Walmart vs Target vs Best Buy (Department Store War!!)

[marvelvscapcom2]

DEPARTMENT STORE WAR!!!


Hello everyone


Today we dive into the competition of some of our most beloved and famed big name commercial conglomerates as we decide which is our person favorite for both shopping for everyday things but also for buying games and amiibos.


I was inspired to make this because I noticed, some people seem to have immense luck at places like target or Gamestop with discount games, amiibos, funko pops and other collectible fun.  But some people seem to have a walmart or target in their area that is always very lacking and they shop at best buy instead.   And it varies very much as to what the favorite of these 3 Titans is .

WAL-MART




First up we have Wally World as they call it in my home town .   One of the most universally recognizable and frequented establishments and one of the only places where you can buy a pair of cargo shorts, a car battery and a rottisarie chicken all in one go  . 


Wal-Mart prides itself on it's many exclusive Amiibos, it's equate brand medicines, great value items that cut competitor prices by a huge portion, game variations and especially Wal-Mart exclusive Funko pops.  Wal-Mart also price matches it's competitors and has a pretty solid return policy in place.  Wal-Mart is also known for attracting some less then desirable mall goers.  Sometimes having frequents who are less than savory in hygiene. 


My Ranking - B+

For me, I certainly frequent Wal-Mart the most. I think their clothes selection usually bests Target's in my general area.  Yes I am a minimalist in regards to clothes and wear George brand stuff sometimes and I don't care who judges  .   But I also love their graphic T shirts.  The walmart in my area always has video game related ones.  So it's a huge plus.

Now onto games, they have the basics but they kinda suck for games and especially Amiibos and pops.  It's actually fairly depressing how little they seem to jump on trends.  Took them years to even bother ordering NES classics back when they were big. And it wasn't from selling out, they simply never stocked them.  Was crazy.


As a whole, Walmart is where I go for my non gaming needs, I rarely buy games there.  but for food, clothes and other random things.  They fill the niche in my community and the nearest walmart is like 3 blocks from my house.  So lucky


Target





Target is basically like Wal-Mart but slightly more niche and has variances in what they carry and their exclusive merchandise. Their carraiges are typically better, their environments are typically more sanitary and well managed and they have a much much better toy and pop selection in my area at least. 

The problem with target is they are usually at the very least a tad more on most items I find although I do think they price match as well.  But me and my brother have had issues price matching here before depending on the worker. 

Target is known for it's big RED balls.

My rating C

Target for me is a bit of a drive away, and it usually always drops the ball on Amiibos and game selection to a heinous extenet.  Where my local Target shines is Funko Pops and toys in general.  It's truly second to none in toys even to the old toys r us that was near it.  It's just incredible for pops and I always find nice exclusives when I go


Best Buy




Best buy is a electronics exclusive department store.  They have other things like washer machines and things like accessories and stuff.  But in general, it's very exclusive to electronic things and games.  Which is very great for us. 

Best Buy has probably the best membership thing.  Although they did away with gamerclub unlimited, it basically gave you 20 percent off any new game.  Which is pretty ground breaking and borderline impossible to top.  I've saved thousands, literally thousands using that membership.  Until it expires in 2020 . 


Best Buy has a much wider selection of laptops, TVs and gaming consoles then most Targets or Wal-Marts but is also usually margainally more money, especially for care plans.

Best Buy prides itself with geek squad protection.  It's costly but in my experience is top notch customer care.


Best Buy has very sanitary and clean and spacious environments.  In my experience the workers are usually almost always nicest and usually some of the happiest and coolest people i've met in such stores.  Usually nerds like us with common interests.  Which makes the buying dynamic funner.


My rating - A


Best buy is not the choice for most things, like food or clothes or the essentials of every day life.  In that sense Wal-Mart is much much better.  But for me and what I like.  My hobby in mind.  Best buy is the cleanest and best buyer experience for offline video game and electronic buying.  Which wins it over in my mind.  I love Best Buy very much and the amount of collectors editions they have had for pre order is outstanding.


Gamestop has on multiple accounts failed to have a game available for preorder when best buy has had it even week later for pre order with the 20 percent off discount.  It's just bar none. 


Best Buy dominates the electronic avenue at least in my local area.




I was going to add gamestop to this heavy weight royale but they literally only do games.  It's not fair to them to put them against giant stores that do multiple things well. 




