Walmart vs. Target back-to-school prices: Which is cheaper?

It’s that time of year when back-to-school sales abound. If you’re looking for school supplies, it’s time to do some shopping.

Two of America’s favorite stores — Walmart and Target — are competing for your back-to-school dollar. But who’s cheaper?

Back to School supplies: Walmart vs. Target

Since the stores offer many of the same items, I decided to conduct a price comparison to find out which one is friendlier to your wallet.

Team Clark’s price comparison between Walmart and Target looked at more than 50 items, but we narrowed it down to 12 items that were exact matches only.

Take a look at the findings…

Target vs. Walmart Back to School price comparison — July 2019

Item

Target price

Walmart price

Avery D-Ring Dura-Hinge Binder $4.69 $4.74 Elmer’s Glue Re-Stick, 6 Count $4.99 $4.48 Elmer’s Giant Sticks – 3 Count $3.19 $4.97 Crayola Jumbo Crayons, 8 Count $2.99 $5.44 Elmer’s Glue, 1 Gallon $13.89 $10.88 Elmer’s Glue, 7.6 Oz. $0.50 $1.44 Composition Book, Wide Ruled $0.50 $0.50

Sharpie Black Permanent Marker, 10 Count

$7.99 $5.97 Ticonderoga Pencils, 30 Count $5.99 $5.97 Typing Paper, 500 Sheets $3.99 $4.47 Crayola Marker, 10 Count $2.39 $2.97 Crayola Construction Paper, 240 Sheets $4.99 $4.96 Total $56.10 $56.79 Price comparison conducted week of July 23, 2019

Key takeaway

One main theme in this price war between the retailers is that they are very keen on offering the same or similar products packaged in totally different ways. For the best deal, you have to read the labels carefully. 

For example: Target has a five-pack of Expo markers labeled as “4 + 1” for $4.49. Meanwhile, Walmart offers a 4-count with two extra markers in it for $4.46. That’s six markers labeled as four!

In many other cases, prices between the two stores are just a few pennies different.

Of course, other things that could affect the total price — like rebate apps, coupons and cash back credit cards — were not accounted for in this price comparison.

Want to save money on back-to-school supplies? Make a list of items that you’ll most likely need and do your own price comparison. Don’t hesitate to use Google Shopping and other online tools to help you find great prices.

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Do you prefer to shop at Walmart or Target? Let us know why in the comments below!

More Clark.com stories you may like:

Costco vs. Sam’s Club credit cards comparison: Which is better?

You probably know that Team Clark is a huge fan of warehouse stores — and it only makes sense that we’d want to earn the most rewards from our credit cards when we shop at them.

Costco and Sam’s Club are the dominant players in the warehouse store world and they each have a co-branded credit card that offers cash back. Let’s take a look at these two products and see how they compare.

Comparing credit cards from Costco Wholesale and Sam’s Club

The Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi offers you a fantastic 4% cash back on gas purchases, including those at Costco (on up to $7,000 spent each year, 1% after that).

This is great because many cards that offer bonuses for gas purchases specifically exclude stores like Costco and Sam’s Club, which often have the lowest prices. You also get 3% cash back at restaurants and on eligible travel purchases worldwide.

Somewhat surprisingly, you only get 2% back at Costco stores and at Costco.com, and just 1% cash back elsewhere.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of this card is that you only receive your cash back rewards once a year in February.

There’s no annual fee for this card with your paid Costco membership and no foreign transaction fees.

Synchrony Bank issues the Sam’s Club Mastercard, and it one-ups the Costco card by offering 5% back on all gas purchases (on up to $6,000 spent each year, 1% after that), including those at Sam’s Club. It won’t work at Costco because it’s a Mastercard and only Visa is accepted there.

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It also gives you 3% back on dining and travel purchases, but only 1% back everywhere else, including purchases at Sam’s Club.

As with the Costco card, you only receive your cash back rewards once a year in February, when they are automatically loaded to your membership account.

New accounts can earn a $45 statement credit when making a purchase of at least $45 the day you open the account (offer ends June 15, 2019). There’s no annual fee for this card and no foreign transaction fees.

Costco Anywhere Visa® Card By Citi

Sam’s Club® Mastercard®

Rewards

• 4% cash back on gas
• 3% at restaurants and travel
• 2% at Costco
• 1% elsewhere

• 5% cash back on gas
• 3% on travel and dining
• 1% elsewhere

Annual fee None, with paid Costco membership None Advantages 4% cash back at gas stations and excellent returns elsewhere High rates of cash back on gas, travel and dining Drawbacks

• No sign-up bonus
• Cash back is only offered as an annual credit each February and must be redeemed in-store

• Minimal sign-up bonus
• Mediocre cash back for shopping at Sam’s Club and other non-bonus spending
• Cash back is only offered each February, when it is loaded to your membership account

Which one is better?

