It’s a tale of two retail titans vying for your cash. On one end, we have Amazon, the previously small bookseller that has evolved into a worldwide ecommerce juggernaut, making us all a tad impatient. On the other end is Walmart, the veteran department store with supercenters located in every community.
Both retailers provide speedy shipping and unique perks to entice buyers. But in the battle of Walmart vs. Amazon, which really delivers superior deals?
Mashable’s shopping authorities have been monitoring online discounts on sought-after tech items from both retailers for years, including TVs, laptops, headphones, robot vacuums, and video games/consoles. By highlighting their daily bargains and major sitewide promotions, we consistently compare prices to suggest the best discounts. Here’s our perspective.
Where Amazon shines: More competitive pricing and useful deal-finding resources
Though both retailers have significant overlap, Amazon often presents the most competitive prices on any particular day. If an item isn’t discounted there, it’s probably not discounted anywhere else.
This is backed by research from the ecommerce analytics company Profitero, which performs an annual Price Wars analysis comparing online prices across major U.S. retailers. In the 2024 report, assessing over 13,000 products across 15 categories over a 12-week timeframe, Amazon’s prices were, on average, five percent lower than Walmart’s. In the electronics sector, Amazon’s prices were six percent lower on average.
Amazon also frequently reduces prices, undercutting Walmart around one-third of the time on comparable items, according to Profitero’s “low price reliability” metric. They generally match each other’s prices, with Amazon only exceeding Walmart’s prices four percent of the time.
Walmart was Amazon’s nearest price rival in most categories, especially in appliances. While Walmart has made strides in electronics, it lost some ground in video game pricing.
Amazon offers more deal-finding resources, such as the ability to add items to a Wish List, Shopping Cart, or “Saved for later” section to monitor price changes. Amazon highlights deals on wish-listed products and sends alerts through its mobile app. If a price changes on an item in your cart, you’ll receive a “Messages about items in your cart” notification.
Amazon Prime members using an Echo smart speaker can activate “Advanced deal alerts” to be notified if a wish-listed item is about to go on sale, up to 24 hours beforehand.
Amazon shoppers can check the quality of deals using CamelCamelCamel, a site that provides a thorough pricing history for Amazon products. While it may overlook some coupons and time-sensitive deals, it’s generally effective for assessing discounts.
There’s no counterpart for Walmart, though Honey’s “Droplist” tool offers limited Walmart price history insights, only for the last 120 days and lacking third-party seller data.
Where Walmart excels: Hidden treasures
Walmart shouldn’t be completely overlooked. Its prices often undercut Amazon, and they frequently price-match, particularly during major sales events like Prime Day and Black Friday. Walmart’s deals can sometimes be more advantageous than they seem.
Sometimes, Walmart advertises inflated sticker prices on discounted items, meaning the “original price” is lower than the actual MSRP, leading to greater savings than advertised. This occurrence is more frequent at Walmart than at Amazon.
Walmart also introduces “Special Buys” during promotions, featuring exceptionally low products without original MSRPs. These prices are often so low that they are compelling regardless.
Where both shine: Memberships provide access to valuable deals
Both Amazon and Walmart’s membership options offer exclusive deals during significant sales events.
An Amazon Prime membership ($14.99 per month or $139 per year) is crucial for scoring the best bargains on Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days. No Prime means no access, but a complimentary 30-day Prime trial counts.
A Walmart+ membership ($12.95 per month or $98 per year) permits early access to Walmart’s largest sitewide sales, generally three to five hours ahead of the public, and sometimes up to 12. Early access is limited to paid members, but subscriptions often go on sale for half price before major sales.
Where both have limitations: Unreliable third-party sellers
Exercise caution with third-party sellers on both Amazon and Walmart. While some are outlets for verified brands, many are independent sellers that warrant careful scrutiny. Third-party sellers may not utilize Amazon’s customer service, and Walmart’s Marketplace Sellers might have different return policies or warranty stipulations.
Counterfeit items are a major concern for both retailers. Amazon has a dedicated Counterfeit Crimes Unit and invested over $1.2 billion in 2023 to fight fakes. Walmart keeps track of Marketplace seller performance and highlights top performers with “Pro Seller” badges. Consumers can report intellectual property violations and suspicious conduct.
Third-party sellers are generally identifiable by their titles, but unauthorized sellers might use the same branding as legitimate ones. It’s advisable to steer clear of third-party sellers entirely, even if they