APPLETON - This week, Target announced it would be slashing prices on over 5,000 products to help customers save money and combat inflation.
The Minneapolis-based chain grocery store has already reduced prices on about 1,500 items and plans to continue to do so over the course of the summer. A news release from the company said customers will see lower prices on both name brand and store brand food, beverages and household items.
Some items already affected by the price decreases include one pound of Good & Gather unsalted butter decreasing from $3.99 to $3.79, a pack of Thomas' plain bagels decreasing from $4.19 to $3.79, 9.5 ounces of Good & Gather sea salted roasted nuts decreasing from $6.89 to $5.29 and the 75 count of Clorox scented wipes decreasing from $5.79 to $4.99.
In 2022, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin began comparing the prices on common grocery store items in search for the best bang-for-your-buck. Our previous articles explored prices at stores including Pick 'n Save, Piggly Wiggly, Kwik Trip, Sam's Club, Costco and Woodman's.
Using the same grocery list from past articles, we compared the prices of name brand and store brand items at Target and Walmart to determine which store offered the best savings for its customers.
Our full grocery list includes: half a gallon of Silk almond milk, a loaf of Brownberry whole wheat bread, one pound of Oscar Meyer bacon, individual bananas, one pound of 80/20 ground beef, a four-pack of Land O'Lakes butter, a standard box of Cheerios, a standard box of Cheez-Its, a dozen eggs, a five pound bag of Gold Medal flour, canned Del Monte green beans, 18 ounces of Smuckers strawberry jam, 16 ounces of JIF peanut butter, a head of iceberg lettuce, a gallon of milk, individual navel oranges, a two-pack of paper towels and a six-pack of toilet paper. We used store brand comparisons of the same size.
Target announces price decreases, but some areas might not be seeing them yet
Following Target's announcement to decrease prices, the store's total for name brand items came to $71.42. The highest priced items on the list include the one pound of 80/20 ground beef for $6.49, the two-pack of Bounty paper towel for $7.99 and the six-pack of Quilted Northern toilet paper for $7.39.
Just last week, prior to the announcement, the total for name brand items was $70.22. The increase in price from the one-week difference can be attributed to the ground beef increasing from $5.99 to $6.49 and the one gallon of whole milk increasing from $3.39 to $3.89.
Target's store brands, which include Good & Gather and Market Pantry, proved to save customers a little over $15.
The total of the same grocery list using non-name brand items came to $56.32 with the biggest price differences in paper towel, bread, butter and bacon. The Good & Gather paper towel was priced at $4.99 while name brand came to $7.99, Market Pantry whole wheat bread costs $1.99 while Brownberry bread costs $4.49, Good & Gather butter costs $3.79 while Land O'Lakes was priced at $5.79 and store brand bacon costs $4.99 while Oscar Meyer bacon came to $6.99.
Last week's store brand total came to $55.32, which again can be attributed to the increase in ground beef and milk.
Other than these price differences, most of the store brand prices remained the same from the one-week difference. As the announcement was made this week, it is possible that the Target stores in the area, specifically at 1800 S. Kensington Drive in Appleton, are still rolling out the decreased prices as the full process is expected to last throughout the summer.
Shoppers can save more money on Walmart's store brand items
The debate on if Walmart provides better prices than Target has been a longstanding one and it seems that, for now, the statement is true.
The total cost for the same list of name brand items used at Target came to $67.79 at Walmart, a $3.63 decrease. The highest priced items on the list included the Oscar Mayer bacon for $6.74, the two-pack of Bounty paper towel for $6.97 and the six-pack of Quilted Northern toilet paper for $8.99.
For the store brand items, which for Walmart includes Great Value and Sam's Choice, came to a total of $48.32, saving customers a little over $24. Again, the biggest price differences between the name brands and store brands came from bacon, paper towels and butter. Oscar Mayer bacon costs $6.74 while the store brand costs $4.88, a two-pack of Bounty paper towel came to $6.97 while the store brand cost only $2.38 and a pack of Land O'Lakes butter costs $5.28 while the Great Value version costs $3.78.
Not only did Walmart's name brand selection total cheaper than Target's, it also appears that Walmart offered a higher amount of savings between name brand and store brand.
Other ways to save at Target
Target continues to push its effort to save customers more money and one of the ways its doing this is with the re-introduction of Target Circle, a free-to-join membership program that offers deals and member-exclusive deals throughout the year.
In February, Target launched its new low-priced brand dealworthy, featuring nearly 400 products including apparel, essentials, electronics and home essentials. Dealworthy's prices are among the lowest of Target's owned brands with most items being $10 or less.
Recently the company relaunched and expanded one of its owned brands, up&up, which now includes more than 2,000 items with most being priced under $15.
Reach Jelissa Burns at 920-453-5107 or jburns1@gannett.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @burns_jelissa or on Instagram at burns_jelissa.
