One of the biggest fights right now in retail is between Amazon and Walmart over who can be the cheapest. Both companies are fighting hard to be your online shop. Today, we will look at some of the most common products people buy every month to see if it would be cheaper to buy them at Walmart or Amazon.
Important Note: all pricing is from August 2023, and we used a Walmart store in Michigan for pricing.
Tide Laundry Detergent
We all wash our clothes, and Tide is one of the most popular detergents we don’t market. So who has cheaper Tide, Walmart or Amazon?
Walmart sells a 146 FL Oz jug of Tide for $19.94 it claims to do 100 loads of laundry. That works out to be about $0.20 cents a load.
Amazon sells a 105 FL Oz liquid box of Tide for $19.24, which claims to do 96 loads, a price that works out to be about $0.20 cents a load.
Winner: This one is so close that it becomes a pick that you want. Walmart is just barely cheaper per ounce, but ultimately the difference is so small, less than a penny.
Trash Bags
Trash is something we all end up with, and trash bags have become a necessary evil. So who has the cheapest trash bags? For this test, we will look at the store brand of Greate Value vs. Amazon Basic. We will also be looking at Tall Kitchen Drawstring Bags for this comparison.
Walmart sells its Grate Value trash bags 120 counts for $18.12. This works out to be about $0.151 per bag.
Amazon sells its Amazon Basics trash bags on 200 counts, typically for $24.51. (Currently on sale for $19.37 plus if you spent $50 on select Amazon Basic products, you could get an extra 20% off.) The regular list price works out to be about $0.12 per bag.
Amazon also offers Trash Bags as subscribe and save option for just $20.83, which is about $0.10 per bag.
Winner: Amazon is the cheapest way to get trash bags right now. Even without the sale, you can save a lot with Amazon Basic trash bags. If you really want to save money, you may want to consider Amazon Subscribe & Save option to get them for about $0.10 each.
Hand Soap
Washing hands has become even more popular over the last few years, so what is the cheapest way to get hand soap? In this comparison, we will look at Amazon Basics for the Walmart brand.
Walmart sells its Equate hand soap in 50 Oz bottles for $4.97 or about $0.09 FL Oz.
Amazon sells Amazon Basics hand soap in a 56 FL Oz bottle for $5.22 or about $0.09 FL Oz. You can also get this on subscribe and save even cheaper at $4.96 for 56 Oz with Amazon Subscribe and Save.
Winner: Both Walmart and Amazon here are great deals, and without Subscribe and Save both are about the same. The real savings comes with the Amazon Subscribe and Save option.
Toilet Paper
We all use it, and after the last few years, you probably keep more of it in stock than you did 4 years ago. So who has the cheapest deals on toilet paper?
Walmart’s Greate Value Soft & Storn Premium 12 Mega Rolls costs $10.98 or $0.24 per 100 sheets.
Amazon’s store brand Presto! is $27.76 for 24 rolls of their Ultra-Soft which works out to $0.37 per 100 sheets. If you use Amazon’s subscribe and save you can get that price down to $23.59 or about $0.31 per 100 sheets with the 15% discount. (Note for a limited time if you spend $50 on select Amazon Brand products including this Presto toilet paper you can get an extra 20% off.)
Winner: Walmart wins this fight and by a surprising amount here as it is $.0.07 cheaper per 100 sheets even with the 15% off subscribe and save.
Final Thoughts
In the end, shopping around can save you a lot of money. Both Walmart and Amazon have products with better prices. Spending time once a year comparing prices can help you save a lot of money. Especially if you likc to stock up
Using the website of both major companies and 15 minutes of research for items you stock up on regularly could help you really save money over the course of a year.
For cord cutters, both Walamrt and Amazon’s membership programs are great options as Amazon Prime comes with Prime Video and Walamrt+ comes with a free year of Paramount+.
If you can, we recommend using Amazon’s Subscribe & Save for products that are cheaper at Amazon. This will allow you to get them delivered every few weeks or months, so you are always in stock.
For cheaper products at Walmart, you can use Walmart+ for free delivery.