These cards have a lot of similarities. They both offer excellent rewards for gas purchases and 3% back on travel and dining. These cards both have no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.

Still, both of these cards have their strengths and weaknesses. The Costco Anywhere Visa offers 2% cash back for Costco purchases, while the Sam’s Club Mastercard surprisingly only offers 1% cash back at Sam’s Club.

Yet the Sam’s Club card offers slightly better cash back on gas — 5% compared to 4% — as well as the initial $45 statement credit when you sign up and make a $45 purchase the same day.

With both cards, if you cancel your card for any reason before February, you’ll never receive the cash back you’ve earned the previous year.

Final thought

Ultimately, these cards are so similar that your decision will likely depend on which store you prefer. Since neither credit card has a clear advantage, it’s hard to see fans of one switching allegiances just to gain a modest advantage on gas or in-store purchases.

In the extremely competitive fields of both credit cards and warehouse stores, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this race is too close to call.

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Unlimited plans comparison: T-Mobile vs. AT&T vs. Verizon vs. Sprint

If you’re shopping for an unlimited data plan with one of the Big 4 wireless providers, how do you choose between T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint?

With plans changing from one week to the next, money expert Clark Howard suggests that you start by making a list of the things that matter most to you and your family. For example:

• Monthly price
• High-speed data
• HD-quality video
• Streaming TV
• Mobile hotspot
• International features

RELATED: 9 easy ways to lower your cell phone bill

Unlimited plans comparison: T-Mobile vs. AT&T vs. Verizon vs. Sprint

The monthly plans in this article offer unlimited talk, text and data, but the Big 4 wireless carriers may place limits on your high-speed data. If you use too much or the network is busy, your data speeds could be slowed down.

“It’s really confusing when you try to pick a cell phone plan because unlimited doesn’t mean unlimited,” Clark says. “Everybody has restrictions or gotchas, depending on what you pay per month.”

Before we get to the list of unlimited plans, we should point out that cheaper options do exist with discount cell phone carriers. If you’re willing to leave the Big 4, read our separate guide with the best cell phone plans and deals!

And if you see a plan that you like below, check the provider’s website for limited-time deals on service plans and devices.

Quick links: Unlimited data plans

T-Mobile Magenta is the newest unlimited plan, replacing T-Mobile One. Magenta adds 3GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot, but only Netflix’s cheapest plan is included for 2+ lines.

Taxes and fees are included with T-Mobile’s Magenta and Magenta Plus plans, but they’ll cost extra with Essentials.

T-Mobile unlimited data plans

Plan  T-Mobile Essentials T-Mobile Magenta T-Mobile Magenta Plus Price

• $60/month with auto-pay
• $120/month for 4 lines with auto-pay
• Taxes and fees extra

• $70/month with auto-pay
• $160/month for 4 lines with auto-pay
• Taxes and fees included

• Add-on to T-Mobile Magenta plan
• $85/month with auto-pay
• $200/month for 4 lines with auto-pay

Features 

• Unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data, which may be slowed during times of congestion
• Stream video at DVD-quality, 480p
• Unlimited 3G mobile hotspot data
• Unlimited talk, text and 2G data in Mexico and Canada

• Unlimited talk, text and high-speed data, which may be slowed after 50GB/line during times of congestion
• Stream video at DVD-quality, 480p
• 3GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot data, followed by unlimited 3G data
• Data and text included when traveling to 210+ worldwide destinations
• Unlimited talk, text and up to 5GB of 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada
• In-flight texting and 1 hour of data on Gogo-enabled flights to, from, or within the U.S.

• Unlimited HD streaming
• 20GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot data, followed by unlimited 3G data
• 2x the data speed abroad in 210+ countries and destinations
• Unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi on Gogo-enabled flights
• Voicemail to Text and Name ID

Perks 

• T-Mobile Tuesdays

• Netflix Basic included if you maintain 2+ qualifying T-Mobile Magenta lines

• T-Mobile

   Tuesdays

• Netflix Standard included if you maintain 2+ qualifying T-Mobile Magenta Plus lines

• T-Mobile

   Tuesdays

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AT&T’s unlimited plans both come with AT&T WatchTV, a live TV streaming service with more than 35 channels. The more expensive unlimited plan also includes your choice of a premium service like HBO.

