I like Walmart, at least compared to Target or Kmart. Target is too expensive, and every Kmart I have been to is dingy, filthy, not enough checkout lanes, and just plain bad.
Ah, the self-scanner. That thing is AWESOME. I wish Wal-Mart had it - no one would use it but me, though. 
I’m sensing a trend.
I enjoy going to Target, but their prices and selection aren’t great, especially in kids’ clothes. What they do have is lovely, though. So, if I want a really fun, cool, well-designed clock, for instance, I’ll head to Target.
Wal-Mart is cheap, they have a lot of different types of things, and I can find my way around. So, if I need a new generic alarm clock, I’ll go to Wal-Mart.
K-Mart is near my house and sometimes has good sales, especially in children’s clothing. They’re pretty depressing, though, especially since their staff seems to be made up of people who have given up and are just waiting to die. Luckily, most people around here seem to think that they’ve already gone out of business, so the lines aren’t long. If I’m in the middle of making dinner and my kitchen timer breaks, and I’m not picky about brand or quality, I’ll run over to K-Mart.
We haven’t had a K-mart in my area for a while, so I can’t really talk about them too much. I guess they’re okay, but their stores always seemed to be crowded and dirty–which, for me, is a huge turn off.
Wal-Mart is hit-and-miss. The one by my house is pretty dingy–it’s a regular Wal-Mart, and it’s about 10 or so years old. It’s always crowded, too, so I don’t like going there–large, packed crowds tend to make me really irritable. The Super Wal-Mart by my school, however, isn’t so bad. I almost never go there at “normal” hours, they have a good selection, and they’re cheap. Unfortunately, I have a fit of conscience every time I shop there–I really don’t like them. I think they’re bad for small communities and decrease individuality and distinction in small town America. However, they’re cheap and they have a selection. When I’m at school, there aren’t really that many other options. I try to go to Big Lots when I can…but that’s always iffy.
I really like Target (despite the fact that one of them screwed one of my oldest friends out of his job…long story). They have items of a somewhat better quality than Wal-Mart, in my experience have always been clean, and are decently priced. They’re great. However, I can’t shop there all that often–they’re not as cheap as Wal-Mart, and their selection isn’t as vast. When I can, though, I do, and I relish the experience.
I would comment, but I don’t feel qualified to. There hasn’t been a K-mart up here in years and I have never seen a Target, nor entered one. All we have is Wal-mart.
When K-mart was here I do recall it being rather grungy… last time I was in it was to buy some cheaper hiking boots before they closed. It was just… ugh… I needed a bath after leaving.
Wal-mart… my cousin worked there and she said it was rather good. Maybe they are slightly better up here than in the States I don’t know… the one nearest me is always insane and I would avoid entering it merely because of the crowd except I take the bus to the mall… and the only bus stop sits outside the walmart. Otherwise I have to hike around the mall to the nearest door to get in and I’m too lazy for that… especially when it’s cool out. I shop there semi-often… usually for underthings and toiletries. Not really clothes but that’s because with my weird size/shape none really fit me right.
Target stores are generally cleaner and better organized. At least, here in SoCal. WalMarts are the pits. KMarts just suck.
Of the three, Taget is my store of preference. WalMart’s less than ten minutes from my house, though. Target’s about 25 minutes. I shop at WalMart. I hate it. WalMartians suck.
I haven’t set foot in a K-mart in years. They blow.
Minor hijack:
For discount clothing, I’m generally better off at Kohls. Better selection for the price.
Wal-Mart is okay, so is Target. I tend not to buy clothing either place. K-Mart is hell, exceeded only by Ames. Thank God their stores shut down - they sucked bad.
I don’t buy clothing at any of them. Don’t like the styles - K-mart and Walmart are too dumpy, Target is too tight and made for younger women than I am. I go to Kohl’s too if I need clothing; they’re always running sales of one kind or another.
K-mart is a very mixed bag around here. Some were utter crap, all in disarray; some were better stocked and cared for. In the recent round of closings, I noticed the crummy stores were usually the ones that shut down, so it looks like someone paid attention to that. I like the self-checkout, as it lets me get out of the store quickly, but I can’t help but wonder if they’re going to be losing money on that due to customer deception.