Thank you for sharing your choice .    I hope everyone has a happy week. 


If you want to pick costco in your ratings, feel free.  I just don't know anything about that store and I don't know if they carry games.  . 

[oldgamerz]

I like "Walmart" for it's mostly $4-$12 New CD's  and some of it's discount electronics

I Don't go to Best Buy much but I go their for it's Computer Accessories

I don't shop hardly ever at Target

[Flashback2012]

One of these is not like the others.

I try to avoid Wal-Mart whenever possible. I figure the Waltons have enough billions already, no sense in adding to that if it can be helped. Target is a department store with overpriced groceries tacked on and I generally only go into one to check their clearance section or to find a movie that has packaging that Best Buy didn't get. My purchases from Best Buy dropped severely since they did away with the GCU and I only go in to get Steelbook releases of certain movies.

[bikingjahuty]

1. Target: I actually was a part time Target employee from the end of my senior year of college until a month after I graduated college. They were a fun company to work for at the time (mostly), and I met some incredible people while working there. As far as my experience as a customer they've always had a decent selection of whatever I'm looking for and I prefer them miles over Walmart. Their video game section has become fairly uninspired in recent years, but at least 5 or 6 years ago they were a lot better.


2. Best Buy: I've always liked Best Buy a lot. Being really into video games, electronics, and media in general they've been a place I've gone just to look around for fun. Sadly, they are not even a shadow what they once were in almost every regard. Their game selection is laughable now, as i they just gave up trying to compete in that department. I know why their music section was completely phased out, and their movie section is very underwhelming, but I missed the days when they were one of the best places to find both. They're still alright, but not somewhere I'd go to just browse like I used to.


3. Walmart: I'll come right out and say it; I hate Walmart! As a kid I liked going there because it was one of the few places that had video games and toys, but now I just can't stand them, I mean like everything about them.

[98dgreen]

If you want to get stabbed, catch a rare disease, or witness some of the least intelligent people on the planet, go to Walmart.

[telly]

I like the cute little dog Target has!

Even though it looks like a killer doomsday animal

[oldgamerz]

1. Target: I actually was a part time Target employee from the end of my senior year of college until a month after I graduated college. They were a fun company to work for at the time (mostly), and I met some incredible people while working there. As far as my experience as a customer they've always had a decent selection of whatever I'm looking for and I prefer them miles over Walmart. Their video game section has become fairly uninspired in recent years, but at least 5 or 6 years ago they were a lot better.


2. Best Buy: I've always liked Best Buy a lot. Being really into video games, electronics, and media in general they've been a place I've gone just to look around for fun. Sadly, they are not even a shadow what they once were in almost every regard. Their game selection is laughable now, as i they just gave up trying to compete in that department. I know why their music section was completely phased out, and their movie section is very underwhelming, but I missed the days when they were one of the best places to find both. They're still alright, but not somewhere I'd go to just browse like I used to.


3. Walmart: I'll come right out and say it; I hate Walmart! As a kid I liked going there because it was one of the few places that had video games and toys, but now I just can't stand them, I mean like everything about them.

I did have this random women I encountered at Walmart she was looking in my direction and out of the corner of my eye, saw she was pounding her fist into the other like she wanted to attack me for some reason, I had no idea who she was. I just ignored her and walked right past her, and I'm surprised she didn't throw something at me.

Funny enough she was acting like a video game character in The Sims 2 for PC. She was doing exactly the same thing that characters in that game series do before they anonymously  poke, slap, shove or even fight another character.

[betelgeuse]

#1 Bestbuy. My gamer club is still active and I have the 5% back elite plus status. Really can’t beat those prices on new games. Stores are clean and actual games are on display (most stores).

#2 Target. Games in my area are viewable on those security zip cords. They have a large selection of older discounted games. They don’t seam to carry all game titles though.

#3 Walmart. Game section is usually disorganized. They pack all the excess titles in to lockable glass cases triple stacked. You can’t even see what games they have or how much they are. It’s funny to get an old common game price checked, for full price. They do have a large discounted section that’s not locked up though.

[hoshichiri]

My personal breakdown is influenced heavily by my reliance on public transportation. While all 3 are close enough to the bus lines to access, going in 'to just look' is typically a luxury (more on that later.) Therefore online presence/pickup in store options is a big factor.

