Looking at traffic trends at some of the biggest retailers in the United States, Placer.ai noted that superstores and warehouse clubs saw more foot traffic in early 2025.
Warehouse clubs continued seeing greater traffic gains than their superstore competitors in January, with Costco and Sam’s Club up 7.7% each and BJ’s up 7.4%. However, Walmart and Target gained momentum, with store traffic up 3% and 3.6%, respectively, versus 2024.
In a step beyond, Placer.ai looked at shopper behavior at Walmart versus Target. It determined that Target tends to attract visitors from areas with higher household income and larger households, as well as those with children and non-family members like roommates. The difference may arise from Target’s relative appeal to core suburban and urban consumers. Placer.ai’s research indicated that Walmart attracts more repeat monthly visitors, and the market researcher pointed to the chain’s extensive grocery offerings and its popularity among rural and semi-rural consumers who may have limited retail options as reasons why.
In-store, Walmart shoppers linger a little longer, with 20.7% of the chain’s visits lasting more than 45 minutes compared to Target’s 17.1%. Along with the longer visits, Walmart gets a slightly larger share of weekday visits than Target, but Target has a slim edge over Walmart on the weekends.