Walmart has a big selection and cheap prices, but unless I’m buying a lot of stuff and thus seriously taking advantage of the discounts, it’s usually too much of a hassle to shop there. The lines are huge, and even if there are a lot of cashiers, there aren’t enough supervisors to deal with the inevitable issues that need one of them to clear the problem on the register. My last trip there, the cashier had to void and override a mispriced piece of cloth for someone ahead of me - it should have rung up for a couple bucks, and instead registered as $70. We waited quite a while for someone who could come over and clear the problem, and there were a couple other cashiers in the area that required assistance as well.
Target is good at opening new checkout lines when things start getting crowded. Prices for items like furniture, towels, etc. aren’t necessarily the cheapest (cleaning supplies, health and beauty, and the like are competitively priced though), but they’re generally high quality and have great style to them. I recently bought curtains and curtain rods there, and just love them. I seem to get my holiday cards there every year - they have a nice variety of sentiments and styles.
Of the three mentioned, I prefer Target for the nicer stores and less crowding; Wal-Mart, ugh, but I go in there occasionally because it’s five minutes from my place; K-Mart never.
Here in eastern PA, though, there are alternatives which I will always choose before any of the above. Boscov’s presents as an upscale department store but seems to have a very canny management and thus a lot of their goods are available for prices not much different than the discount chains. Kohl’s, as mentioned previously, is pretty good for clothing. And if one enjoys searching for spectacular deals amongst a lot of dross, there’s the incomparable Value City.
I haven’t been inside a K-Mart for probably 10 years, and I’ve never been inside a Target, so I can’t really provide a comparison.
I just wanted say that I make a point of pronouncing it “Targét”, and it amuses me to no end. 
There’s just something funny about making this huge department store sound like a fancy little French shop.
Of the three stores listed in the OP I like Target the best. About a year ago they opened a store two miles from where I live and the store is on my way home from work. I agree that their stores are clean and sufficiently staffed. I haven’t taken time to compare prices, though. I’m with most of the people on K-Mart here; their stores tend to be dirty and the selection lacking. I don’t go into Wal-Mart much, but when I do it seems like I’m in a store that caters to the lower-class demographic. I won’t buy CDs there since I want my music uncut and uncensored.
One store that hasn’t been mentioned yet is ShopKo. I find them comparable to Target. Another good store we have around here is Fred Meyer, which I think is primarily in the Northwest region.
k-marts ARE awful. all the ones around here have closed.
here in tennessee we have a walmart every twenty miles - i am not joking. it is particularly useful when you are a college student in podunksville and you like to do your grocery shopping after midnight. also, it’s cheap.
for things other than the essentials, i prefer target, even if their prices are higher. if i buy things there it’s because walmart’s were too shoddy - which is often the case.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by tygre *
We have a Supercenter, which I went to once, and found that the grocery prices were higher and the meat and produce looked really bad. No thanks.
[QUOTE]
i thought i’d make the world a better place. my roommate works at a supercenter, and has advised that i buy the meat only if i want to contract horrible diseases and die in a week while puking all over myself.
just thought i’d share.
I think that target is the cleanest with the best selection, but it’s prices are highest. walmart is next down the list. fair for shopping staples, but best in prices. however, the greeters are a slap in the face. in the 15-20 yrs that i have been going to walmart, if i have been greeted civilly 10 times i’d be surprised. they always look as tho they are in pain. k mart products are lower quality than walmart, but the prices seem to me to be about 20% higher. also, i don’t think that the kmarts are dirty, but they just look that way.
I prefer Target. I always that it was a geographic thing. Where I lived most of my life, we had no wal-marts. When they started appearing in southern CA, they were always in towns way way way in the sticks. By the time I moved, they were more common place.
K-Mart has always been difficult to shop in my opinion. I can never find anything. Here in GA, the store nearest my house is absolutely disgusting, and I can’t find anything.