AT&T unlimited plans 

Plan AT&T Unlimited &More AT&T Unlimited &More Premium Price

• $70/month with auto-pay
• $160/month for 4 lines with auto-pay
• Taxes and fees extra

• $80/month with auto-pay
• $190/month for 4 lines with auto-pay
• Taxes and fees extra

Features

• Unlimited talk, text and high-speed data, which may be slowed during times of congestion
• 480p DVD-quality streaming
• Unlimited texts to 120 countries
• Unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada, and free roaming

• Unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data, which may be slowed after 22GB/line during times of congestion
• 15GB of high-speed mobile hotspot
• 1080p HD-quality streaming
• Unlimited texts to 120 countries
• Unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada, and free roaming

Perks

• Get 35+ channels of live TV with WatchTV (See the channel lineup)

• Get 35+ channels of live TV with WatchTV (See the channel lineup)
• Option to add one of several premium services: HBO, Cinemax, SHOWTIME, STARZ, VRV, Amazon Music Unlimited or Pandora Premium

RootMetrics consistently ranks Verizon as the best network in America, but you’re going to pay for that coverage. Monthly unlimited plans range from $75 to $95 for a single line before taxes and fees.

Verizon unlimited data plans 

Plan Go Unlimited Beyond Unlimited Above Unlimited Price

• $75/month with auto-pay
• $160/month for 4 lines with auto-pay
• Taxes and fees extra

• $85/month with auto-pay
• $200/month for 4 lines with auto-pay
• Taxes and fees extra

• $95/month with auto-pay
• $240/month for 4 lines with auto-pay
• Taxes and fees extra

Features

• Unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data, which may be slowed during times of congestion
• DVD-quality streaming (480p)
• Unlimited mobile hotspot restricted to speeds up to 600 Kbps
• Mexico and Canada talk, text and data included

• Unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data, which may be slowed after 22GB/line during times of congestion
• HD-quality streaming (720p)
• 15GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot data, followed by unlimited at speeds up to 600 Kbps
• Mexico and Canada talk, text and data included

• Unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data, which may be slowed after 75GB/line during times of congestion
• HD-quality streaming (720p)
• 20GB of 4G LTE mobile hotspot data, followed by unlimited at speeds up to 600 Kbps
• Mexico and Canada talk, text and data included

Perks

• Apple Music free for 6 months

• Apple Music included

• 5 “TravelPasses” per month to use talk, text and data in more than 185 countries
• 500GB of Verizon Cloud
• Apple Music included

Sprint frequently offers limited-time deals on its unlimited plans. The Unlimited Basic plan starts at $60/month for a single line, but sometimes you can get five lines for as low as $100/month.

In addition to the plans below, Sprint offers a no-frills unlimited plan called Unlimited Kickstart for $25/month.

Sprint unlimited data plans

Plan  Unlimited Basic Unlimited Plus Unlimited Premium Price 

• $60/month with auto-pay
• Discounts for additional lines; sometimes $100/month for 5 lines
• Taxes and fees extra

• $70/month with auto-pay
• Discounts for additional lines
• Taxes and fees extra

• $80/month with auto-pay
• Discounts for additional lines
• Taxes and fees extra

Features

• Unlimited talk, text and high-speed data, which may be slowed during times of congestion
• 500 MB LTE mobile hotspot
• DVD-quality SD streaming (480p)
• Unlimited talk, text and 5GB of 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada
• Global roaming for text and data in over 200 countries

 

• Unlimited talk, text and high-speed data, which may be slowed after 50GB/line during times of congestion
• Mobile hotspot: 50GB LTE, followed by unlimited data at 3G speeds
• HD video streaming (1080p)
• Unlimited talk, text and 10GB of 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada
• Global roaming for text and data in over 200 countries

• Unlimited talk, text and high-speed data, which may be slowed after 50GB/line during times of congestion
• Mobile hotspot: 100GB LTE, followed by unlimited data at 3G speeds
• Full HD video streaming
• Unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada
• Global roaming for text and data in over 200 countries

Perks

• One Hulu Limited Commercials plan per eligible Sprint account

• One Hulu Limited Commercials plan per eligible Sprint account
• Includes Tidal Premium music streaming

• Amazon Prime included
• Lookout Premium Plus
• One Hulu Limited Commercials plan per eligible Sprint account
• Includes Tidal Premium music streaming

Final thought 

Switching to a discount carrier is probably the best way to lower your cell phone bill, but we know that many people want to stay with T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. That’s why we created this guide.

Here are some things to consider if you want to save money with the Big 4:

• Have you thought about a family plan?
• Are you searching for phone deals?
• Do you take advantage of auto-pay discounts?
• Military, employer, senior discounts?
• Can you get free cell phone insurance?

Even if you apply just one or two of these money-saving strategies, you can save $20 a month or more on your cell phone needs. That adds up to $240 after one year and $2,400 after 10 years!

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