15 Walmart Tips That Will Save You Money

Save money at Walmart by checking the clearance items and learning the price codes. Walmart brands of gluten-free foods are often half the price of name brands.

Score Great Deals With These Walmart Tips

I’ve already written posts full of tips for shopping online and in store at Costco and Target, so it’s high time I shared some pointers about how to save money grocery shopping at Walmart! Between their online grocery shopping options and great deals, there are plenty of ways to save on your next Walmart purchase.

I personally have a bit of a soft spot for Walmart, because it’s the only big box-type store in our town! Before that store opened up here, I had to drive 20-30 minutes in one direction or the other to get anything I couldn’t get at the grocery store (which was a pain, to say the least!)

In addition to being a valuable part of my town’s retail landscape, Walmart is a budget-friendly place to shop for just about anyone. Use these 15 Walmart tips to make the most of your budget!

15 Walmart Shopping Tips You Need To Know

Walmart has convenient, free online grocery shopping.

1. Free Online Grocery Shopping

Don’t have time to wander the grocery aisles at Walmart, or maybe you just don’t want to? Do your grocery shopping online via the Walmart website or app instead!

Not only is Walmart’s online grocery shopping option convenient, but it’s free too! Just shop for your groceries, pay online, then pick up your stuff at the store — at no additional cost!

Save $10 off your $50 order at Walmart with the code WOWFRESH.

2. Save $10 On Groceries

If you’re new to grocery shopping online at Walmart, you can save $10 on your first order of $50 or more! Just enter the coupon code WOWFRESH at checkout to get the discount.

You can get pickup discounts on some items at Walmart.

3. Choose Store Pickup

Walmart has been known to offer discounts on select online-only items when you choose pickup over shipping. Pickup discounts aren’t huge, but when you factor in the money you’ll save on shipping costs, it can add up!

On the other hand, if you do want to have your items shipped to you, there’s an easy way to score free shipping! Those in the contiguous U.S. get free 2-day shipping on orders over $35 on Walmart.com.

Don't be afraid to try Walmart brands -- they're better than you might think.

4. Shop The Store Brand

Walmart’s main private label for grocery items is the Great Value brand. Apparently, it’s an open secret that many Great Value items are manufactured at the same facilities as Conagra brand items!

Several sources claim that Great Value brand spices are the same as McCormick brand, canned vegetables are the same as Green Giant, and whipped topping is the same as Cool Whip. I can’t personally verify the accuracy of these claims, but it certainly can’t hurt to give them a try!

The number the price ends with at Walmart will tell you a lot about discounts on that item.

5. Clearance Tags Decoded

The prices listed on clearance tags can tell you more than just how much the items costs! Prices that end in 7 reflect the item’s original price, while prices that end in 5 signify the item has been marked down.

If the price ends in 0 or 1, that price is a final markdown. The price won’t go any lower, so snap it up if it’s something you want!

Walmart will pay you the overage if you have a coupon worth more than the item costs.

6. Coupon “Overages”

Store policy at Walmart allows something called “overages” when it comes to using coupons. For example, if you have a coupon for $2 off a loaf of bread, but the price of the bread is only $1.97, that extra $0.03 would be considered an overage.

Walmart’s policy allows overages to be applied to the other items in your purchase, which is a nice little bonus!

You can get really good buys on bakery and meat items that are close to their sell-by date.

7. Discounted Meat & Bread

If you’re willing to take a chance on meat and bread that’s close to its expiration date, you can save up to 50% off! Check the day-old racks in the bakery for 50% discounts on bread, and look for markdowns in the evening on meat items.

If you can't find the price on an item at Walmart, you can check the price on your phone.

8. Price Check On Your Phone

Can’t find the price for an item when you’re shopping at Walmart? Use the scanner feature in the Walmart app (located to the right of the search bar) to find the price!

Holiday items are marked down as much as 90% once the holiday has passed!

9. Post-Holiday Discounts

At Walmart, the best time to score deep discounts on holiday items is 3 days after the holiday. Holiday items are marked down 50% the day after the holiday, but they get marked down 90% after 3 days, so it may be worth it to wait!

Walmart's gluten free items are as much as half the price of other brands.

10. Go For Gluten Free

When it comes to Walmart’s Great Value brand, the greatest value of all is on their gluten free items! Gluten free items from Great Value are often half the price of their name brand counterparts.

Always keep an eye on the end caps at Walmart for big savings on seasonal clearance items.

11. Keep An Eye On Clearance

It’s always worth a trip to the end-caps to see what’s on clearance! Clearance varies greatly by store, but here’s a general idea of what you can expect to find during different times of year:

February to March – Coats, winter clothes, boots
Late August to September – Swimwear, summer decor, pool toys, dorm decor, school supplies
Late October to early November – Fall decor, summer clothing and shoes

Use ibotta to get cash back from shopping at Walmart.

12. Use Ibotta To Get Cash Back

Use the Ibotta app when you shop at Walmart to earn cash back on all sorts of items! Add the offers to your account in the app, then just snap a picture of your receipt within 24 hours of your purchase to earn cash back!

Learn more about using Ibotta on their website.

When you create a baby registry at Walmart, you receive a free baby box.

13. Free Baby Box

If you or someone you know is expecting, start a baby registry through Walmart and they’ll send you get a free Baby Registry Welcome box. According to those who have gotten one, the boxes include free samples of stuff like pacifiers, bottles, wipes, diapers, nursing pads, etc.

To learn more and sign up, visit Walmart’s baby registry page.

Get generic prescriptions for as little as $4 at the Walmart pharmacy.

14. $4 Generic Prescriptions

Walmart pharmacies offer tons of generic prescription drugs for just $4, which can save you a ton of money over name brand ones! Check to see if generic versions of your prescriptions exist, then look at Walmart’s $4 generics list to see if yours are listed there.

Occasionally a higher price sticker will be put on top of a clearance sticker, so be sure to check that out by peeking!

15. Sneaky Clearance Stickers

According to at least a couple of unhappy shoppers online, there have been cases where a higher priced clearance tag was placed over the top of a clearance tag with a lower price. So if you’re perusing clearance items at Walmart, you may want to peel back part of the clearance sticker to make sure you’re getting the lowest price!

Do you have a favorite Walmart tip or trick?