14 Walmart Items Pennsylvanians Should Never Waste Their Money On

Have you ever walked into Walmart for one thing and suddenly you’re wheeling out a cart with a blender, a beach towel, five candles, and a rotisserie chicken?

It happens to the best of us.

Walmart is budget-friendly, but not everything is a deal. Some of those “savings” come back to bite Pennsylvanian customers with broken parts, wasted food, or stuff that ends up in the junk drawer.

If you want to shop smarter and keep more money in your wallet, these are a few Walmart finds that, in our opinion, aren’t worth tossing in your cart.

Store-Brand Trash Bags

Walmart’s Great Value trash bags may look like a good deal compared to name brands like Hefty or Glad. But many shoppers know they rip way too easily.

You might end up needing to double-bag or clean up a giant mess if a single bag splits on you.

Trust us—saving a few cents per bag doesn’t feel like a win when you’re chasing garbage down the driveway.

If you’re already dealing with stinky trash, the last thing you want is a flimsy bag.

Our advice? Spend the extra dollar or two on a brand that holds up, especially if you have kids, pets, or heavy trash.

Cheap Nonstick Cookware

Walmart’s nonstick pots and pans can be tempting, especially when you see sets for under $30.

But the coating on these often wears off quickly, and once that happens, you’re left with a pan that food sticks to, not to mention the coating can flake into your food.

Many bargain-brand nonstick pans from Walmart use lower-grade materials that warp with heat or lose their nonstick surface after just a few months. You’ll start needing more oil to cook or scrubbing harder just to get eggs off the bottom.

That defeats the whole point of having nonstick cookware in the first place, wouldn’t you say?

It’s smarter to invest in one or two good pans instead of a cheap 10-piece set that falls apart. Brands like T-fal and Cuisinart often go on sale, and their pans tend to last longer.

Pre-Cut Fruits and Veggies

Those clear containers of sliced watermelon or mixed veggies at Walmart might seem like a time-saver, but they’re seriously overpriced. You’re paying a big markup just because someone chopped them up for you.

A $6 container of pineapple chunks might only give you the fruit from one small pineapple, which you could buy whole for less than $3.

It’s not just about cost, either. Pre-cut produce doesn’t last as long because it spoils faster once it’s sliced and exposed to air. Unless you plan on eating them right away, you’re more likely to end up with slimy cantaloupe or browning apple slices in your fridge.

Plus, you don’t save that much time by buying pre-cut. Chopping a few carrots or slicing a pepper takes less than five minutes. If you keep a cutting board and knife handy, you’ll save money every week doing it yourself.

Electronics from Unknown Brands

You’ll find headphones, chargers, Bluetooth speakers, and tablets at Walmart that come from brands you may have never heard of.

Do your due diligence before buying such products. Many of these electronics are cheaply made, stop working prematurely, or don’t do what they claim.

For example, a $10 pair of earbuds might sound like a steal, but they often have terrible audio and fall apart after a few months. In our opinion, it’s not worth the risk to save a few bucks.

Stick to trusted brands you’re familiar with when buying electronics at Walmart. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. And when it comes to tech, you don’t want to gamble with quality.

Low-Quality Furniture-in-a-Box

Walmart sells a lot of budget-friendly furniture, from dressers to bookshelves to TV stands. Some of it comes in a box with pieces you have to assemble yourself.

While such furniture might look cute online or assembled in the store, the materials are often cheap particleboard that dents, scratches, or collapses under too much weight.

And good luck moving this furniture without something breaking; these pieces are typically made for one-time assembly. They don’t hold up to much wear and tear.

If you just need a quick fix for a dorm or temporary space, okay—but if you’re furnishing a home or want something that lasts, look elsewhere than boxed furniture.

Name-Brand Cereal (When It’s Not on Sale)

Walmart carries a variety of name-brand cereals. But unless you hit a sale or use a coupon, you’re paying top dollar for a box of mostly sugar and air.

Brands like Kellogg’s, General Mills, and Post are often seriously marked up unless you catch them at a discount. To be fair, this isn’t a Walmart-specific issue—name-brand cereal is expensive across the board these days.

On the flip side, Walmart’s Great Value cereals are a lot cheaper and in some cases taste nearly identical. People who’ve done side-by-side taste tests swear they can’t tell the difference between Great Value Frosted Flakes and Kellogg’s.

And if you’re just tossing it into a bowl of milk, does the tiger on the box really matter?

Of course, if your kid refuses to eat anything but Lucky Charms, go for it—but maybe wait until there’s a deal. Otherwise, try the store brand and save a couple of bucks every week.

Greeting Cards

Greeting cards at Walmart can cost $4 to $7 each. Some cards even go as high as $9 if they sing a song or pop open.

