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Whether you love shopping at Wal-Mart or avoid it at all costs, the fact that they often have the lowest prices for the things teachers need really cannot be disputed. 

If you’d rather not go to the store, you can always just visit Wal-Mart.com (HINT: sometimes their prices online are cheaper than their in-store prices). No matter how big your local Wal-Mart is, there are considerably more options available online.

Another option is to shop online for items that are available for their free Pickup Today service.

Here are some of our favorite tips for getting the most out of your Wal-Mart experience.

School Supplies

If you haven’t been buying school supplies at Wal-Mart, you have most likely been spending too much money! They practically give away the basics like crayons, pencils, and folders in their “back-to-school” sales (bonus: look for their mid-term “ back-to-college” sales if you live in or near a college town). While you may get a rush from walking down the aisles of school supplies, touching and holding these items may bring more of a risk these days.

Wal-Mart.com has made school shopping from home much easier. You gotta check out The K-12 Shop/Your School Prep HQ! 

The Teacher’s Shop is an absolute must-stop.  You can find local school supply lists or search general supplies needed by grade level. There are also links for Kids’ Study Space and Extracurriculars.

There you will find a special page just for Top School Supplies/Classroom Essentials. You can shop by subject, writing supplies, bulk teaching supplies, notebooks & paper, storage & organization, other school supplies, classroom supplies, and arts & crafts.

Also on this page are links to shop for disinfectants, hand sanitizers, tissues, tech for teachers, bulletin board supplies, teaching aids, reading time, and learning at home.

Shopping at Walmart.com may be even more overwhelming than shopping in the store due to the fact that they offer over 4,000,000 different products, so use the options on the left of the screen to refine your shopping experience. You can refine by department (chalkboards, school furniture, classroom decoration, awards and incentives, classroom teaching aids), delivery and pickup options, gender, brand, age, expertise level, price, material, color, count, size, special offers, and customer rating.

PPE

In many areas, finding Personal Protective Equipment has gotten a little easier, but as COVID-19 cases ebb and flow throughout the country, finding what you need between now and the first day of school (much less keeping supplies on hand as we enter cold and flu season) may get considerably more challenging. Wal-Mart has a wide selection of reusable and disposable face masks and coverings. They also have quite a selection of disposable gloves.

It would be wise to try and stock up on these items if at all possible. Demand probably won’t be going down any time soon.

Money-Saving Tips

If you are shopping online, filter your search by clicking Rollback to see items that are on sale. 

Most orders of $35 or more receive free shipping, no membership required! Just look for the logo that says “2-Day Shipping” on the product page (items may be available for free same-day pick-up at the store). You can even click the radio button next to “2-Day Shipping” to limit your shopping to only items that are eligible.

On Walmart.com you can also select and print coupons that are redeemable at your local Wal-Mart.

Creating an Account & Wish List

Creating a Wal-Mart account allows you to check on the status of any orders you have made, keep an address book of names and addresses you send orders, and keep an online photobook from which you can order prints. Most helpful, though, may be the ability to create and share a wish list.

Creating an account is quite simple; just follow this link.

Once you have created an account, you can create a wishlist of items you want for your classroom. Add anything you want from the Walmart.com website. You can add up to 5 collaborators who can add, edit, or delete items. You can also share the list with a view-only link that you could post on social media. People can add items from your list directly to their carts

You can also create or upload a school supplies list for your students.

Grants

Wal-Mart awards grants to local community nonprofits. Grants can range from $250 - $5,000. The current grant cycle is from  February 1 through December 31. Organizations can submit (and even receive) up to 25 applications throughout the cycle. If you haven’t heard back within 90 days, the application has been rejected, but feel free to resubmit it.. 

Grants must benefit the service area of the store to which the application was submitted so make sure you are applying to the Wal-Mart closest to your school campus, not the store closest to your house (or the one that you just prefer).

Submit an online application here.

Grants are awarded by individual store managers who have the right to adjust the process as they see fit.