Amazon vs. Walmart: My Real-World Price Comparison

If you follow this blog you likely know I am a devoted Amazon Subscribe & Save customer (see this post on how I use Subscribe & Save). But every once in a while, I do wonder… am I really getting the best prices on Amazon? Or have I just convinced myself that I am because I love the convenience of getting most of our household necessities delivered to our doorstep?

So yesterday I headed out our our local Walmart with a list of all of the items we had delivered the previous day from Amazon in order to find out how much they would cost at Walmart. I was the crazy lady snapping pictures of items on the shelves with my cell phone – all in the name of research!

Out of the 12 items in my order, Walmart had 10 of them in stock, which was pretty impressive to me. Most of the items were an exact match to what  I received from Amazon. For a few I had to do a little math to get an exact comparison because the size was slightly different.

So here is each item with the price I paid from Amazon (which includes my 15% Subscribe & Save discount and any coupon I clipped) and the price in-store at Walmart on 8/4/15. To be fair, there are possibly paper coupons available for these products that can be used at Walmart, but I rarely have time to find, print, and cut up coupons these days. Also, the title of the product is linked to the item on Amazon, though keep in mind prices change quickly and you may not see it for the price I paid.

To be fair, there are possibly paper coupons available for these products that can be used at Walmart, but I rarely have time to find, print, and cut up coupons these days. Also, the title of the product is linked to the item on Amazon, though keep in mind prices change quickly and you may not see it for the price I paid.

Garnier Fructis Sleek n Shine Leave-In Conditioning Cream, 10.2 ounces

Walmart: $2.96
Amazon Price: $1.93

Difference: $1.03 less from Amazon (35% savings)

Secret Outlast Completely Clean Antiperspirant & Deodorant, 2.6 oz

Walmart: $3.97
Amazon: $2.37

Difference: $1.60 less from Amazon (40% savings)

Cottonelle Clean Care 32 Double Rolls

Walmart: $16.97
Amazon: $13.57 (there is also a $2.00 off coupon available, but it wasn’t available to me because I had already used it)

Difference: $3.40 less from Amazon (20% savings)

Huggies Natural Care 624 Wipes 3 Refill Pack

Walmart:  Price equivalent to $14.59 for a 624 pack ($12.97 for 552 wipes)
Amazon: $12.46

Difference: $2.13 less from Amazon (15% savings)

Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrub Sponges 12 pack

Walmart: Price equivalent to $10.63 ($7.97 for a 9 pack)
Amazon: $6.79

Difference: $3.84 less from Amazon (36% savings)

Glad ForceFlex Odor Shield Fresh Clean 13 Gallon Trash Bags, 68 Pack

Walmart: $14.98
Amazon: $10.48

Difference: $4.50 less from Amazon (30% savings)

Larabar Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, 16 Bars

Walmart: Price equivalent to $16.90 ($5.28 for a 5 bar box)
Amazon: $14.39 (there is also a 20% coupon available that I could not use because I have already used it)

Difference: $2.51 (15% savings)

Maxwell House Original Roast Ground Coffee 11.5 oz

Walmart: $3.64
Amazon: $2.56

Difference: $1.08 less from Amazon (30% savings)

Maxwell House Original Roast Decaf Ground Coffee 22 oz

Walmart: Price equivalent to $7.76 ($10.34 for 29.3 oz)
Amazon: $6.71

Difference: $1.05 less from Amazon (14% savings)

Planters Deluxe Whole Cashews 18.25 oz

Walmart: $8.98
Amazon: $5.26

Difference: $3.72 less on Amazon (41% savings)

The Results

Well, as you likely noticed, everything I bought from Amazon was cheaper than what I would have paid at Walmart for the same amount of the same item. This actually surprised me, as I thought that Walmart would probably have a better price on at least a few items. Now keep in mind this pattern JUST applies to the products we buy regularly and the tables may be turned for what your family purchases from Amazon or Walmart.

But on these ten products we received in our monthly Subscribe & Save delivery we saved $24.86 off of Walmart’s prices, plus we got them delivered for free. That may not seem like much to some people, but to us that is a lot of money, especially when you add it up over the course of a year.

For now, I’m going to keep shopping on Amazon for our family’s household supplies, personal care items, coffee, and snacks. What do you think? Did the results surprise you? Please leave a comment below!