The real reason Target customers would never set foot in a Walmart

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It’s hard to beat Walmart where it counts most: low prices. But Walmart’s main competitor, Target, has still cultivated a passionate group of shoppers — many of whom will do anything to avoid the bigger, dingier, cheaper rival across town. Target isn’t bulletproof, but with repeat customers, there’s little Target can do to lose their loyalty. And their recent news of their price cuts to combat inflation has only strengthened brand loyalty.

Here are 10 reasons why fans say they would always choose Target over Walmart.

Editor’s note: This story was updated in May 2024 to reflect Target’s “price fatigue” announcement.

Four aisles in the kitchen department of a Target store, numerous coffee machines and other kitchen appliances neatly arranged on the shelves, clean concrete floor and well lit — Angel H./Yelp

1. The target is more pleasant for the eyes

In this category, Target does many things better than Walmart, shoppers say: The aisles are wider, the shelves are better organized, the lighting is less harsh, the store has quirky design elements (hello, giant red balls). Even the color red is associated with youth, energy and excitement (Walmart’s signature blue, on the other hand, tends to convey reliability and strength).

Here, too, Target continues to focus on innovation: the redesign in 2017 included higher-quality furnishings, polished concrete floors and elegant wood.

A self-service checkout in a Target store, top left many types of chewing gum for sale and top right red reusable bags — Malia H./Yelp

2. Walmart is not much cheaper

Loyal Target shoppers insist they don’t spend much more at Target than they do at Walmart. In fact, our drugstore price comparison found that Walmart beats Target in some areas, but not all. Target devotees also point to the Circle program, which offers storewide discounts, and the 5% REDcard discount as other ways to fill any savings gaps.

A large, aquamarine, Native American-style geometric accent pillow on a shelf in a Target store, with lights on the ceiling in the upper background — Leah E./Yelp

3. Shoppers say Target has more style…

Who would have thought that a big box store could be stylish? Target has built an image of “cheap chic,” in part through a renewed focus on strong private labels.

Customers also love the company’s collaborations with well-known designers: a collaboration with women’s clothing brand Lilly Pulitzer sparked a Black Friday-style hype in 2015; and home accessories from wildly popular HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have recently hit the shelves.

The acquisitions of higher-end brands such as Modcloth and Bonobos have been a mixed bag for Walmart: Although Walmart sold Modcloth just two years after acquiring the brand, five years after acquiring Bonobos, Walmart introduced a men’s line of the brand into its stores.

Women's clothing department in a Target store, two clothed mannequins in the foreground, many racks with clothes for sale — Malia H./Yelp

4. … and higher value items

One consequence of Target’s efforts to position itself as “stylish” – and Walmart’s effort to continually win the price war – is customers’ perception that Walmart offers inferior quality goods, particularly in soft goods like clothing and tech goods like televisions.

The New York Times even asked whether Walmart was “too stingy for its own good,” noting that customers there see it primarily as shopping for basic items rather than high-end items where quality is more important.

It’s worth noting, however, that both Walmart and Target have numerous entries on our list of private label groceries that are as good or better than the name brand products.

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A red plastic cart with a few items in a Target store, beige floor and brass railing in the background — Frankie R./Yelp

5. Target’s price adjustment policy is better

Walmart used to have a strict price-matching policy, but that seems to have changed. The chain stopped ad-based matching in hundreds of stores starting in 2016 and has a policy that says it now only matches Walmart.com prices. Prices advertised by competitors are specifically excluded, and it has done away with the “Savings Catcher” feature in the Walmart app that refunded large price differences after a purchase.

Target, on the other hand, will continue to match prices in its competitors’ ads as well as those of more than 27 online competitors, including Amazon.

Related: 17 Insider Secrets for Big Savings at Target

Customer service counter in a Target store, right, clothing aisles left, well lit and clean — Marie M./Yelp

6. Walmart still lags behind in customer service

Customers say it’s easier to find reliable help at Target than at Walmart. And there’s data to back it up: Walmart consistently trails Target in the American Customer Service Index, which is based on annual interviews with 70,000 customers. But it’s worth noting that Walmart has made major efforts to close the gap, including increased online employee training and management academies.

It just didn’t work. Target was among the top 100 Customer Service All-Stars of 2023 – Walmart was not.

Door to the family restroom in a Target store, — Lou C./Yelp

7. Target is more family-friendly

Shopping carts with red plastic chairs that can accommodate older children are a real relief for parents who don’t want to lug around unwilling toddlers. There are also reliable and easy-to-find family restrooms in the front of the store (at Walmart, these are often hidden in the back, if they exist at all).

Target’s Cat & Jack children’s clothing line even includes pieces designed specifically for children with disabilities or special needs.

A row of red plastic Target shopping carts in front of a Target store, selective focus on the left, gradient blur on the right — krblokhin/istockphoto

8. A reputation for mistreating worker dogs Walmart

Walmart has had one of the most turbulent employee relations in the world. Over the past decade, the company has faced allegations of low wages, poor working conditions, and poor benefits, among other things. The company has even been accused of punishing its employees for taking sick days.

Walmart deserves credit for raising starting salaries over the years—some to Target levels—while Target has been relatively spared from similar controversies.

Although wages are also low, employees give the company high marks in other areas such as benefits, corporate culture and work environment.

Related: Horror stories of notoriously toxic workplaces

An aisle in the grocery section of a Target store, peanut butter, spreads in the right foreground, salad dressings and other condiments in the background left, with a red shopping cart, freezers lining the back area, a person retrieving items from a — Leslie E./Yelp

9. Target is the place to go for anyone who votes for Democrats

Target has certainly earned a reputation as a progressive big-box store giant—an image that can repel or attract shoppers depending on their outlook. Target took a prominent stance during the controversy surrounding a transgender restroom ban and previously removed the “boy” and “girl” labels from its toy shelves in an effort to be more inclusive.

In fact, Target enjoys higher popularity among Democrats than Republicans (71 percent versus 53 percent), while the opposite is true for Walmart.

A Starbucks cafe in a Target store, entrance doors to the left, produce section in the background to the right, people with shopping carts waiting around — John L./Yelp

10. One word: Starbucks

While Walmart relies on partnerships with major fast-food chains such as Subway and McDonald’s, Target took a different approach and partnered with Starbucks in 1999. Since then, the coffee giant has opened a Starbucks cafe in more than 1,300 of the retailer’s 1,909 stores.

It may seem like a silly reason to choose one store over another, but many Target customers say they love sipping a latte while browsing Target’s shelves – perhaps contributing to the perception that shopping there is more of a fun diversion or even an “everyday luxury,” much like Starbucks itself.

Related: 17 things you didn’t know about Starbucks

This article was originally published on Cheapism.