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 Walmart tips to make the most of your budget!
14 Walmart Shopping Tips You Need To Know
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!
2. 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.
3. Shop The Store Brand
Walmart’s main private label for store brand grocery items is Great Value. 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!
4. 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!
5. 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!
6. 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.
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7. 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!
8. 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!
9. 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.
10. 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
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. $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.
14. 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!
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Do you have a favorite Walmart tip or trick?
I agree 100% regarding Walmart Plus! Totally worth the price! I will never let it expire unless I do. We also use some Great Value products and save a bundle!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great tips, Jillee, thank you!
Hello Tammy, can you please explain how the Walmart Plus is worth it? Thank you
Please log in or create a free account to comment.As a longtime Walmart + member, I can say the membership is worth the price. Years ago I broke my ankle and couldn’t drive my manual car. I signed up to get my groceries delivered and couldn’t be happier. The online prices are usually less than the instore ones. If you use Honey, you earn cash back on each purchase. Plus, it helps me stay on budget by not going into the store. The only downside is that you miss clearance items.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Agree 100%!! I can’t tell you the last time I was in a Walmart store. I use curbside pickup and couldn’t be happier! Walmart + rocks!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Walmart is my go-to when stocking up on groceries/health items. Not all WMs are alike – I’ve been to a couple both here & in Fla. I went to one in a neighboring state (it’s a 20 minute drive) where the state tax is lower. I listened in on a couple of employees and they were happy with their jobs. There’s one close by that I only go to in a pinch (sorry for judging but the customers leave a lot to be desired!) and a Super center about 10 miles away that I love. I’ve never had a problem with their Great Value brands- they are as good as name brands and cost far less. Even brand names are cheaper. Their paper goods (tissues, t.p.) are the same quality as name brands. What I do refuse to do is self-checkout but even CVS has them. I don’t work for them, don’t get paid by them plus I might be doing someone out of a job. We have a surplus of jobs in my state with no one to fill them. I don’t buy clothes but every place, not just Walmart, has clothing (even top of the line), made in China or some 3rd world country. I doubt that anybody who knocked WM for “Chinese goods” doesn’t have something in there home that isn’t made elsewhere.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was at Sam’s club(owned by Walmart) yesterday and saw they had a machine to get a free coupon. They recommended downloading their Freeosk app. They have certain locations at Sam’s club and Walmart where you can get free samples and/or discounts. I thought I’d share.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you for this article, it’s nice to see support for WM. There is a lot of hate about WM
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I actually didn’t grow up on Walmart. Living in another state we had Target. I had heard of Walmart but hadn’t ever been to one until we moved to the Midwest. I love that their great value brand water filters are good and about 1/2 the price of the name brand.Some of the name brand beauty stuff you can find comparable stuff under the great value brand . One great way to save money on Vitamins is their Spring Valley brand which often has lower prices for certain supplements. I don’t shop at Walmart very often, but I know the items that can save a lot of money at Walmart.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is a great article, and I learned a lot. Thanks for all the work you do, Jillee, in researching such things for those of us trying to save a few pennies here and there. My husband frequently gets off from work at 9 in the evening and I send him over to Walmart to pick up a couple items on his way home. He almost always stops by the rotisserie chicken section to see if any are left. Last night he scored four chickens for $2.49 each. They then go into our freezer for those hectic days or when unexpected guests show up at meal time.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love the Great Value brand of most everything at Walmart and my father-in-law said the same thing about that brand. He was a truck driver and would see many different labels on cans that all came out of the same factory!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You can earn $1.00 through your ibotta app with the online grocery shopping and pick up. Just be sure to launch the ibotta app first and then select the Walmart Grocery pick up option (it’s different than the ibotta Walmart shopping option). As long as you’re working through the ibotta app to do all the online grocery selection, you’ll earn the dollar. It’s worth it though. My Walmart only requires a $30 order to do the pick up and I earn $1 every time. Plus, it’s currently the only way to use the ibotta app with Walmart online grocery pick up.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Jillee – I am often surprised at what eclectic things I can find at Walmart… from Organic Aloe Vera to organic produce, to household items that I frequently can’t find anywhere else. I learned several things from your article here (I did NOT know about the ending price… – or the markup on “clearance” items. Thanks so much for the information! Carol
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