Both Wegmans and Walmart are among some of the biggest stores in the country. Each of them sell millions of products to customers annually. However, despite the fact that they are both giants in the industry, they do differ in many ways. So, if you are deciding between these two stores, which one is best for you?
I compared Wegmans and Walmart on 3 major decision factors that most customers prioritize when shopping. Below are the three factors that I considered:
- Price
- Product Quality
- Product Variety
By the end of this article, you should have a better idea as to which one of these stores is better for you.
Which is Better: Wegmans or Walmart? Walmart is cheaper than Wegmans in the Beverages, Baking Goods, and Cleaners categories. Wegmans is cheaper in the Canned Goods, Dairy, and Dry Goods categories. They both have the same price in the Frozen Foods and Personal Care Section.
Wegmans has higher quality products, but Walmart has more items to pick from in their stores.
Is Wegmans More Expensive Than Walmart?
Price is a very big factor when it comes to deciding on where to shop. Most customers prefer the store that offers the more affordable items. In other words, they look for the store that is going to give them the best savings opportunities.
So, which one is cheaper, Wegmans or Walmart?
| Category | Wegmans Brand | Walmart Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | ✓ |
| Personal Care | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
Surprisingly, the prices for their store brand items are pretty much cut down the middle. Each store has an equal amount of affordable items. More specifically, Walmart offers cheaper options in the beverages, baking goods, and cleaner categories, whereas, Wegmans has the cheaper options in the canned goods, dairy, and dry goods categories.
They each have the same average low price in the frozen foods and personal care categories.
So, with this in mind, it would be best if you planned out your shopping in advance so you could make separate trips to each store and purchase the cheaper items at each.
Product Quality: Wegmans vs Walmart
The quality of products at a store is also a big consideration when Shoppers are deciding on what store they want to go to. When comparing these two stories, which one has the better quality products?
To help me get to this conclusion, I took a look at the FDA’s product recall database. This would allow me to see how many recalled products each store has had in recent years.
| Category | Wegmans Recalls | Walmart Recalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 0 | 2 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 0 | 0 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 0 | 6 |
| Food and Beverages | 23 | 21 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
According to the FDA, Wegmans has fewer instances of product recalls in their stores. More specifically, Wegmans has had 23 product recalls and Walmart has had 29. While both of these numbers are quite large in comparison to other stores, it suggests that Wegmans does have better product quality.
Wegmans: 23 Total Recalls
Walmart: 29 Total Recalls
So, if you are someone that prioritizes product quality, then Wegmans is the better option for you to shop at.
Product Variety: Wegmans vs Walmart
Product variety is yet another factor that many Shoppers consider when looking at different stores. The more product variety a store has, the more options they offer to the customer. So, when looking at the stores, which one offers more options?
Something to note, Walmart is considered a hypermarket whereas Wegmans is considered a supermarket. The main difference between these two is that a hypermarket sells items that can be found in both supermarkets and department stores. A supermarket mainly sells consumables and fresh produce.
By nature, Walmart should sell more products in their stores.
| Total Wegmans Products | Total Walmart Products |
| 50,000 – 70,000 products | 120,000 products |
As expected, Walmart sells significantly more products than Wegmans does. In fact, they sell around 50,000 – 70,000 more products in each of their stores in comparison to Wegmans.
This means that if you are a customer who likes having options to pick from, then Walmart is clearly a better option for you.
What Does Each Store Sell?
These stores do differ a bit in terms of what they sell. Wegmans mainly sells consumable items and fresh produce. They also have more organic options to pick from than Walmart does.
Walmart on the other hand pretty much sells anything you can think of. Not only do they sell big name consumable products and fresh produce, but they also sell things like clothes, electronics, etc.
Which One Should You Shop At: Wegmans vs Walmart?
When to shop at Wegmans: If you are someone who prefers fair prices, organic options, and high quality products, then Wegmans is right for you. While they do not offer as many products as Walmart does, it is likely you won’t be impacted by this.
When to shop at Walmart: If you also like fair prices, but prefer quantity over quality, then Walmart is for you. They will likely have everything you need when going out. They are essentially a ‘one stop shop’ for all of your purchasing needs.