For something that gets read once and then tossed in a drawer or trash can, that’s a lot.

You can get similar cards for way cheaper at Dollar Tree. Or even better, buy packs of blank cards or make your own.

The person you’re giving it to will care more about the message you wrote than whether the front was glittery or branded with Hallmark.

There are also tons of free or cheap printable cards online that you can personalize. If you’re giving a card just to show you care, you don’t have to overpay for it at Walmart’s card aisle.

Cheap Batteries

It might be easy to grab a pack of Great Value batteries when you’re in the checkout line, but don’t expect them to last very long.

In most cases, they’ll run out faster than name-brand options like Energizer or Duracell, especially in power-hungry gadgets like remotes, toys, or flashlights.

Tests from Consumer Reports have shown that store-brand batteries usually fall short in both performance and lifespan. That means you end up replacing them more often, which doesn’t save money in the long run.

If you’re using batteries for something important—like smoke detectors or flashlights during a storm—it’s better to go with a brand you trust.

A few extra cents up front can save you from headaches later.

Kitchen Gadgets That Look Fun but Do Very Little

Walmart has all kinds of little gadgets that promise to make your life easier in the kitchen, like egg slicers, avocado tools, or banana holders. But most of these end up sitting in a drawer unused.

They’re usually cheaply made, hard to clean, or only useful for one very specific task.

Do you really need a plastic tool to mash avocados when a fork does the job? Or a taco holder shaped like a dinosaur that takes up half your cabinet space?

These gadgets seem fun, but unless you’re using them weekly, they’re borderline clutter.

Stick to the basics: a sharp knife, a good spatula, and a solid cutting board will get you way further than a novelty egg cracker.

The bottom line? If a gadget looks too goofy to be useful, it probably is.

Overpriced Printer Ink

Printer ink is one of those sneaky expenses that add up fast. Walmart sells name-brand ink cartridges, but the prices are often just as high as anywhere else—and sometimes more expensive than ordering directly from the manufacturer.

Walmart also carries off-brand cartridges, but some of these can cause printer errors or give you streaky prints. Reviews are mixed, with some people saying they work fine and others reporting total failures after one use.

You’ll usually get a better deal buying ink from online stores like Amazon or directly from the printer’s brand site, where you can also check compatibility more easily.

Pro tip: If you regularly buy printer ink, check if you can sign up for subscription refills. That alone can save you 20% or more.

Toilet Paper in Small Packs

It might be tempting to grab a four-pack of toilet paper when you’re in a rush, but you’re paying a lot more per roll than if you just bought a bigger bundle.

Walmart’s smaller packs can cost nearly double per sheet compared to the bulk options.

If you’ve got the space to store it, go with the 12 or 24-roll packs. They’re usually a better deal, especially on house brands like Great Value.

Plus, no one wants to run out of TP unexpectedly. Buying in bulk once saves you time, money, and emergency late-night trips.

Even better? Use the Walmart app to check unit prices before you grab anything. Sometimes two small packs are less of a deal than one jumbo one—and the math’s already done for you right there.

Knockoff Phone Accessories

Walmart sells a lot of cheap phone cases, screen protectors, and pop sockets from brands you’ve probably never heard of.

They might only cost $5 to $10, but that’s often still too much for something that breaks after a short time or doesn’t fit your phone quite right.

Poor-quality screen protectors might not adhere well, leaving bubbles or peeling at the corners. And cheap charging cables could stop working or overheat shortly after you buy them.

Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you’re putting something on a $1,000 phone, don’t protect it with something that costs less than a sandwich.

Clothing Basics

Walmart’s fashion section has a lot of affordable basics—T-shirts, leggings, and hoodies. But many of them don’t hold up well after a few washes.

Shrinking, fading, and stretched-out necklines are complaints some customers have.

If you’re just buying a shirt for painting or yardwork, go for it. But if you want something to wear weekly, you might need to replace it sooner than you’d like.

Stores like T.J. Maxx and Marshalls often have better quality basics that go on sale for similar prices. Plus, you’ll be able to flaunt a higher-quality brand logo, if that’s your thing.

Cleaning Products

Many cleaning products—like bleach, glass cleaner, and bathroom sprays—are cheaper at places like the Dollar Tree than Walmart. You can usually grab name brands or effective off-brands for $1.25, compared to Walmart’s $2 or $3 prices.

If you’re just doing regular cleaning and don’t need anything fancy, why pay more?

Bleach is bleach. A window cleaner that costs $1.25 often works just as well as one that costs triple that. And many of the smaller bottles are easier to store under the sink, too.

Unless you’re looking for heavy-duty specialty cleaners, check your local dollar store first. You might be surprised how much further your money goes.

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