WinCo and Walmart are among some of the more well-known grocery stores in the United States. Both of them serve hundreds of thousands of customers, and sell even more products. But if you’re deciding between these two stores, which one is better for you.
I took a look at 3 important factors that all shoppers should consider when deciding between grocery stores. These 3 factors are:
- Price
- Quality
- Variety
After reading this article, you should have a good idea as to which store is better for you.
Which is Better: Winco or Walmart? In terms of price, Walmart is much cheaper than WinCo across multiple different shopping categories. Walmart also offers more product variety and more options to pick from. However, WinCo seems to have higher quality products available for customers to purchase.
Is Winco More Expensive Than Walmart?
Price is one of the most important factors to most shoppers when comparing grocery stores. Many Shoppers prefer the store that can give them the best deal, or the best bang for their buck. Most of the time, shoppers will only go to the store that gives them the best price. So, between Winco and Walmart, which one is cheaper?
| Category | Winco Brand | Walmart Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | |
| Personal Care | ✓ | |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
After comparing their prices, it appears that Walmart is cheaper across multiple shopping categories. More specifically, Walmart was cheaper in the beverages, baking goods, canned goods, dairy, dry goods, and personal care categories. Winco was only cheaper in the frozen foods and cleaners category.
So, unless you’re buying frozen foods or personal care items, then you are much better off shopping at Walmart as you will save the most money there.
Product Quality: Winco vs Walmart
The quality of products sold at a grocery store is also another big decision-making Factor. Many shoppers prefer the store that offers high-quality products. While product quality does influence price, these types of shoppers don’t mind paying a bit extra to make sure that they are buying quality products.
So between these two stores, which one has the higher quality products?
I took a look at the FDA recall database to see which store has had more recalls in recent times. This should give a good idea of what store provides better quality products.
| Category | Winco Recalls | Walmart Recalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 0 | 2 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 0 | 0 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 0 | 6 |
| Food and Beverages | 2 | 21 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
It seems that WinCo has significantly less recalls in recent times. More specifically WinCo has only had two recalls whereas Walmart has had 29 recalls. This does indicate that WinCo has higher quality products when compared to Walmart.
Winco: 2 Total Recalls
Walmart: 29 Total Recalls
Something important to point out is that WinCo has some of the highest quality products in terms of recalls. Many other grocery stores have many more recalls than WinCo. Whole Foods is the only other store that has this small amount of recalls.
After looking at this, it is safe to say that if you shop at WinCo, you are surely going to get better quality products than Walmart. So, if you are a shopper who prioritizes quality, then WinCo is the better option for you.
Product Variety: Winco vs Walmart
If you are a shopper who loves having multiple options to pick from, then product variety is clearly an important factor. Between WinCo and Walmart, which one has better products Variety. In other words, which store will give you more options to pick from when shopping?
Something to know is that WinCo is considered a supermarket, whereas Walmart is considered a hypermarket. The main difference between these two is that a hypermarket sells both Supermarket and department store items, whereas a supermarket sells produce and other consumables.
| Total Winco Products | Total Walmart Products |
| 30,000 products | 120,000 products |
Unsurprisingly, Walmart sells significantly more products than WinCo. More specifically, Walmart sells 4 times as many products. So, if you are a shopper that enjoys product variety, Walmart is a clear winner for you.
Which One Should You Shop At: Winco vs Walmart?
When to shop at Winco: Despite not having the cheapest items, nor the most product variety, WinCo does offer higher-quality products. So if you are a shopper who doesn’t mind paying a bit more for higher-quality products, then WinCo is the best option for you.
When to shop at Walmart: If you are someone who enjoys cheaper prices, and lots of product variety, then Walmart is the right option for you. They may not have as high of quality products, but they do offer more affordable prices and more options.