Waste of Money: 17 Items You Should Skip at Walmart

Written By Jill Taylor

Walmart offers us some of the cheapest prices on products we can find anywhere. But sometimes, it’s better to stay far away from these mouth-watering deals. From electronics to fitness equipment, here are 17 things you shouldn’t be buying from Walmart and why.

Electronics

Photo Credit: KAY4YK/Shutterstock

At Walmart, you’ll find that electronics like TVs and laptops come with shorter warranties than those you’ll see in specialized stores. Your options are also typically limited to low-tier (sometimes off-brand) models, and returns and repairs can be difficult to make because there aren’t specialized service centers either.

Baby Gear

Photo Credit: Milana Gutesa Bozo/Shutterstock

Lower-end baby products found at Walmart may not meet the highest standards. They don’t have good ergonomics and aren’t typically made from the most skin-friendly materials. These can make your baby quite uncomfortable. What’s more, Business Insider talks about Amazon’s Baby Registry discounts that put higher-end products at great price points.

Furniture

Photo Credit: WorldWide/Shutterstock

Walmart’s cheap furniture prices only result in poorer ergonomics, low-quality materials, and shorter lifespans than the higher-end brands you’ll find elsewhere. This results in less comfortable furniture and higher costs in the long run after multiple replacements.

Bicycles

Photo Credit: zoff/Shutterstock

Bikes are typically poorly assembled in-store, and this leads to a whole lot of problems. Due to a lack of proper tuning during its setup, you may need to frequently maintain the bike, which will cost you time and money. The lower-quality materials may also force you to spend more on a new one sooner than you’d like.

Generic Phone Chargers

Photo Credit: Robert Petrovic/Shutterstock

Your greatest fear with generic chargers sold at Walmart is compatibility issues. When the ratings on these chargers don’t fit the requirements of your phone model, you’re stuck with a slow-charging phone or even risk damaging your phone. Overheating and potential fire hazards are also side effects of the chargers’ typical low-quality builds.

Knives and Cutlery Sets

Photo Credit: nadianb/Shutterstock

Walmart knives have blades that dull quickly and need frequent sharpening to stay useful. The handles of cheap cutlery at Walmarts are less comfortable to hold compared to higher-end utensils, and they also wear down and break easily, forcing you to spend more on replacements.

Cheap Pet Food and Supplies

Photo Credit: zkolra/Shutterstock

Again, you always want to avoid the lower-end brands of pet food found at Walmart. This is because, to stay cheap, The Motley Fool says that they contain fillers, lower-quality ingredients, and, hence, fewer nutrients, which isn’t the best for your pet’s health. Some stores may also ask for restocking fees if you wish to return food you already bought.

Large Appliances

Photo Credit: Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock

When it comes to refrigerators and washing machines, you mostly have options with lower-tier features and lack specialized installation services. However, you may find better deals on higher-end appliances in stores that specialize in them.

Power Tools

Photo Credit: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

You’ll need precision with your power tools, and the cheap ones you’ll find at Walmart will hardly offer you this. Given the understandably low manufacturing standards, cheap power tools may also come with higher risks of malfunctions and reduced safety standards, further making them undesirable.

Jewelry

Photo Credit: Kristina Holovach/Shutterstock

Despite Walmart being one of the top sellers of jewelry across the U.S., you really don’t want to buy yours from here. CBS says that you’ll get the lowest-tier jewelry purities, and cheap pieces here are prone to tarnishing and breaking early. The lack of specialty makes the expensive pieces usually overpriced too.

Camping Gear

Photo Credit: Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock

Cheap gear made with sub-par materials at Walmart may not survive harsh outdoor conditions. Items like sleeping bags and tents may not provide the comfort and insulation enjoyed by higher-end brands. Remember that your camping gear can be the only barrier between life and death, so you should be careful where you get it.

Automotive Supplies

Photo Credit: New Africa/Shutterstock

Cheap fluids may not perform well with your engine, potentially harming your vehicle. The heavy discounts on spare car parts also mean that you probably get pieces with a higher risk of malfunctioning or developing quality issues, which forces you to replace them again.

Organic Produce

Photo Credit: Dusan Petkovic/Shutterstock

With organic produce, it’s not that you don’t get what you pay for; you’ll just want to avoid Walmart since you can find these typically expensive items for cheaper at Aldi and Trader Joe’s. Walmart also has a history of bad ratings because of the non-technical employees put in charge of these items.

Toys

Photo Credit: Pixavril/Shutterstock

You don’t have to buy toys and other fun items from Walmart when you can get them for amazing bargains from Amazon. It’s because of this that, according to a survey shared by RetailDrive, at least 54% of Americans choose Amazon first. At Walmart, you may also struggle to find some of the more specialized games.

Mattresses

Photo Credit: VGstockstudio/Shutterstock

You also don’t want to get your mattresses through discount deals from Walmart. Specialized mattress stores offer you more options and can give expert advice on what’s best within your budget, while Walmart leaves you to choose mattresses that are prone to sagging and that barely come with special return policies.

Cheap Shoes

Photo Credit: Carrastock/Shutterstock

Limited styles, a lack of proper support and cushioning, and faster wear and tear are problems with lesser-known, cheap shoe brands sold at Walmart. Formal shoes at Walmart are likely to offer even worse experiences than their casual counterparts.

Fitness Equipment

Photo Credit: MMD Creative/Shutterstock

Ordinary dumbells are great to buy at Walmart since they weigh the same regardless of how much you buy them. However, when you start considering fitness equipment with mechanical or electronic parts, just know that you may have to deal with unsafe malfunctions and breakages.

Up Next: 20 Personal Things You Should Never Share With Others

Photo Credit: kornnphoto/Shutterstock

Building meaningful connections with others requires a certain level of transparency and trust, but that doesn’t mean you have to tell your friends and family members everything! Some aspects of our lives are too personal, incriminating, or risky to share. This article explores 20 aspects of your personal life that you should always keep confidential.

20 Personal Things You Should Never Share With Others

18 Things Everyone Forgets to Include in Their Will—But Shouldn’t

Photo Credit: JGA/Shutterstock

Wills and estate plans are essential ways to ensure what will happen to your belongings and property when you die or are incapacitated. However, people often forget to include important information in their wills before it’s too late, complicating matters for their descendants. Here are the 18 common things people forget to include in their will.

18 Things Everyone Forgets to Include in Their Will—But Shouldn’t

18 Items at Walmart that Aren’t Worth Your Hard-Earned Money

Image Credit: PERO studio/Shutterstock

For many of us, Walmart is the go-to superstore. Whether we need groceries, clothing, or technology, Walmart is a one-stop shop for everything you would need. However, there are some Walmart products you should avoid at all costs, such as the following 18 examples.

18 ITEMS AT WALMART THAT AREN’T WORTH YOUR HARD-EARNED MONEY