Craig Johnson, president of retail consulting firm Customer Growth Partners, compared 35 brand-name items sold at Wal-Mart and Target stores in New York, Indiana and North Carolina. They consisted of 22 common grocery goods such as milk, cereal and rice; 10 general merchandise products such as clothing and home furnishings; and three health and beauty items.
Target's shopping cart rang in at $269.13 (pre-tax), a hair lower than the $271.07 charged at Wal-Mart.
You're right, that's not a huge difference but there is a huge difference in the shopping experience between the two stores. Target stores are clean, well-lit and well-staffed whereas most every Wal-Mart I've been in is disheveled, dingy, dark in places and its nearly impossible to find someone to help you.
There's actually a psychological reason for this, people shopping in a store that looks like crap are tricked into thinking they are getting a better deal because the store is shabby.
Me? I prefer to shop at Target (though admittedly less so since the CEO of Target is a homophobic asshat) because the company does not have a track record of exploitation at every turn, Target does not gouge employees and force them to work off the clock, Target does not lie, cheat and steal at every turn. Wal-Mart has and Wal-Mart does.