9 Items You Shouldn't Buy At Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is known for offering some of the lowest prices on the market.

But there are a few items that cost more at Wal-Mart compared to rivals such as as Amazon, Aldi and Trader Joe's.

The Washington-based financial firm Kiplinger compiled a list of them based on price checks at two Wal-Mart stores and several competitors. Here are a few of the items that made the list:

1. Brand-name diapers. Wal-Mart has some offers some of the cheapest prices on house brand diapers, but when it comes to Huggies, Pampers, or Luvs, Amazon's prices are lower.

2. Ground beef. Aldi sells ground beef for $1 less per pound than Wal-Mart.

3. Organic milk. A half gallon of organic milk cost about 30 cents less at Aldi than at Wal-Mart and 50 cents less at Trader Joe's. "We've even found organic milk for less at upscale grocer Whole Foods," Kiplinger writes.

4. Nuts and seeds. Whole almonds cost nearly $1.50 more per pound at Wal-Mart compared to Trader Joe's prices, Kiplinger found. And a one-pound bag of walnuts cost $7.48 at Walmart, compared to $6.59 at Aldi.

5. Batteries. "Supermarkets tend to have high markups on batteries," Kiplinger writes. "So does Walmart. You'll do better by buying batteries in bulk at a warehouse club. For example, Duracell AA batteries cost nearly twice as much per battery at Walmart than at Costco ($10.97 for a pack of 16 versus $14.99 for a pack of 40)."

6. Gift cards. Gift cards for retailers and restaurants can be found at cheaper prices online. For example, a $50 Olive Garden gift card costs $50 at Wal-Mart, but can be found for as low as $43.22 on GiftCardGranny.com.

7. Video games. Amazon has Wal-Mart beat in this area. All but one of the video games that Kiplinger ran price checks on were cheaper on Amazon. The Xbox 360 game "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" for example, cost $31.95 on Amazon and $45.99 on Wal-Mart.com.

8. Toys and games. "We checked prices on a variety of toys and games - from Lego sets to Monopoly to an Easy Bake Oven - and found that Amazon beat Walmart by several dollars on all of the items except one (which was the same price at both retailers)," Kiplinger writes.

9. Gift bags and wrapping paper. Kiplinger suggests buying these items at dollar stores, where they are priced around $1, instead of Wal-Mart, where they can cost as much as $4.97.