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Walmart and Sam’s Club revealed on July 6 that they are lowering their prices across the country to help shoppers save money on common products this summer. Walmart is cutting prices on thousands of products, including groceries, household essentials, toys, and clothes. At the same time, Sam’s Club is dropping prices on more than 250 items focused on road trips and grilling, while also keeping its gas prices low. These cheaper prices can be found in their physical stores, on their websites, or through their shopping apps, the company said in the press release. Examples of specific savings listed in the press release include:1 lb. 73% Ground Beef Roll, Fresh ($5.94, was $6.74)Fresh Red Cherries 2.25 lb. bag ($5.63, was $11.18)Great Value Ice Cream 48 fl. oz ($2.50, was $2.97)Frito-Lay Family Fun Variety Pack, 18-count ($8.97, was $9.97)Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 24-packs ($9.97, was $14.97)Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Dr Pepper and Diet Mountain Dew 24-packs ($9.97, was $13.97)How do Walmart’s rollbacks compare to other retailers’ prices? For regular Walmart shoppers, these price cuts are welcome news, especially if you are a deal hunter whose wallet is squeezed due to inflation. TheStreet dug deeper to see how much the products currently on discount at Walmart cost at the other two giant retailers, Target and Kroger. Prices were pulled live on July 9, 2026.Summer grocery price comparison: Walmart vs. Target vs. Kroger Product & Exact SizeWalmart (New Rollback)Target (Live Source)Kroger (Live Source)Ground Beef (1 lb, 73/27)$5.94$7.59 at Target$5.99 at KrogerCoca-Cola (24-pack cans)$9.97$15.99 at Target$14.99 at Kroger (member price may vary by region and digital coupon availability)Lay’s Classic Chips (8 oz)$2.50$3.49 at Target$3.99 at Kroger (digital promotions may reduce the price, depending on location)Frito-Lay Variety Pack (18-ct)$8.97$9.99 at Target$9.99 to $10.99 at KrogerBusiness Insider conducted a similar investigation, comparing Walmart’s promotional prices against Kroger’s and Amazon’s. The outlet’s review also confirmed that Walmart offered the lowest overall grocery bill with the latest summer promotional discounts.  While Amazon lagged behind in value, Kroger proved to be highly competitive if shoppers took advantage of its rotating member coupons rather than standard shelf prices.Which of 35 grocery chains generally offers the best deals?A recent, massive 2026 supermarket price study conducted by Consumer Reports analyzed baskets of common groceries across 35 chains to find out which one saves shoppers the most. The study compared prices in six cities representative of their regions. The review, done prior to Walmart’s latest promotional offering, revealed that Costco Wholesale, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Lidl, Aldi, WinCo, and H-E-B are typically the most affordable. Here is the entire list, showcasing the average price difference versus Walmart, which served as a baseline across all locations: Costco Wholesale: -21.4%BJ’s Wholesale Club: -21.0%Lidl: -8.5%Aldi: -8.3%WinCo: -3.3%H-E-B: -0.2%Walmart: BaselineMarket Basket: +1.2%Target: +5.9%Wegmans: +7.6%King Soopers: +7.9%Safeway: +8.8%Food 4 Less: +9.0%Meijer: +9.9%Food Lion: +12.5%Hannaford: +13.2%Kroger: +14.8%Stater Bros.: +15.6%Save A Lot: +19.3%Publix: +20.3%Fiesta: +21.7%Ralphs: +21.9%Stop & Shop: +22.2%Piggly Wiggly: +22.6%Harris Teeter: +23.5%Trader Joe’s: +24.6%Albertsons: +24.8%Tom Thumb: +25.4%Big Y: +26.2%Vons: +26.6%Mariano’s: +27.6%Jewel-Osco: +29.7%El Rancho: +30.1%Shaw’s: +31.9%Whole Foods: +39.7%

Analysts and shoppers had plenty to say about Walmart and Sam’s Club’s recent price cuts.Douglas Rissing / Getty Images

