Grocery Wars: Walmart's Great Value vs. Target's Good & Gather

Dairy and Deli Products

A half-gallon of Good & Gather lactose-free milk rang up at $3.39. At Walmart, a half-gallon of Great Value lactose-free milk was $2.87. A half-gallon of Good & Gather 2% reduced fat organic milk was $3.19. Walmart was selling it for $3. A half-gallon of Good & Gather almond milk was $2.89. Walmart was selling its Great Value almond milk for $2.87. Winner: Walmart.

Say cheese, Walmart: An 8-ounce package of Good & Gather sharp cheddar cheese slices was $2.29. A similar size package of Great Value sharp cheddar cheese slices was $1.84. An 8-ounce package of Target’s Good & Gather shredded cheese (multiple varieties) was $1.99. Walmart was selling 8-ounce packages of its Great Value shredded cheeses for $1.74. Winner: Walmart.

Walmart aced in packaged deli meats, too. Target was selling 9-ounce packages of Good & Gather deli meats (oven-roasted turkey breast, honey ham, etc.) for $2.69. Similar size packages of Great Value deli slices were selling for $2.48. Winner: Walmart.

Fresh Produce

Neither Walmart nor Target has the best reputation for fresh produce, but they’re both stepping up their game, especially in organics.

Target was selling 12-ounce packages of Good & Gather baby carrots for $1.99. Walmart was selling 16-ounce packages of organic baby carrots for $1.46. Winner: Walmart.

Five-ounce packages of Target’s Good & Gather organic spring mix were selling for $2.39. Walmart’s private-label organic spring mix was selling for $2.56. Winner: Target.

We tried to match up chopped kale, but it was a little dicey. Target was selling packages of Good & Gather chopped kale for $2.99 a pound. Walmart was selling its private-label organic green kale for $4.26 a pound. Winner: Target.

Beverages

We were a little surprised that we couldn’t find a Walmart knockoff of cartons of the popular LaCroix flavored sparkling water, considering many grocers including Aldi and Wegmans have private-label answers to LaCroix. But Target did: Its 8-pack of 12-ounce cans of Good & Gather flavored sparkling water was $2.99. The only comp we could find at Walmart was an 8-pack of the real LaCroix for $3.88. Winner: Target.

We found 24-packs of 16.9-ounce bottles of Good & Gather purified drinking water for $2.69. Walmart was selling 40-packs of 16.9-ounce bottles of purified drinking water for $3.98. Winner: Walmart (on a price-per-bottle basis).

For those of us who suddenly have a need to buy distilled water, Target’s Good & Gather is on the ball. Gallon bottles are 85 cents. Nonsense, says Walmart. One-gallon bottles of Great Value distilled water are 60 cents (and they’re easier to handle). Winner: Walmart.

Frozen Fruit

When you can’t have fresh fruit in your morning smoothies, frozen is a good alternative. Target knows this. Its 48-ounce private-label packages of various fruits sell for $10.69. Similar size packages of Walmart’s Great Value frozen fruit, however, were $8.47. Winner: Walmart.

Cereal

We’ve got organic vs. non-organic here, with big differences in prices in a product lineup just about every grocery store now has: private-label cereals. Target’s Good & Gather organic Frosty Flakes or Honey Nut Hoops (boxes range from 12 ounces to 12.25 ounces) were selling for $3.19. Walmart’s non-organic Great Value Frosted Flakes (15-ounce box) were selling for $1.56, and Great Value’s Honey Nut O’s (12.25-ounce box) were selling for $1.23. Winner: Walmart.

Peanut Butter

Target knows many households go through lots of peanut butter, so it scanned the supermarket horizon and produced its own 40-ounce jar of Good & Gather natural creamy or crunchy peanut butter spread and priced it at $2.79. Walmart was already there with its 40-ounce jars of creamy or crunchy peanut butter selling for $2.26. Winner: Walmart (though Target boasts its PB is 90% peanuts).

Looking for smaller jars? Good & Gather’s 16-ounce jars of organic crunchy or creamy peanut butter sell for $3.99. If you could do without the organic and just go for natural, you’ll save a lot of dough at Walmart. It’s 16-ounce jars of Great Value natural peanut butter spread sell for $1.18. Winner: Walmart, naturally.

Snacks

Target is upping the ante with fresh snack lineups under the Good & Gather private label, from tortilla chips to organic popcorn. We squared off some of those products with Walmart’s Great Value private-label brand.

A box of four, 1.4-ounce bars of Good & Gather fruit and nut bars were $4.29. Walmart was selling boxes of four, 1.4-ounce peanut and almond nut bars for $3.44. Winner: Walmart.

At Target, packages of six, 4-ounce containers of Good & Gather applesauce were $1.99. At Walmart, packages of six, 4-ounce containers of Great Value applesauce were $1.43. Winner: Walmart.

Target’s 10-ounce containers of Good & Gather hummus in a variety of flavors were $2.99. Similar size packages of Walmart’s private-label hummus were $1.98, a buck less. Winner: Walmart.