Walmart: a resounding 'meh'. Rarely do sales/clearances happen that are worthwhile. I only had one decent game score: I watched a copy of Epic Mickey 2 for Wii floating around the bargain shelves, stuck in-between the $20-30 PS4/Xbox One titles, never properly priced. One day it sat alone, on a nearly empty fixture, in a slot labeled 10 bucks. I figured I'd at least ask about it, see if that was right. It was actually $5. I bought it. Food pricing really isn't all that different from other places around us, so there's not great advantage there. I will say, their pharmacy & generics are damn good- great prices & generally friendly people helping with the BS that is insurance. So unless you're after pills, by Walmart is nothing special.


Target: By far the one I shop at the most. Remember that bit about looking being a luxury? With the Target being only one of these actually in the mall I work at, I actually get a chance to just browse here. Game selection is on the small side, with enough tangential tat to rival the Gamestop. A somewhat steady trickle of clearance items has netted me a good number of finds, both for myself & others. Finally, a lot of Target's sales on games- which are oddly frequent for a general chain- apply to pickup in store orders, allowing me to take advantage of them & grab the stuff heading to/from work. Food prices aren't notable, but they do sell things I can't easily get elsewhere. Never used their pharmacy, & their generics are averagely expensive.


Best Buy: I offically refuse to shop at Best Buy now. I didn't really before, honestly- for a dedicated electronics store, their game selection was never really better than Walmart or Target, and sales were nonexistent. I'd go in for bigger things though... until last week. My TV broke down, so I went looking for a repair place. Best Buy came up first, with their website specifically saying "we'll work on it, even if you didn't buy it here". So I found a ride, made an appointment, headed up there- and was told 'no actually, we don't work on TVs unless you bought them here & bought a protection plan.' I showed them the webpage. 'well, I guess we could send it in, but they'll probably just send it back & you'll be out $90.' So I had to haul it home, look up another repair guy, who told me the screen is dying, so I had to find another TV AND work out yet another ride to go pick it up- all because the Best Buy guys didn't even want to plug the damn thing in & see what was going on. They didn't even need to do that- I took pictures I could've shown them! Screw you, Best Buy! (The TV I chose was available there, but I made it a point to go to Target instead- same model, same price. It wasn't put away correctly. 3 different employees spent 20 minutes tearing the back apart to find my new set. That's dedication- they get my money.)


Honestly, I'm still just a lil' salty that my TV died- it was a 32 inch with 4 HDMI ports! They don't make anything like that anymore! And it was only 3 years old! It's not fair!

[oldgamerz]

Best Buy: I offically refuse to shop at Best Buy now. I didn't really before, honestly- for a dedicated electronics store, their game selection was never really better than Walmart or Target, and sales were nonexistent. I'd go in for bigger things though... until last week. My TV broke down, so I went looking for a repair place. Best Buy came up first, with their website specifically saying "we'll work on it, even if you didn't buy it here". So I found a ride, made an appointment, headed up there- and was told 'no actually, we don't work on TVs unless you bought them here & bought a protection plan.' I showed them the webpage. 'well, I guess we could send it in, but they'll probably just send it back & you'll be out $90.' So I had to haul it home, look up another repair guy, who told me the screen is dying, so I had to find another TV AND work out yet another ride to go pick it up- all because the Best Buy guys didn't even want to plug the damn thing in & see what was going on. They didn't even need to do that- I took pictures I could've shown them! Screw you, Best Buy! (The TV I chose was available there, but I made it a point to go to Target instead- same model, same price. It wasn't put away correctly. 3 different employees spent 20 minutes tearing the back apart to find my new set. That's dedication- they get my money.)


Honestly, I'm still just a lil' salty that my TV died- it was a 32 inch with 4 HDMI ports! They don't make anything like that anymore! And it was only 3 years old! It's not fair!

That sounds like false advertising on Best Buy's part. And they could actually get in trouble with the law depending on if they have some fine print on their website. That said they only fix certain tvs or only at certain locations on their website.

[aliensstudios]

That sounds like false advertising on Best Buy's part. And they could actually get in trouble with the law depending on if they have some fine print on their website. That said they only fix certain tvs or only at certain locations on their website.
[/quote]
The website says you have to be Total Tech Support member to get repairs, it's a bid misleading but all of the information is there.

