Wal-Mart Beats the Gloom as Sales Rise

March 5, 2009 — -- As the recession continues to batter most retailers, Wal-Mart has once again proven itself the exception. The discount chain today reported that February same-store sales at Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart-owned Sam's Club stores rose 5.1 percent, exceeding analyst expectations.

"Our customers have come to trust our 'Save Money Live Better' promise and we exceeded our own expectations for the period," Eduardo Castro-Wright, vice chairman of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., said in a statement issued by the company today.

Castro-Wright attributed the sales jump in part to drops in gas prices that he said provided consumers with more disposable income. They spend at Wal-Mart, he said, "because they trust us for our price leadership."

Grocery sales are among the areas where Wal-Mart appears to have an edge over its competitors.

While consumers may disagree on the quality of items offered by Wal-Mart compared to its competitors, a recent review by ABCNews.com found that when it came to low prices, Wal-Mart generally beat out archrival Target and regional grocery chain Stop & Shop on both name brand and generic goods.

ABCNews.com checked the prices on nine different items at three northern New Jersey stores: a Target in Jersey City, a Wal-Mart in Secaucus and a Stop & Shop in Clifton. See our results below:

Stop & Shop
Store Brand: $5.99
Reynolds Wrap: $8.49

Target
Store Brand: $6.39
Reynolds Wrap: $7.39

Wal-Mart
Store Brand: $6.32
Reynolds Wrap: $7.37

Stop & Shop
Store Brand, 64 oz: $2
Mott's, 64 oz: $2.99

Target
Store Brand, 64 oz: $2.34
Mott's, 64 oz: $2.59

Wal-Mart
Store Brand, 96 oz: $1.97
Mott's, 64 oz: $2

Stop & Shop

Store Brand, 24-Pack: $4.69

Poland Spring, 24-Pack: $5.49

Target
Store Brand, 24-Pack: $3.99
Poland Spring, 24-Pack: $5.49

Wal-Mart
Store Brand, 24-Pack: $3.98
Aquafina, 24-Pack: $4.98

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Stop & Shop
Store Brand, $2.59
Chips Ahoy, $2.50

Target
Store Brand, $1.99
Chips Ahoy, $2.54

Wal-Mart
Store Brand, $1.12
Chips Ahoy, $2.50

Stop & Shop

Store Brand, $0.60

Kraft, $1

Target
Store Brand, $0.64
Kraft, $1

Wal-Mart
Store Brand, $0.50
Kraft, $0.50

Stop & Shop

Store Brand, 8 Rolls: $7.49

Bounty Giant Rolls, 8 Rolls: $12.99

Target
Store Brand, 8 Rolls: $6.99
Bounty Giant Rolls, 8 Rolls: $10

Wal-Mart
Store Brand, 9 Rolls (3 Packages of 3 Rolls): $5.52
Bounty Basic Giant Rolls, 8 Rolls: $8.00

Stop & Shop
Store Brand, 28 oz. jar: $3.49 or $0.12 per ounce
Skippy, 28 oz. jar: $3.79 or $0.14 per ounce

Target
Store Brand, 18 oz jar: $1.64 or $0.09 per ounce
Skippy, 16.3 oz jar: $2.09 or $0.13 per ounce

Wal-Mart
Store Brand, 18 oz: $1.64 or $0.09 per ounce
Skippy, 16.3 oz: $2.08 or $0.13 per ounce

*Since the Stop & Shop store brand peanut butter and the Stop & Shop Skippy peanut butter listed here come in significantly larger jars, we are using approximate per ounce price for comparison purposes.

Stop & Shop

Store Brand: $1.50

Ragu: $2.50

Target
Store Brand: $1.17
Ragu: $1.79

Wal-Mart
Store Brand: $1.17
Ragu: $1.50

Stop & Shop

Store Brand: $1.39

Wonder Bread: $3.19

Target
Store Brand: $1:49
Wonder Bread: $3.19

Wal-Mart
Store Brand: $1.42
Wonder Bread: $2:35

Stop & Shop Name Brand: $41.67

Target Store Brand: $26.62
Target Name Brand: $36.33

Wal-Mart Store Brand: $23.64
Wal-Mart Name Brand: $31.28