Trump, analysts react to Walmart’s and Sam’s Club’s recent price cuts Following Walmart’s price cut announcements, President Donald Trump weighed in with a post on Truth Social.”I have just been informed that one of the biggest, best, and smartest Retailers in America, Walmart, will be lowering prices, by a lot, at my Administration’s request to celebrate our great Country’s 250th birthday.“Walmart is stepping up in a big and bold way, and other Retailers should follow the lead of these absolute Patriots,” the president added, wrote Barron’s. A Walmart representative told MarketWatch that Walmart’s price rollback typically lasts about 90 days, Morningstar noted. Meanwhile, following the price-cut announcement, Mizuho analyst David Bellinger reiterated his “outperform” rating on the stock, saying that Walmart already confirmed these exact price cuts in its corporate guidance. Related: Discount grocery giant shuts 100 stores, completely exits 3 states“Bellinger highlighted that Walmart has massive financial flexibility right now because it is receiving over $2 billion in tariff refunds from the U.S. government, which it is funneling directly into store discounts,” wrote Investing.com. While many analysts expected these price cuts, a number of them are now predicting price wars among popular retailers. “Grocery will get even more competitive in the second half. With Kroger, Albertsons, Costco, and Dollar Tree (more visible $1 price points) all being very vocal about price investments, this announcement will heighten concerns about a price war,” said Wolfe Research’s Spencer Hanus, as reported by Barron’s. Hanus also noted that Walmart price rollbacks were already up some 20% in the first quarter, and that is projected to accelerate in the coming quarters. However, the challenge that regular shoppers are completely fed up and exhausted because grocery prices have gone up by 33% over the last few years, wrote Barron’s Teresa Rivas. So, what exactly are consumers saying? Walmart shoppers react to latest price dropsI reviewed a recent Reddit thread sharing the news on Walmart’s latest price cuts and the discussion around it. A review of the highest-voted comments in a Reddit discussion of roughly 476 comments showed that sentiment was overwhelmingly skeptical toward Walmart’s announcement, despite the underlying news being positive.The Reddit conversation quickly shifted from “cheaper groceries” to broader debates about corporate pricing, inflation, politics, and whether the announcement is genuine or simply a marketing ploy. While some users were cynical and joked around how Walmart is only discounting items with the letter “B” (from beef to backpacks), the more serious comments argue that the retailer is only rolling back prices because a drop in public assistance benefits and general shopper exhaustion caused a dip in the retailer’s foot traffic. Although the Reddit user was correct that public assistance cuts have hurt lower-income households’ budgets, available Placer.ai data suggest that Walmart’s overall foot traffic has continued to grow, which doesn’t support the claim that shoppers are abandoning the chain. “Cutting prices back to where they were two years ago isn’t a discount, it’s just admitting they were gouging us in the first place,” wrote user ugliestmartyrdom43. This was among the most common themes in the discussion.“Sounds like PR bullshit. WinCo and Costco have better prices 95% of the time,” wrote user buddhistbulgyo.Reddit user awildjabroner wrote a comment that resonated with more than 400 users in this thread.“Further proof that the cost of living and inflation issues are largely due to corporate price gouging. WM has no issues raising prices across the board to capitalize on more affluent demographics shopping there more, but now that the cut in snap and other public benefits is not buoying up their largest customer base a major revenue stream has dried up… so they just walk back the price gouging a bit because they always could,” they wrote. What Walmart’s price cuts really mean for shoppersWalmart’s latest price cuts appear to offer real savings on many everyday items, particularly when compared with standard prices at Target and Kroger. However, broader pricing studies suggest that shoppers who are willing to compare stores or buy in bulk can often still find lower prices elsewhere. More importantly, consumer reaction shows that many shoppers remain focused less on today’s discounts than on how much grocery costs have increased over the past several years. Whether these promotions improve public perception or simply intensify competition among major retailers will likely depend on how long the lower prices last and whether rival chains respond with deeper discounts of their own.Related: Big-name designer fashion chain closes 139 stores