Wal-Mart … I seem to live in the wal-Mart is King part of the country, but again, I can never find anything, can’t find the prices of stuff, and oh my god, do they intentionally understaff during peak shopping times? What is up with the check out lines?!
I find that all of the stores seldom have advertised items instock towards the end of the ad. That however, is a very tricky skill to learn, so I don’t fault the stores for it, just rather expect it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen actual sales people roaming around any of the three stores to ask questions.
By default Target gets my business. Why? eventually everything goes on sale, when it does, it’s a pretty good deal. Before I moved to the south, I had quite a traumatic experience at an Alabama Wal-Mart late one night a few days before Christmas. <shudder>
OTOH… The Wal-Mart in Honolulu is two stories tall. :>
Target has a better housewares department, but Walmart has a craft section, which the other two lack. Walmart is also my choice for automotives, toys, household products like paper towels and stuff, and cheap clothes, because their prices are lower. Also, Walmart’s clothing is of better quality than Kmart’s, in my experience, while Target’s clothing is not to my taste (too trying-to-be-designer, and sized funny, and expensive).
So basically, unless I need stuff for my kitchen or to decorate my home, I go to Walmart.
The greeters at the local Walmart are actually quite friendly, elderly folk who at a desk with their walker nearby and smile at you as you walk in. The rest of the staff seems to be made up of sullen, dour teenagers pouting because they’re not allowed to wear jeans, smoke and continually apply extra lip-liner to their already-clownish faces while they’re on duty. The teenagers who work at Target at least pretend to be cheerful. The staff at Target seems to be a few years older on average than the staff at Walmart, too (with the exception of the ancient greeters) - has anyone else noticed such a phenomenon?
Kmarts are filthy. And messy-we always had to put ALL the stock out, whether there was room or not-so the floor was absolutely crowded with boxes and packages.
I hate K-Mart. The store near me is absolutely dirty and disgusting and yucky. It’s always understaffed and understocked.
I love Target, but it is really out of the way. I will go there for clothes, for home decor and for entertainment stuff.
Wal-Mart is the necessary evil. I do my grocery shopping there, since it’s about $75/month cheaper than anywhere else. However, I hate it. I hate the majority of the people who shop at Wal-Mart. Not because they are bad people, but because these people think that their screaming brats aren’t annoying (and are actually cute). They think that their ass is tiny (even though it takes up the whole damn aisle). And they just stop and stare. In front of entrances to aisles. In the entrance to the store. Everywhere. And they swarm clearance racks like africanized bees, leaving paths of destruction all around. I’ve seen people spit in Wal-Mart, vomit in the parking lots, drop stuff, break stuff, open packages of food and eat part of it and put it back on a shelf. I’ve seen people pick fruit up off of the dirty floor and put it back on the displays. It’s just nasty. I don’t think I’ve seen worse customers. And heaven forbid you go shopping at Wal-Mart during the Holiday season. There is no cheer.
I don’t go to Wal-Mart during the day unless its an emergency. I will wait til about 2 or 3 am and go. I have picked up loose children and handed them back to their parents, who yell at me for touching their kid (yeah…and with you in charge, they would be purple in about 2 minutes because they were playing in the hair dyes). I’ve nudged people with my cart because after saying “excuse me” so many times that I feel like a broken record, I get frustrated because they don’t realize I’m talking to them.
I also hate their cashiers. Yes, I know that it is Wal-Mart policy that the cashier bag your stuff. I don’t know why. It can’t be liability. If I can get the damn item to the checkout, I want to be able to put it in a bag, with other similar items and then pay for the stuff and leave. I’m tired of having to take stuff out of bags because the cashier put my red leaf lettuce in the same bag as raw chicken. I’m tired of taking cans of tomatos out of the same bag that my bread is in. I’m tired of the cashiers sighing because I buy ingredients–things that don’t come in packages with a UPC code preprinted on it. I buy veggies and fruits and things that have to be weighed and have a little number code (that is on a little cheat sheet and in the computer system to be looked up). Get over it, and do what you’re paid to do. I’m not being mean to you or buying certain items for spite. Although it would be fun.