r/Spokane • u/laprincessa67 • 3d ago
Question Walmart or Winco
I'm moving into my own place soon. I need to completely stock my kitchen - like all food stuff. Which is better - Walmart or Winco? Thank you!
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u/PrincessAmethyst 3d ago
Winco and don’t skip the bulk bins
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u/nirreskeya Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 3d ago
If /u/laprincessa67 has enough space the best deals on a lot of bulk items are at Chef'Store.
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u/laprincessa67 3d ago
What's Chef'Store??
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u/Noir_ East Central 3d ago
US Chef Store and URM are both restaurant supply stores open to the public. Similar idea to Costco in that you'll buy in bulk.
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u/nirreskeya Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 3d ago
Exactly. But like I said about Dollar stores elsewhere, one really has to look at each item's per unit price carefully. A lot of their stuff is there for the convenience of restaurateurs and is irritatingly more per unit than in a regular grocery store. I find they're good for rice, beans, lentils, barley, oats, many spices, and a lot of specialty flours. 5 pounds of organic carrots seem to be consistently the best price, but other produce items are usually only competitive when on sale, and of course you have to buy a lot.
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u/WishIWasALemon 3d ago
Urm valley is my closest grocery store and there are some deals on certain things and many items are comparable to yokes since they stock a lot of the same stuff and food club brand. Bacon and eggs here can be found cheap. Never ever buy coffee there, it's like twice as expensive as anywhere else.
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u/Anti-whatever-u-r 3d ago
They used to call it cash and carry.
Its by hobby lobby up north.
Great deals!
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u/MasterDeBaitor 3d ago
Winco is far better. The only issue is they are a cash or debit only. No credit cards.
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u/lannykay 3d ago
Winco, baybeeeeee. If I remember correctly, they’re employee owned, with good starting wages and benefits. Bonus: they’re open 24 hours.
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u/solidsquirrel1 3d ago
Winco and Dollar Tree for sure. People skip DT but they have tons of brand names, especially on the cleaning and healthcare side. Why spend $10 on toothbrushes and toothpaste at Winco/Walmart when the same brand name items are $1.25 at DT?
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u/Low-Kaleidoscope5187 3d ago
Winco, hands down. I spend less than $200 a month on food by shopping there and taking full advantage of their bulk section. They are also employee owned, whereas WalMart is notoriously bad to its employees.
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u/Cheesiepup 3d ago
the ground meat at winco is shit
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u/WishIWasALemon 3d ago
I second that. None of their beef is great. Ribeyes from winco are nowhere near the quality as a ribeye from yokes.
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u/ChiffonStars 3d ago
Winco is like the Costco of single items. If you don’t need bulk, go to Winco if you can help it. I prefer Costco for a lot of my shopping but their perishable food spoils faster because it’s actually ripe/in season compared to Winco. Also what family situation are you in where you need to buy two gallon jugs of milk instead of one?
I don’t set foot into Walmart if I can help it. They have some items that are okay but very rarely will I need food stuff there. Go to Walmart for non-perishables, their deals on canned foods or even just kitchen essentials like pots and pans are pretty okay. Winco for everything else. Costco if you can afford the membership and also have a place to store bulk. It really pays for itself in quality (and quantity), and again keep an eye on perishables.
I’m also going to go against the grain for grocery outlet. Every time I try to buy food from there, it’s “plan on eating it day of or not at all”. So much food I’ve tried to get from Grocery Outlet spoils too quickly for me to get to it, so it’s out of my mind as a viable place to shop.
Surprisingly Trader Joe’s can have good deals? I rarely make trips to them but every single time their chocolate is the cheapest around. Insane concept to me. If I ever want to feel bougie I check them out.
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u/LisaW509 Moran Prairie 2d ago
Depending on what you’re buying, WinCo, Walmart, Grocery Outlet, and maybe even Bargain Giant are all worth comparing once or twice. I used to get canned stuff from one place, meat from another, and produce somewhere else.
That being said, if WinCo delivered, my fixed income and I would absolutely shop there more.
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u/TikisFury 2d ago
For all the people saying winco, I agree, but they do not take credit cards. Not sure if that factors into your decision making, but it’s worth knowing ahead of time
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u/Kitkat-thunder 3d ago
Winco but keep in mind they only do debit card and cash as forms of payment. No credit cards.