Verizon has spent years arguing that its network quality is the one thing competitors cannot replicate. On July 9, it found another place to prove that point. BMW is giving it the keys, figuratively, to the connectivity layer running inside every new BMW, MINI, and BMW Group vehicle sold in the United States.The deal is not a traditional wireless contract. It puts Verizon’s 5G Standalone and LTE networks at the center of how BMW’s connected features work, from firmware updates to navigation to subscription services. And it signals something happening across the auto industry that investors in both sectors should pay attention to.Verizon and KDDI land BMW connected car deal for the U.S. marketVerizon Business and Japanese telecom company KDDI announced the collaboration on July 9 via a press release.Under the arrangement, KDDI’s Global Communications Platform acts as the middleware layer that programmatically manages connectivity and data flowing through Verizon’s network into BMW Group vehicles.The practical effect for drivers is that every new BMW and MINI sold in the U.S. now comes with Verizon-powered telematics built in. That covers BMW Connected Drive services, firmware and map updates delivered over the air, and subscription features.More Verizon:Verizon acquires 35-year-old wireless carrier as it shuts downVerizon drops 2 new plans as wireless customers flee high pricesVerizon customers can now avoid 2 major fees with new offerOur collaboration with BMW Group and KDDI prioritizes innovation and capability to advance the connected driving experience for drivers across the U.S.,” Verizon Business CEO Kyle Malady said. Satoshi Oishi, President and CEO of KDDI America, said the company was honored to bring its Global Communications Platform to BMW Group’s next-generation connected vehicle services. KDDI has worked with BMW Group since 2022 and has been building IoT connectivity infrastructure for over two decades.Why the BMW deal matters for Verizon’s connected car strategyVerizon already has a significant connected car relationship with Volkswagen Group, where it provides telematics connectivity across VW’s brands, primarily through Audi, according to Light Reading. The BMW partnership extends that footprint into the premium European segment that Volkswagen does not cover.Daniel Lawson, Senior VP for Global Solutions at Verizon Business, described the scope to Light Reading as covering telematics for the full BMW Group vehicle lineup in the U.S., including “firmware and map updates, subscription services and all the things BMW tracks as part of the driver experience and health of the car.”Related: Verizon CEO sends shocking message to employeesThis matters more to Verizon than it might look from the outside. The company’s wireless service revenue is expected to be roughly flat in 2026 as it transitions to what it calls volume-based growth. The traditional consumer phone business does not have the same room to run that it did a decade ago. Connected vehicles represent one of the cleaner paths to recurring revenue that does not depend on smartphone upgrade cycles.Verizon launched its first BMW connectivity service in 2023, offering voice, data, and unlimited Wi-Fi hotspot access for $20 a month through the My BMW app. The July 9 announcement goes considerably further, embedding Verizon’s network at the infrastructure level rather than as an add-on subscription service.What BMW gets from the Verizon KDDI partnershipBMW’s incentive is straightforward. Premium car buyers in 2026 do not treat connectivity as a bonus feature. They treat it the way they treat the engine: it either works reliably or it does not, and if it does not, it reflects on the brand.By locking in Verizon’s 5G Standalone network as the connectivity backbone, BMW gets a stable foundation for all of its digital services in the U.S. market. KDDI’s platform layer means BMW has granular control over how connectivity and data are managed, rather than depending on whatever a carrier decides to prioritize.The arrangement also positions BMW well for what comes next. Firmware updates over the air, subscription-based feature unlocks, and vehicle health tracking are all growing parts of how automakers generate post-sale revenue. A reliable network partner makes those services easier to scale.

The practical effect for drivers is that every new BMW and MINI sold in the U.S. now comes with Verizon-powered telematics built inHoppe/Getty Images

The connected car market Verizon and BMW are both betting onThe global connected car market is projected to grow from roughly $145 billion in 2026 to nearly $570 billion by 2034, according to Fortune Business Insights. That kind of growth curve is what makes automotive connectivity attractive to a carrier like Verizon even if individual deals start small.AT&T has built a large connected car business through its relationship with General Motors and OnStar. Verizon has been catching up through its Volkswagen and now BMW relationships, pursuing the market through both direct manufacturer deals and partnerships like this one with KDDI. The race for embedded automotive connectivity is essentially a second wireless subscriber war, except the subscribers are vehicles instead of people.For investors watching Verizon, the BMW deal is another data point in the company’s push to diversify revenue beyond consumer wireless. The company also recently signed a joint venture with BT Group to combine their international enterprise operations, according to an SEC filing.Both moves point in the same direction: Verizon is trying to build recurring enterprise revenue streams that are less tied to how many people upgrade their phone this quarter.What Verizon’s BMW deal means for telecom and auto investorsConnected car partnerships are not glamorous announcements. They do not move stock prices the way an earnings beat does, and they take years to show up in revenue in a meaningful way. But they compound. Every vehicle sold with Verizon connectivity embedded is a multi-year recurring revenue relationship that does not require a sales call to renew.For Verizon investors, the question is whether the company can stack enough of these relationships, across automakers, enterprise IoT, and infrastructure deals, to offset the slower growth in its core wireless business. BMW is a meaningful name to have on that list. It is a premium brand with buyers who are less price-sensitive and more likely to keep connected services active over the life of the vehicle.Malady said Verizon is pursuing other automotive opportunities through partnerships like KDDI and directly with manufacturers. The BMW deal adds to an existing Volkswagen relationship and suggests the company is methodically working through the premium segment of the auto market rather than waiting for one large anchor deal to define the strategy.Related: Verizon acquires 35-year-old wireless carrier as it shuts down

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