Average time spent at Walmart and Target: Are you above average?

Have you ever been accused of spending TOO much time shopping at Walmart or Target?

A recent report has revealed how much time the average shopper spends strolling the aisles of some of the biggest names in retail.

Average time spent in some stores is decreasing

If you feel like you’re spending less time filling your cart in some stores, you’re not alone. According to a study published by Placer.ai, some, but not all, retail stores are seeing a decline in the amount of time customers spend in their stores.

According to the report, a particularly noticeable decline in the so-called “time spent” by customers at Walmart and Target is evident.

Placer.ai found that Walmart has shown a downward trend in the first half of each of the last four years. Target customer dwell time remained flat in both the first half of 2021 and 2022, but decreased in the following two years.

There is no exact scientific reason for this. It could be that people are trying to spend less. It could also be because stores are realising that more customers are shopping online.

Average time people spend at Walmart and Target

In the first half of 2024, the average purchase at Walmart took longer than a trip to Target.

According to Placer.ai, the average time a Walmart customer spends in store is 31.8 minutes, compared to 32.8 minutes during the same period last year.

READ MORE: Experts recommend the best and worst days to shop at Walmart

At Target, the average customer dwell time in the first half of 2024 was 28.7 minutes. In the same period in 2023, it was 29.5 minutes.

This is the fourth year in a row that the report shows that customers spend more time at Walmart than at Target.

And while customers are moving in and out faster at these two retail giants, another big-name player is seeing an increase in the time customers spend in its aisles.

Costco was the only notable name in the Placer.ai report that showed a year-over-year increase in shopper time spent, with the average shopper time spent at 37.3 minutes, up from 36.8 minutes in 2023.

I guess those free samples from Costco can slow down your shopping spree a bit.