On topic though,
For games I'd say Best Buy > Target > Walmart
For buying anything else I'd say Walmart > Target > Walmart
For most pleasant place to shop I'd say Target > Best Buy > Walmart

[Warmsignal]

The only department in Best Buy is electronics... and appliances. For general shopping I much prefer Target over Walmart. Better selection, better store layout, better atmosphere, better staff, better clientele for that matter... Whatever happen to Kmart? That used to be the third option, but most of them shuttered I believe. Kmart was basically the run down and outdated version of Target. It was still better than Walmart.

[oldgamerz]

The only department in Best Buy is electronics... and appliances. For general shopping I much prefer Target over Walmart. Better selection, better store layout, better atmosphere, better staff, better clientele for that matter... Whatever happen to Kmart? That used to be the third option, but most of them shuttered I believe. Kmart was basically the run down and outdated version of Target. It was still better than Walmart.

I heard rumors that before Kmart started closing in the masses

Kmart was taken over by Sears I guess, and they raised their prices to the point that nobody, at least around here. shoppers no longer wanted to shop there. So they closed most of their stores by now. as of this post. I don't know for sure  But never know they may come back but.

Unfortunately Walmart raised some of their prices as well, but I think they went back down again. A lot of people hate on Walmart for reasons. But, I never had an issue with them as of this post.

[marvelvscapcom2]

The only department in Best Buy is electronics... and appliances. For general shopping I much prefer Target over Walmart. Better selection, better store layout, better atmosphere, better staff, better clientele for that matter... Whatever happen to Kmart? That used to be the third option, but most of them shuttered I believe. Kmart was basically the run down and outdated version of Target. It was still better than Walmart.

K-Mart makes me so sad .   I won't ever forget when I was a kid.  It was my dad's favorite store.  It had a vibe about it.  It even had a restaraunt inside. .    Then about 2 years ago, 1 year before it closed.  Me and my brother went in black friday.  And the store was literally a corpse.  It was the heat of the biggest retail day of the year,  and their was like 2 old ladies and all the workers looked so depressed.  Some of the lights were flickering.  It was one of the saddest sights. 

The saddest store closure for me is Hollywood video.  I actually cried as a teen when it closed down in my city.  A part of me went under with that store.  (Especially the "game crazy" subsidiary.)  The feeling so many people had with blockbuster and toys r us is what I had with Hollywood video since it was 3 blocks from my childhood home.  I'd take my allowances, birthday money and even redeem cans for change as a kid to buy the new game I wanted.  The nights with all the lights lit up, looking through the glass thinking of what game i'd buy on the thursday (the day my dad got paid and gave me my allowance).  And then the feeling in school all day on thursday anxious to get out and walk to game crazy. 

When they went under they had a crazy blowout sale.  I got games for like .25 cents and a strategy guide for 10 cents that I wish I still had.  But looking back.  It was a major change to my childhood.  Things were never quite the same for me.  I'm actually tearing up thinking about it.   How much the stores can mean to us can be so crazy.  But it turns out if you think back.  Their are so many memories interlaced with the stores . 


I know so many people felt this with Toys R Us.  Toys R Us is associated with so many happy memories for so many people.  Seeing it go down is like watching a childhood friend go down.  I can feel that pain even though my dad rarely took me there as a kid.  Only because I wasn't a huge toy kid but always a game kid . 

One memory I do have of Toys R Us is one time my dad took me there for those famous hulk hands that made smashing sounds.  And I saw behind the glass the Toys R Us Pokemon N64 that's extremely sawed after now.  But it was on clearance at the time because Gamecube was already out.  Around 2002-2003.   It was like 150 dollars sealed.  If only now lol.   



Thank you everyone for sharing so many great memories of the iconic stores.   

[Warmsignal]

Toys R Us really is a shame. Kids nowadays will never get to experience that magic of going into a store where the whole entire thing is just filled with nothing but toys and video games. That's a special thing when you are young. Now, all major toy stores are gone. Never thought I'd live to see the day, but changes are coming so rapidly what you though would last forever is already gone. Who knows? Maybe in another 10 years kids won't even know what toys were, they'll be too entranced into technology and AI babysitting that a piece of plastic won't capture their imaginations anymore.