the dinosaur. At Walmart, buying regular ground coffee, whether it’s Dunkin, Folgers, Starbucks, Maxwell House, or pretty much any other brand, is a good deal. Your average 12-ounce bag will run you between $6 and $7.

Coffee @MiNiTrUcKiN2000 / Twitter.com

However, if you use K-cups, Costco Wholesale or Sam’s Club (which is owned by Walmart) is possibly a better option, as you’ll be able to buy in bulk for less than you’d spend repeatedly buying boxes of K-cups. For example, the price for 120 Kirkland K-Cups is just a little over $30.