Though Walmart is famed for its budget-friendly department stores, experts point out that certain products may be more economical or of superior quality elsewhere.
According to GoBankingRates, shopping specialists have identified nine typical items often purchased at Walmart that might not offer the best value or quality.
Although there are always tons of great items at Walmart, here are a few you may want to leave on the shelves:
9 Items Shopping Experts Recommend Avoiding From Walmart Stores & Its Website
1. Beauty Products
If you're considering buying beauty products from Walmart's website in search of unbeatable deals, experts advise caution. The presence of third-party sellers on the platform means you might not receive the quality you expect. "Buying beauty products can require a lot of research and trust, especially when navigating the internet. Always make sure you’re buying from an authorized, trusted store," expert Rebecca Gramuglia told Go Banking Rates. "This can get tricky when navigating Walmart’s search results as they have third-party resellers."
2. Luggage
If you want your luggage to endure and protect your belongings, it’s often worth making a smart investment. Though you might stumble upon some deals for top-notch suitcases, according to experts, Walmart might not be the place to find them. Consumer Reports, as noted by Go Banking Rates, ranked Amazon and Costco highly for luggage quality, while Walmart languished at the bottom of the rankings.
3. Paper Towels
According to Chloe Elise, a certified financial coach and the CEO/founder of Deeper Than Money, Walmart has a "big selection of paper products" like paper towels, toilet paper and napkins, but if you are shopping on a budget, "you will be disappointed by the cheapest option at Walmart,” she said. "Unless you like 1-ply toilet paper. While, for the same price, at ALDI you can save big-time on these items and still get incredible quality."
4. Poultry
"If you’ve seen the TikTok videos talking about Walmart’s potential issues with poultry freshness, and you are looking for a place where the meat selection is fresh and delicious, I highly recommend ALDI," Elise notes. As she pointed out, several viral TikTok videos have seemingly shown bacteria on poultry products at Walmart locations. "Though [ALDI's] selection is not as expansive as Walmart’s, this ensures that all the meat there is properly refrigerated & the options they do have are of high quality," she added.
5. Maple Syrup
Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst with DealNews revealed that the price per ounce for maple syrup at Walmart is "so much more than what you’ll pay elsewhere." The best deal you can find on this item, she noted, is "undoubtedly at a warehouse club." She says that Costco has a "33.8 ounce bottle for $13.11, which works out to about 39 cents per ounce." At Walmart, even the generic brand (which is usually the cheapest) will "cost you nearly 64 cents per ounce, although a 32 ounce bottle (the closest to the Costco size) will cost about 50 cents per ounce.”
6. Gift Cards
Ramhold added that shopping for gift cards at Walmart means "paying list price for them, but if you shop at warehouse clubs, you can get multi-packs with a discount." She also points out that depending on the store or restaurant you’re buying gift cards for, "you can expect a 15% to 20% discount when shopping at Costco or Sam’s Club."
7. Paper Plates
At Walmart, Ramhold says, you can get "generic paper plates for as little as 3 cents each, but the odds are good that you’ll be trading quality for that." She also stresses that at Costco, you can buy "name-brand quality disposable plates for about 8 cents each. It’s definitely a matter of preference but paying a little more up front could be worth it to protect your floor and prevent losing food."
8. Honey
"Similar to maple syrup, the cost of this sweetener is much more at Walmart than if you buy in bulk," Ramhold said. “A 12-ounce bottle of Great Value honey is about $3.72 or 31 cents per ounce; however, at Costco, you can buy 5 pounds of wildflower honey for $15.29 – that’s 19 cents per ounce. If you use the sweetener often (or even if you don’t) you can’t beat that price."
9. Deli meat
Deli meat is a common ingredient in many people's fridges; it can make for a fast, convenient snack or help you easily whip up a sandwich for lunch. But in addition to being one of the worst foods for your health, dietitian and Walmart shopper Trista Best told All Recipes that deli meat from Walmart will "lack freshness and flavor."
The Bottom Line
Instead, she says you should "Opt for freshly sliced deli meats at the counter or from specialty delis for a better selection of meats and cuts in terms of texture, flavor, freshness, and quality." Noted!
