11 Target Items Frugal People Never Buy

In the realm of mega-retailers, Target holds a dominant position. In its third-quarter earnings for 2023, released last November, the bullseye retailer reported a total revenue of $25.4 billion. Though this represented a soft decline year over year, it’s hardly an insignificant amount of money.

And really, who doesn’t love Target? With its seemingly endless aisles, whimsical displays and high-quality goods offered at competitive prices, there’s a good reason why there are so many memes about heading into Target to buy only a couple of things and leave the store with a cartload of items. 

Though Target often sports reasonable prices, it’s not always the best place to shop when you’re trying to save money.

Here’s a look at 11 items frugal people never buy at Target.

Every kid in suburban America needs a bike, but it probably shouldn’t be purchased at Target — not if you’re looking to save.

“Kids’ bikes are typically cheaper at Walmart than at Target,” said Todd Stearn, founder and CEO of The Money Manual. “You can save about $25. Children outgrow bicycles and, well, everything so quickly. It hardly seems worth it to overpay.”

Do you have a name-brand electric toothbrush? You usually don’t need a name-brand electric toothbrush head replacement for it.

“You can also save a lot of money by skipping the name-brand electric toothbrush replacement heads at Target,” Stearn said. “Try the generic toothbrush heads on Amazon. Some of them have terrific ratings. You can pay about $1.80 per generic toothbrush head versus $9.33 per head for the name-brand version at Target.”

Oreo cookies are household staples for some, but you’re better off getting them on Amazon than at Target, according to Andy Cooper, financial analyst and money saving expert at CouponBirds.

A 25.5-ounce package sells for over $6.50 at Target, but the same size goes for under $6 on Amazon.

You know what they say about Lay’s potato chips: You can’t have just one. But you can pay less for a bag.

“You should avoid buying them at Target, which offers a price of $4.29 for 8 ounces,” Cooper said. “At Walmart, the same product costs $2.50 — 41.7% lower than at Target.”

The costs of pet food can be notoriously high, making times tough for dog owners. If you have a dog, reconsider buying Rachael Ray Nutrish Real Chicken & Veggies Recipe dog food from Target.

“This dog food has good sales on both Target and Amazon, with a rating of 4.6 — from 3,689 users at Target and 53,623 users on Amazon,” Cooper said. “But, it is not suggested to buy it at Target, as it offers a price of $58.99 for 40 pounds. You can find the same product for 11% less, at $52.23, on Amazon.”

With Valentine’s Day heading this way, chocolate love is in the air.

But if you’re interested in buying Ferrero Rocher chocolates, think about skipping them at Target and going to Costco, instead.

“At Target, Ferrero’s chocolate is [priced at] $13.49 for [a] 24 count — $0.56 [each],” Cooper said. “But you can buy [a] 48 count of the same chocolate at Costco for only $17.99 — $0.37 [each]. The unit price of this chocolate at Target is 51.4% higher than that at Costco.”

Premium beef is hard to nab for a good price. Don’t even bother trying at Target.

“The Angus strip steak is also not recommended to be bought at Target, because it provides a price of $14.79 [per pound] — 17% higher than at Walmart, which sells a similar 1 pound steak at only $12.47,” Cooper said.

Another pricey pet food choice at Target is Purina Friskies Seafood Sensations.

“This cat food has a rating of 4.7 both on Amazon and Target,” Cooper said. “It is priced at $15.99 for 16 pounds — 0.99 [per pound] — at Target. The same product on Amazon only costs $19.48 for 22 pounds — $0.89 [per pound]. The unit price at Target is 11.2% higher than on Amazon.”

In the case of a Duracell AA batteries, you’re better off heading to Costco.

“This 24-pack [of batteries], you should not buy at Target, because it costs you $18.49 — $0.77 [each] — while you can get a fairer price of $20.99 for [a] 40 pack — $0.52 [each] — at Costco,” Cooper said.

Target has made great strides to become a top destination for home décor, and you certainly can find a beautiful selection there. But you won’t find the best pricing.

“A good alternative to Target décor with comparable quality is going to places like TJ Maxx and HomeGoods,” said Audrey Boyce, VP of operations at Empathy First Media. “Even Threshold — Target brand — has become increasingly more expensive compared to Walmart brands.”

“Coffee is something that has become increasingly more expensive across the board, especially with Keurig pods,” Boyce said. “Walmart is usually the cheapest option for this, as well, but the best deal is buying in bulk at Costco or Sam’s Club.”