7 Walmart Clothes I Bought Sight Unseen: What Was Worth It?

Time was, I went into Walmart with trepidation, afraid that someone I knew from the kids’ school would see me buying groceries. I didn’t want to see anyone we knew. I didn’t think anyone else we knew shopped there. It didn’t occur to me that if I saw them there, they were shopping there too. All I could think was that if someone saw me in Walmart, our guilty secret would be out: in this world of normal persons, the world would figure out that we were poor.

Now never mind that 1) they already knew and 2) they didn’t really care 3) no one is completely normal.

Later, after my daughter started shopping there as a time saver (Walmart’s shopping app and delivery service are both efficient and economical) I changed my mind. People didn’t just shop at Walmart because it was cheaper; they also shopped there for the selection and efficiency. I became a Walmart+ customer and now buy groceries there every week and have them delivered. Super time saver! But I never thought I’d buy clothes there.

But The Walmart App is So Good

But Walmart was going to change my mind. They did this the modern way – using their easy-to-shop app. As I shopped, the app would slyly slip in clothing promos. One day they announced the “Celebrity Pink Drop.”

So What Is A “Drop,” Anyway?

I was so unused to shopping online that I didn’t know what a “drop” was. According to Bonfire, it’s “a limited edition of branded products on an e-commerce website designed to create urgency and excitement.” I had first encountered the “drop” idea years before. The “drop” burst on the e-commerce main stage with the Supreme “drops” my son was so interested in around 2012. Skater dude customers would frantically click on the Supreme site to try to get new items that were literally only available for seconds. Now, the “drop” has gone mainstream and Walmart has them.

As I checked the newly released merch, a jeans jacket caught my eye. It looked pretty sleek – nice faded denim, cool tan embroidered flowers on the yoke – and it was too cheap to believe – less than $20.

Would I buy it? What did I have to lose? I put the order in along with the cheese and milk and waited to see what would arrive.

I worried that if you bought clothes along with your groceries, you wouldn’t get to try them on. But I reasoned that if the jacket was awful, I could just do the return on the app and drop it off at Customer Service the next time I was near the store.

It took a few days – although you can order clothes at the same time as groceries, the clothes tend to come in a separate box shipped from out of town – but when the jeans jacket  arrived I was impressed. It was perfect! I immediately put it into service.

It became a pattern. When I needed something and I didn’t have time to go to Ross Dress for Less, I’d look at Walmart. Often as not, they had something appropriate. I slyly collected the things and put them in my closet, right next to my favorite designers – Anne Klein, DKNY, Cole Haan shoes, purses and dresses that were made by hand.

I could tell the difference, but no one else ever mentioned it.

Here, then, are 7 items I bought online sight unseen from the Walmart Shopping App – and how it went.

Celebrity Pink Jeans Jacket:

I ordered this because it was so cute and so inexpensive (on sale, $17.20). When it arrived, I was chuffed – it looked just like the picture, and what was more, it looked great on. It had a stylish shape and I got many compliments. I kept it in my classroom for whenever I needed a jacket – it matched everything I wore. Washing it had no effect. It was totally a win; the only sad thing was in the spring it disappeared from my room and I haven’t seen it since. I don’t know if I mislaid it or if it was stolen.

Free Assembly Crewneck Horse Sweater

I bought this on a whim because I like horses! This one, too, got lots of compliments, and the students thought it was cool. I don’t wear it an awful lot because it has a “sweater girl” kind of vibe, but I still wear it once in a while. It was unaffected by washing, and I rate this as a solid score, especially since it was only $20.

 

HajWoh Church Dress:

 

Now that everyone seems to be wearing dresses, I thought adding a nice dark long dress to my lineup would be a good thing, so I ordered this for $9.99 plus around $8 shipping. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the picture. The details are there – the puffed short sleeves, the zippered back – but the fabric is shiny and the skirt print is blurry so that it looks super cheap. Also, because the fabric is so thin, it doesn’t hang like in the picture. I felt compelled to return it.

 

Free Assembly Belted Women’s Mini-Dress

 

I bought this to match a Marine logo scarf I got at Sue’s boot camp graduation. It was the most expensive clothing item I bought at Walmart, at $36. Its short length and army green color seemed like they would work, and it does. It’s a little heavy, and unfortunately despite owning the book 50 Ways to Tie A Scarf, I could not make the scarf work with it. I don’t wear it a lot but enough. Maybe I was a little overzealous, buying a whole dress for one scarf. But at Walmart prices, you feel tempted.

 

ZZZHY Elegant Cowhide Spots Cardigan

 

A kid in third grade saw my cheetah sweater (Lands’ End) and said “Why don’t you get a cow sweater?” Well that sounded like a great idea and I got one from Walmart ($23.99). However, it didn’t live up to the picture. The fabric wasn’t, as I assumed, a sweater knit. It was T-shirt knit, and the printing of the spots was chintzy. Because the fabric was so thin, it didn’t hang well on the body and I took one look and thought “return.” And that’s what happened. I’m still looking for a serviceable cow sweater, but haven’t found one yet. I suppose I could knit my own …

 

What’s Next Women’s Long Striped Cardigan

 

At $12.99, this was the cheapest item I bought. I needed a long black duster-type sweater and this one fit the bill. Black goes with everything, you know. It looks okay, not show-stopping but passable, and there are some days you need a black duster sweater and passable is good enough. It is unaffected by washing. The verdict? A total bargain. No high-style design, but practical, practical, practical, like my Toyota.

 

White Flowered Keds Canvas Oxfords

 

I saw the behavior specialist at school wearing Keds with a dress and I thought, “Of course!” Sporty enough to really get moving, but slimline enough to wear with a dress. And I bought some Keds to go with the green drop-waist dress that I sewed last summer. The cushioning on the soles is minimal – I bought ped socks to go with them, because Keds look horrible with regular “footie” socks. You can see the sock around your instep and it breaks the line of the upper. But once I had these, it was a go. I wear them every week now. Verdict? Win!

 

In Conclusion on Walmart Clothes Shopping

 

So, do I still shop at Walmart for clothes? Yes, although I try not to buy things there every week. After all, your closet could soon be full, and I have to leave room for all my other acquisition methods. But the clothes of Walmart have earned a place in my closet.

 

It just goes to show – if you really know how to shop, you can shop anywhere and everywhere.