HOBOKEN, N.J. -- As Amazon continues its push to disrupt brick-and-mortar retailing in as many ways as possible, Walmart Inc. remains the biggest single opponent in its way. Walmart historically has hung its hat on the claim that it is a low-price leader. And a new study shows that to be true in four of five major product categories when compared to online retailer Amazon. But surprisingly where Walmart falls short—and by a hefty margin—is the category of food and beverage.
Hoboken, N.J.-based LendEDU, an online marketplace for loan refinancing, compiled a list of 50 products and did a cross-comparison analysis to assess which retailer is cheaper. The products were scattered throughout five categories: home goods, kitchen/home appliances, miscellaneous items, technology and entertainment and food and beverages.
Despite being pricier in four of the five sectors, LendEDU discovered that Jeff Bezos’ digital company is actually 22.5% cheaper in the food and beverage sector compared to Walmart. LendEDU suggests this illustrates consumers’ increasing shift toward a more convenient online setting for grocery shopping. The research also found that consumers purchasing these food and beverage products through Amazon will save nearly 21% on average.
The 50 items noted were the exact same style, model and quantity, and LendEDU used Walmart’s in-store prices and Amazon’s cheapest price for comparison.
Here are the 10 food and beverage products and how they compare between the two brands:
A.1. Steak Sauce Original
- Amazon: $4.49
- Walmart: $5.97
- Price Difference: -24.79%
Barilla Spaghetti Pasta
- Amazon: $2.99
- Walmart: $3.21
- Price Difference: -6.85%
Campbell’s Chunk Baked Potato Soup
- Amazon: $1.66
- Walmart: $3.06
- Price Difference: -45.75%
Caza Trail Coffee, Dark Roast
- Amazon: $34.99
- Walmart: $45.14
- Price Difference: -22.49%
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Breakfast Cereal
- Amazon: $4.12
- Walmart: $4.58
- Price Difference: -10.04%
Frito-Lay Original Mix, Variety Pack
- Amazon: $6.99
- Walmart: $8.23
- Price Difference: -15.07%
Heinz Tomato Ketchup
- Amazon: $3.02
- Walmart: $3.38
- Price Difference: -10.65%
Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
- Amazon: $2.79
- Walmart: $3.30
- Price Difference: -15.45%
Pepsi Soda (24-pack)
- Amazon: $4.99
- Walmart: $5.70
- Price Difference: -12.46%
Poland Spring Bottled Water (24-pack)
- Amazon: $5.99
- Walmart: $10.38
- Price Difference: -42.29%
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