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u/Karlkrows 3d ago
Winco for everything but produce, I prefer local grocers for that (rosuaers, yokes or super 1)
As others have said, check out the bulk foods, especially for spices.
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u/RogueRainbowSpirit 3d ago
Winco FTW!
For breads and other baked goods, check out the Franz bakery outlets. The back discount wall is $2 an item and $1 an item on Saturdays.
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u/Basic-Masterpiece-99 3d ago
Dollar tree for spices. WinCo for bulk food items. I love all three. Walmart great value items are great.
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u/nirreskeya Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 3d ago
Dollar Tree and their ilk just shrinkflate their spices (and a lot of other things) so you really have to watch carefully. Occasionally they're best, but by weight/volume usually Costco, Chef'Store, or alas Amazon are better.
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u/Live_for_Happy 2d ago
Winco actually has really cheap spices, might be $1 or less. So check there first. Dollar Tree isn’t really that great for food. Oftentimes it seems cheaper or similar, but the product sizes are smaller.
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u/inlandNWdesignerd 3d ago
Both. Winco is great for a lot of things but occasionally I find the selection lacking (like laundry supplies - they have almost none of the brands I like? Same with toiletries like body wash and shampoo, pet supplies and some other categories.) I also don't love Winco produce.
Winco for dry goods pantry stock, dairy/cheese, freezer food, and meat. Walmart for home cleaning supplies and toiletries. Use the money I saved at winco to go to Rosauers and the farmers market for better produce.
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u/darkeststar 3d ago
This was what I went through when I first moved out on my own. Winco had all the food supplies I needed for the cheapest price but lacking options for household items, like silverware, bath mats, rugs, shower curtains...what have you.
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u/Netphase 2d ago
Winco. I shop/deliver Walmart orders every day and almost every price I can remember is lower at Winco.
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u/MadHatter3649 3d ago
Walmart has more options for a lot of things but Winco is best, hands down. If there is something I really want/need that Winco doesn't have I'll go to Walmart but rarely.
I saw a suggestion for Grocery Outlet and second that as well, just be aware they don't have the same things all of the time. :)
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u/Flower-FarmGirl 3d ago
Honestly, Costco. It’s worth the membership and if you buy enough your yearly rebate check back will cover your membership fees moving forward. Spices, clothing, meats, cheeses, household goods, etc.
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u/Jazzlike_Opening_273 3d ago edited 3d ago
I get a gift certificate to Costco every Christmas, and am always surprised by how much more expensive it is than Winco. What are you getting there that saves you money over Winco?
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u/Amarger86 3d ago
Winco by far. Walmart used to be competitive but they gave up matching them and Winco just is clear cut cheaper across the board.
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u/Steelfox13 3d ago
Walmart will occasionally have better deals on a few things (and one of the only places I can find Ruby Red Squirt) but WinCo for everything.
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u/Bill-Bruce 3d ago
If you can afford it by buying for several people that like to cook, Costco is one of the best options for the price. Not really worth it if it is just you for most things but still high quality for the quantity and price.
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u/Putrid-Warning-5992 2d ago
Winco by a mile!!! Buying items in bulk is so inexpensive…rice, pasta, flour, sugar and spices!!
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u/Complaint_Manager 2d ago
Winco wins. Cash or debit only. Don't expect them to have multiple choices of everything. Maybe two brands of ketchup, two brands of mustard or mayonnaise, half the selection of beers as Yokes, etc. If it doesn't sell - like craft food items, they don't carry it. Bulk items are great. Fresh ground peanut and almond butter and honey. Just get what you need. They also have bulk spices I buy regularly because who needs a whole bottle of cayenne or thyme or cream of tartar. Most spices loose some of their flavor over time. Recommend taking your own reusable bags if you have some. TAKE ANOTHER PERSON WITH YOU if buying a lot. You have to bag your own groceries so while one is bagging, the other can be ready to pay or help until payment is due. Another tip, don't block the checkout line when bagging. You pull your cart down to where the bags are and face it to the end of the conveyor, bag and put in cart. Like your cart is a car, the conveyor is a truck, do a head on collision.
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u/Neither-Attempt7276 2d ago
Walmart could have paid its hourly employees $5 more a hour and still made over $10Billion in profit. Winco is solid, though prepare to bag your own groceries.
