Deciding Between Sam's Club's And Walmart's Bakeries For Your Next Custom Cake? Here's What To Know

Whether you're looking for a cake for a birthday, holiday, or anniversary, working with a grocery store bakery is a simple, easy way to get a custom cake at a reasonable price that tastes great. If you have access to both a Walmart and a Sam's Club, it can be tough to decide which option makes the most sense. Both offer some benefits, so we dug into the details of what you get for your money when it comes to custom cakes at each spot, as well as what customers say about the appearance and taste of the cakes.

It all comes down to your priorities. If you're willing to pay more (almost double, actually), and you have a super-specific design in mind, stick with Walmart. If taste is your priority — and you're looking to save some serious cash — you're better off ordering a cake from Sam's Club. Both stores offer easy online ordering and customizable options, so it's simple to grab a custom cake from either.

Ordering a custom cake from Walmart is convenient, quick, and gives you a ton of options, though you pay for the pleasure: In Pennsylvania, a custom half sheet cake runs you $42.96, far pricier than Sam's Club. When you go through the online ordering process, you choose your cake flavor, whether you'd like filling (there's an upcharge), your icing type and colors, as well as any decorations you'd like. You can also pick from a wide variety of predesigned cakes that still let you customize flavor, color, icing type, filling, and message.

If decor is the most important factor for your cake, and your local Walmart bakery is able to create a design you love, Walmart beats Sam's Club. For example, you can customize your cake to pay homage to your favorite sports team. Customers say they're super-impressed with the quality of designs, as well as the taste (the whipped icing seems to be preferred to the thicker buttercream option). If decor isn't your end-all-be-all, though, it makes more sense to head over to the Sam's Club bakery for your custom cake.

Ordering a custom cake from Sam's Club (don't sleep on other Sam's Club bakery treats — there are some serious winners) is far cheaper than ordering from Walmart. While prices can vary, a custom half sheet cake from Sam's Club is $21.87 in Pennsylvania – nearly half what you pay at Walmart. However, the online ordering process is similar to Walmart's: you select your flavor, basic decor, icing type, and message (there's no filling option like at Walmart). While Sam's Club does offer custom cakes, the variety isn't as great as Walmart's. If you want something super-niche (pickleball cake, anyone?), stick with Walmart.

On social media, people praise Sam's Club cakes for tasting fantastic. One smart Redditor mentioned getting a simply designed cake from Sam's Club and taking it to a florist for decoration. No matter where you order your store-bought cake from, you can trick all your friends into thinking you're a pro baker by adding fancy finishing touches such as edible flowers and glitter. You can also use simple store-bought cake decorating tips to take either store's effort to the next level. The bottom line: If you're looking for a seriously great price, and flavor is more important than decor options, Sam's Club wins out over Walmart for custom cakes.