It’s the ultimate showdown: WinCo vs. Walmart. Which store has cheaper groceries? If you live in one of the 10 states where WinCo operates, you’ll want to know who wins in a price matchup.
Some things — like the convenience of Walmart’s free grocery pickup service — are priceless. The joy of not having to shop in store can be worth it, even if Walmart is a bit more expensive for some items like eggs and butter.
To have that same convenience at WinCo, you’d have to use Instacart, which may not be worth it based on their added fees. The Instacart fee plus a tip for the driver would likely even out whatever you’re saving at WinCo.
When going head-to-head, Walmart is the clear winner for toiletry prices. But WinCo cleaned up in the deli category, as we’ll show you in a minute. Our best advice? Shop strategically.
Then plan your next shopping trip after learning what to buy at WinCo vs. Walmart to save you all the money.
For more smart shopping tips and savings hacks, text HACKS to 57299.
1. Get your produce from Walmart instead of WinCo.
I tend to be pretty happy with WinCo’s produce prices, so I was surprised to see that Walmart actually beat them in quite a few areas.
WinCo’s Pink Lady apples are a mere $0.01 per pound cheaper than Walmart. But strawberries are a whopping $0.20/pound less at Walmart when compared to WinCo! Check it out:
TIP: When placing an order for Walmart’s free grocery pickup, note how you want your produce to look. For example, you can note, “Make sure the avocados are soft and ripe.” Your personal shopper will look for a soft, ripe avocado for you!
2. Shop pantry staples at either WinCo or Walmart.
Snacks and pantry staples are split down the middle when comparing prices between WinCo and Walmart.
But certain items, like Heinz ketchup, have a big price difference — they’re $0.80 cheaper at WinCo!
Since brand-name pantry items often offer coupons, always check our grocery coupon page before checking out to boost your savings further.
3. Get all your dairy — except milk — from WinCo.
When it comes to the dairy aisle, WinCo wins. Except when it comes to a gallon of milk.
A gallon of milk is $0.19 cheaper at Walmart.
So if your littles go through milk like wild, just use Walmart’s curbside pickup every time you need to restock their favorite beverage.
TIP: Walmart’s curbside pickup is free on orders $35+. And you can add anything from the store — not just groceries!
4. Save all your deli shopping for WinCo.
WinCo deli items are substantially cheaper than Walmart’s. The price difference is so extreme, it may warrant its own shopping trip to WinCo just to stock up.
For example, chicken breasts are $0.44/pound cheaper at WinCo than Walmart. Ground beef is also $0.40/pound cheaper at WinCo when compared to Walmart.
Keep WinCo’s cheaper deli prices in mind for your next barbecue, too. Ball Park hot dogs will ring up cheaper at WinCo. WinCo sells the popular grilling staple for $0.37 each, while Walmart sells the same hotdogs for $0.44 each.
5. Never shop for toiletries at WinCo.
The biggest price difference between WinCo and Walmart is in the toiletries aisle.
Since WinCo specializes in food more than anything else, this fact might not come as a shock. However, the major difference in toiletry prices might surprise you.
The same Dove deodorant is $1.34 more at WinCo when compared to Walmart. And Crest 3D White toothpaste is $0.53 less at Walmart for the same 3.8-ounce tube.
So the next time you want to grab all your toiletries from WinCo, just hold off and get them at Walmart.
Related: We did the math to find out which WinCo bulk foods deals are better than their pre-packaged counterparts.
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