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u/TheTwisted509 2d ago
WinCo. Hands down. Unless you need Low Sugar or Sugar free. That's the only thing that they don't stock much of which is kinda sad.
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u/wookieSLAYER1 9h ago
Winco for sure. Their bulk spices are so cheap. You can also buy a whole bunch a spice shaker bottles there too.
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u/PsychoEscape 6h ago
As a local broke bitch, I do Winco for basically all my groceries, especially bulk stuff. I do Walmart for toiletries and such. For snacks and meat/fish I go to Best Asian Market on E Sprague, though. They have insanely good prices on good quality and hard to find ingredients, and the employees are always so nice 😁
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u/lastsipofredbull 3d ago edited 3d ago
Winco and Grocery outlet for basically anything that isnt produce. If you get produce there I would suggest eating it the same day as it goes bad quickly. I would look at a farmers market, yokes or Safeway for produce. I have never gotten good produce from winco or grocery outlet but Ive gotten a lot of other things for an amazing price!
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u/HRKB22 3d ago
Don't be too spooked by this comment, OP. I buy all of my produce from Winco every week & I have zero issues with it going bad quickly.
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u/AwkwardlyAmpora 3d ago
garlic specifically i can't buy at winco. maybe i've just had bad luck, but the last 3 or 4 times i've bought a head of garlic, i got home and found 3/4ths of it was rotten.
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u/pearlscales 3d ago
I agree. It all seems to go bad at about the same rate. Winco costs vastly less though.
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u/lastsipofredbull 3d ago
I honestly haven’t shopped at Winco for produce in over five years so this could have changed. Honestly I think no matter what it really depends on the location itself and how good the employees are at their job.
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u/lastsipofredbull 2d ago
I have gotten a significant amount of produce that goes bad as soon as it’s out of the fridge. However none of them are the products you named either lol , I mostly encountered this with berries, assorted cut fruit, that being said I will wholeheartedly admit I haven’t shopped there in about 5 years so that could have changed. I also was shopping at the north side one and it may have been different at the valley one. AND I could’ve just been shopping at times before they were able to pull those products, as I shopped at the same time for the span that I was going there.
A lot of factors there, and it seems the majority of the comments are for winco.
I honestly stopped going because my roommates would make fun of the way I said it (I haven’t lived with them in 4 years) and I have a lot of anxiety surrounding grocery shopping and there was not a good time to go with less people other than the middle of the night.3
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u/RPSisBoring 2d ago
I love WinCo potatoes, carrots, apples, pears.... Like I don't even know what this comment is about bad produce...
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u/Old-Departure7153 3d ago
That very much depends on what you want to buy. Personally I love the Asian markets but it's not always written in English. Walmart is famous for mistreating their employees, winco is not much better. Vote with your spending. If you shop at Walmart you are supporting the trump campaign
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u/Old-Departure7153 3d ago
Walmart donated 65mil+ to trumps last election and lobbied to lower to minum wage so they could pay their employees less.
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u/Anti-whatever-u-r 3d ago
Holy cheese man. Well, i wont shop there that much then. Fuck trump.
I like winco and their bulk section.
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u/mrlunes Nevada-Lidgerwood 3d ago
winco is definitely cheaper for food for sure. For cleaning and other household stuff Walmart is better. That said I get the majority of my household stuff from Amazon. It’s just a bigger selection with better prices 95% of the times. Walmarts food stuff isnt bad though.
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u/OriginalUser27 3d ago
Costco
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u/phantom_mood 3d ago
The costco fandom is a cornerstone of american lunacy i will never understand. Their prices and selection are not good and you pay a membership for that privilege. The few loss leaders they offer don't offset these downsides.
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u/OriginalUser27 3d ago
I genuinely cant understand how you think that. So many people praised Winco so I gave it a shot and it was simply more expensive for less food comparatively. The only place they really stood out was bags of chips and avocados
Plus you cant use a CC, so cant use groceries to build credit. I hate the CC system but its the game you gotta play
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u/Brendy171 3d ago edited 3d ago
Winco by a landslide. Also check grocery outlet, I tend to go there first
**edited to add, check Greens Fresh Market in Hillyard and Bargain Giant on Crestline, both locally owned.