Big W VS Kmart: Which Should Be Your Go-To Brand? [2025]

When we talk about shopping in general, most of us turn to department stores since they mostly contain everything you need in your regular life, and when it comes to Australia, Big W  and Kmart are the top names.

Big W VS Kmart – both are popular department store chains in the country with hundreds of stores across the nation and while they offer you everything in new trends, the prices are also affordable.

However, you can’t always choose both of them, so, which one should you pick? Is it Big W  or Kmart? To help you choose, we have mentioned an unbiased comparison battle between Big W  VS Kmart in this article. 

Big W VS Kmart: A Detailed Comparison 

Big W

Big W  is a popular Australian chain of discount department stores – founded in 1964. As of 2024, it has over 170 stores across Australia and Tasmania.

Additionally, the brand mostly focuses on adults and people starting the old age, from the age group of 30 to 49 years, although it has plenty of goods for young people and teenagers.

Big W  stores also come in minimal format, and are comparatively simple to navigate around and explore; and when it comes to online shopping, you only get more extra discount to check out. 

Kmart

Kmart, a chain of retail department stores founded in 1969, is a trusted label by millions, with a store count of over 300 across Australia and New Zealand. 

In addition to that, Kmart is set to serve all age groups from kids to old people, but its main focus seems to be generations of Gen Z and Millennials. 

Also, browsing at Kmart is fun with organized staff and stores most of the time, and if you go for its online site, then you automatically get more to explore. 

Product Selection & Categories 

Big W

Overall, Big W  has a big list of departments to offer, including home, women, toys, men, baby, books, kids, gaming, audio, sports, party, health, beauty, care, office supplies, household cleaning, school supplies, and many more.

What’s more, is that you can find multiple brands and they are trending products at Big W  – you will get a good variety of brands to choose from so that you can easily choose your favourite brand.

Kmart

Compared to Big W, Kmart offers a little bit fewer options, but the list is still big, including categories such as home, living, women, men, baby, kids, beauty, tech toys, and more.

As for its focus, it is mainly directed towards home appliances and fashion products, while it also offers its own-brand items for usually competitive prices and good deals. 

Shopping Experience & Features

Big W

You will have a good shopping experience at Big W if you are in for a wide range of products and more categories to check out, especially if you’re looking for specific and rare categories.

Additionally, as already mentioned, Big W stores come with a more organized and modern store layout, which can do nicely for visualizing, and since it’s a discount department store, you will mostly find yourself saving extra with discounts and offers. 

Kmart

Compared to Big W, Kmart is also focused on similar categories with the only exception that there are no specific and rare categories included.

However, it offers a good experience for those interested in low prices while also promoting secret and unexpected deals both in-store and online. 

Shipping & Delivery 

Big W

Firstly, we are happy to announce that you get free standard shipping on all orders above $65, secondly – let’s talk about all the shipping options at Big W:

• Same-day delivery – Available in selected stores for $15, and you need to place an order before noon to receive it by 9 PM from Monday to Thursday.
• 2-day delivery – Available in only Metro locations for $12, where you get express delivery in 2 business days. 
• Standard delivery – Available for all the stores and pricing can vary depending on your weight and destination.
  • Metro locations; takes 2 to 4 business days and charges $9.
  • Regional locations; takes 5 to 9 business days and charges $12.
  • Remote locations; takes 7 to 10 business days and charges $15. 

Apart from these options, you also get in-store pick-up for the majority of the items, and a boot pick-up option too, for selected stores.

Kmart

Surprisingly, you get free standard shipping on all orders above $65 at Kmart, although some exclusions can apply. 

Now, without further delay — here are all the delivery options available at Kmart:

• Metro locations – Takes $10 and delivers within 3 to 5 business days.
• Regional locations – Takes $14 and delivers within 7 to 10 business days.
• Remote locations – Starts from $16 and takes within 14 to 20 business days.

Since these options were for the standard delivery option, express delivery may be available on some products but comes at an extra cost. 

Additionally, you must allow 3 days to process the order, while your order can also be divided into multiple packages.

Community & Social Engagement 

Big W

Big W has a strong focus on partnering with children’s charities and similar organizations – taking initiatives to support families and children’s welfare. 

Apart from that, overall, Big W has a good community presence where it is often seen participating in local community and fundraising events.

Additionally, the label has been seen to increase its sustainable practices – reducing the use of plastic packaging and supporting sustainable products more. 

Kmart

Kmart’s Wishing Tree Appeal is its biggest community initiative which has been running for more than 30 years — collecting gifts for poor families during the Christmas period. 

Along with that, Kmart has multiple organization partners who focus on youth mental health and welfare, such as The Reach Foundation and Headspace. 

Lastly, Kmart has actively participated in supporting communities affected by natural disasters and similar crises. 

Final Verdict: Which Platform Is Right For You?

Starting with the target audience, both Big W and Kmart are good at serving almost all age groups, but, as a youngster, if you still want more good for your generation, then Kmart is a better option.

Next comes the category list and product selection – both labels are pretty good when it comes to offering options so that you can choose your preferred product, but if you compare the numbers, then Big W deserves a score.

Connecting to the above topic – we also have pricing and deals, where Big W generally offers lower rates, although some of its products can lose the battle when Kmart starts offering promotions and offers. 

Now, we have shopping experience in hand – both Big W and Kmart have done a good job in offering a good overall shopping experience for millions of customers.

However, if you still want to choose – then Big W is for those who are more organized, while with Kmart, you might find some mishaps here and there and the stores can vary in appearance, but will still do. 

Furthermore, comparing the shipping and delivery options easily cleared the fact that Kmart is a bit cheaper than Big W, although Big W is faster in terms of processing the order and delivering. 

In the end, we also saw how both labels have been actively doing charity organizations and supporting work for different communities for years.

So, the last decision lies with you – whether you want to go for Big W specifically for its product selection, or Kmart as a youngster since it has more for your generation. 

With that, we have reached the end of this article, and we hope our comparison battle between Big W VS Kmart has helped you know which should be your go-to destination. 

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