Both Walmart and Lidl are among the most popular grocery store chains in the world. They each sell millions of dollars worth of products every year. But, which one is right for you? As a customer, you are looking at factors such as price, quality, quantity, etc.
So, I research both of these stores to show you what the differences between them are. Then, you will be able to confidently see which store is best for you.
Which is Better: Walmart or Lidl? In terms of price, Walmart is slightly cheaper than Lidl in a majority of categories. However, there are other categories where Lidl is the cheaper option. Walmart does have much wider product variety as well. But, Lidl does have higher product quality.
Is Walmart More Expensive Than Lidl?
The biggest decision factor that most grocery shoppers consider is price. Generally speaking, most grocery shoppers will shop at the store that gives them the best price.
So, I took a look at the most popular shopping categories and compared a variety of common products to see which store offers the most affordable prices.
To keep the comparison consistent, I only looked at prices for store brand items.
So, is Walmart cheaper than Lidl or is Lidl Cheaper than Walmart? It seems that Walmart is cheaper in 5 out of 9 common shopping categories, whereas Lidl is cheaper in 4 shopping categories
More specifically, Walmart appears to be cheaper in the beverages, baking goods, dairy, dry goods, and other categories. In comparison, Lidl is cheaper in the canned goods, frozen foods, personal care, and cleaners category.
| Category | Walmart Brand | Lidl Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | |
| Personal Care | ✓ | |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
| Others | ✓ |
Depending on what you typically buy, you can coordinate your shopping trips so that you only buy the cheaper items at each store. Knowing what stores offer the more affordable products will give you a significant advantage, especially if you prioritize your savings when at the grocery store.
Product Quality: Walmart vs Lidl
Another factor that many shoppers consider when deciding which store to shop at is the product quality. Between the two stores, which one has the higher quality product?
I took a look at the FDA’s recall list to see which store had the least amount of recalled items. Through this, you will be able to see which store has a lower frequency of low quality products.
| Category | Walmart Recalls | Lidl Recalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 2 | 1 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 0 | 0 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 6 | 0 |
| Food And Beverages | 21 | 5 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
According to the FDA’s recall log, Walmart has had more instances of recalled products, especially in the “Food & Beverages” category. In total, Walmart has had 29 recall instances in recent years, whereas Lidl has only had 6.
So, if product quality is something that you prioritize, then Lidl is likely the best grocery store for you to purchase from.
Product Variety: Walmart vs Lidl
One factor that shoppers also enjoy is product variety. Something to note is that Walmart is considered a “Hypermarket”, whereas Lidl is considered a “Supermarket. The main difference between these is that a hypermarket carries both supermarket and department store products.
By definition a hypermarket has more product variety than a supermarket. But for research sake, let’s take a look at how many different products each store offers.
| Total Walmart Products | Total Lidl Products |
| 120,000 Products | 3,500 Products |
From their product count, it seems that Walmart has about 35 times the amount of products as Lidl. Lidl has an average of 3,500 products in one of their stores, whereas Walmart has about 120,000.
So, if you like to shop for more than just groceries, Walmart is far superior to Lidl in terms of how many products and what type of products they offer to their customers.
Which Has More Locations: Walmart or Lidl?
Looking into how many locations each has will show how dominant each of the stores is. More specifically, it will give a better idea as to what kind of customer reach each store has.
| Walmart | Lidl |
| 49 States | 9 States |
| 3,800 Stores | 162 Stores |
Unsurprisingly, Walmart has significantly more stores than Lidl. More specifically, Walmart has over 3,800 stores in the United States which are located in 49 out of the 50 states.
Lidl on the other hand only has 162 stores across 9 states in the US (mostly focused in the northeast region of the country). From this, we can see that Walmart has a much stronger reach in terms of how many customers have access to them.
Which One Should You Shop At: Walmart vs Lidl?
When to shop at Walmart: If you are a shopper that primarily purchases items in the beverages, baking goods, dairy, and dry goods categories, then Walmart is the better place for you to go. Additionally, if you prefer a store that offers a wide variety of products, Walmart easily beats Lidl.
When to shop at Lidl: If you are a shopper that makes purchases in the canned goods, frozen foods, personal care, and cleaner categories, then Lidl is where you should shop. They also have a better record for higher quality products, so if you enjoy the peace of mind that comes with purchasing better products, then you should shop at Lidl.