Kmart vs Walmart: Which Is For You? [2024]

Kmart vs Walmart: We have so many places to check out for groceries and regular life necessities. However, when it comes to cheap and reasonable options, we return to Walmart, which is soon followed by Kmart. 

As an American, you might have heard about both the popular titles, and might also be aware of the fact that while Walmart has been successful for years, Kmart has considerably failed, or at least not reached the successful border yet — even though it started first. 

For the same, we have many wanting to know what is the difference between the two, and what was the reason why Kmart was way back when Walmart was winning hearts. If you are one of them, then you are on the right page because the article below contains a detailed comparison between Kmart vs Walmart. 

Overview: Kmart vs Walmart

Kmart

Kmart from the Kmart Corporation, is a popular retail chain of stores founded by S. S. Kresge in 1899, on 31st July – literally over a century back. 

It is well-known for owning a chain of big box department stores headquartered in Hoffman Estates, the US. The company was initially named Kresge and was further renamed Kmart in 1962 in Garden City, Michigan. 

Moreover, when it was climbing the ladder of success, it opened over 2400 stores in 1994, inclusive of over 2300 discount stores and Super Kmart Centre locations across the US. 

Walmart

If you reside in the US, then it would be extremely hard to believe if you said you don’t know what Walmart is. Still — Walmart is a popular American multinational retail company, operating a chain of discount department stores, grocery stores, and hypermarkets.

Knowingly, it is widely spread across the US, currently headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, the US. Started by Sam Walton and Bud Walton in 1962, the company was founded in the Rogers district of Arkansas.

What’s more, is that it is one of the most popular names in the US and go-to destinations for grocery shopping and affordable items for millions — even our favorite when we are tight on budget. 

Key Highlights 

Kmart

Deals & Value

For the affordable price you pay, the value and quality of the majority of the products are fair and even better in some cases. 

Fair Policies 

Not only the returns policy, but its shipping and refund policy, whether we are talking about physical stores or its website, are all favorable for customers and offer the convenience of shopping and dealing with issues peacefully.

Walmart

Deals

Deals and offers have to be the major highlight of Walmart because it offers deals and offers practically all time of the year —  you will rarely find a week where there is not a single deal offered.

Many Stores

Why do you think it is so convenient to shop at Walmart? Because there are a good couple of thousand stores spread wide across the US. This means, you will never run out of Walmart, even if you visit the countryside.

Products & Services

Kmart

With Kmart, you get to shop from a huge variety of categories and sections including home, clothing, shoes, games, electronics, fitness, fitness, sports, seasonal, appliances, jewelry, tools, garden, automotive, beauty, magazines, books, pet supplies, office supplies, health, and more. 

Talking about the quality, we have seen the majority of the customers rating the product positively, and mentioning that they are often worth the price.

As for its services, it offers a good variety of at-home appliance repair services for ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, dryers, and washers, along with maintenance checks. 

Walmart

Similar to what you saw on Kmart, Walmart is also a king of offering a huge variety of collections and selections to choose from. You get almost everything you need in your life, from food to clothing and seasonal items to corporate ones.

As for the quality, the majority of the customers rate products positively seeing that the prices are often the lowest in the market. 

However, compared to Kmart, it offers a big list of services in different sectors, such as pharmacy, health, wellness, custom cakes, photo services, money services, registry gifts, protection community, and more. 

Prices

Although both the chain stores are known for affordable prices, when you compare the rates from them, you can clearly see a difference between the sums. 

It is not that you get cheaper prices at Walmart but it actually depends on the variety. Walmart has a clear win since it offers a huge variety from the cheapest to affordable products, unlike Kmart, which mostly focuses on affordable products.

To put it in a simpler way, we have some examples, like the cookies. Kmart starts from $12.95, whereas at Walmart you can try popular brands like Oreo, starting at only $3.98. 

Of course, there will be a difference in quantity and quality, but the price difference is way too much to consider and Walmart is clearly winning. 

For our second example, we have writing supplies. At Kmart, the starting price for a pencil was $0.19, which was lower than $1.99 from Walmart for an aesthetic pen. 

Now, we know that Kmart was supposed to get a win for this, but looking at the price difference and a pen instead of a pencil (pens usually cost more) — there is no way we are letting Kmart win. 

Pros & Cons

Kmart

Pros

• You get to shop with huge deals and offers at the time of seasons as well as occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, etc.
• The quality of the products is good and worth the price you pay the majority of the time.

Cons

• You will often encounter employees and customer service agents with rude personalities, and they don’t end up helping you at all.
• It doesn’t have a large number of stores, and you will find one near your residence.

Walmart

Pros

• You can buy almost anything and everything you need not only in your regular life but also for occasions and seasons because it offers a huge list of categories to shop from.
• If you decide to get its membership, you will only unlock more benefits and advantages, including free shipping, more deals, etc. 

Cons

• The customer service and staff will not always greet you cheerfully, and you might often encounter rude and ignorant behaviors.
• The quality of the products will not always amaze you since the prices are mostly cheap. 

Customer Service

Kmart

If you wish to contact Kmart customer service, you have a bunch of options, like searching through their help center, going through a fair list of categories and subsections, and checking out frequently asked questions. 

Although they offer many ways to contact them and complain, unfortunately, the majority of the customer reviews say that their customer service is not helpful. 

We have seen multiple complaints about how slow the process is and how most of the time you don’t even get the solution or answer. 

Walmart

Compared to Kmart, you might get a couple of extra options at Walmart, with the customer service number, email, and help center link mentioned right in front of you after you visit its website. 

As for the customer reviews, the majority of them say the same – that the processes are too slow, and you don’t get this solution in the end. 

While we came across multiple positive reviews about how the staff was extremely helpful, others say the exact opposite, with dissatisfied customers leading the way as of December 2024. 

Final Words: What is the Difference Between Kmart and Walmart?

Since Kmart and Walmart are two different titles, there are multiple differences between them, even though they belong to the same industry and category. 

For starters, while Walmart started in 1900, Kmart has even more orders and has been around for over 120 years. However, instead of being more successful than Walmart, Kmart is way too behind and there are less chances you will find a store in your area.

The reason for its failure is not specific, but what we think caused it might be that while Walmart was focusing on both rural and urban areas, it only focused on urban areas and offered services to those where it could gain sales easily.

Moreover, there are multiple differences and similarities between the two, but while Walmart did a good job playing it safe and spreading its influence on both levels of the US, Kmart only focused on one. 

In addition to that, there are many more things that easily tell them apart, but since we have included all the major points — It is our cue to end the article, and hope our Kmart vs Walmart comparison was helpful to you.

Frequently Asked Questions