Kmart vs Target vs Big W: Best Storage Buys in Australia (Honest Comparison)

The short answer: there is no single winner — there are three different shops wearing similar clothes. Kmart wins on price and pretty; Big W wins on big and tough; Target sits between them with the baskets and pantry gear that look most at home outside a cupboard. The right buy depends entirely on the job, so the table below — not the stores' marketing — is where to start.

The comparison at a glance

Job	Best buy	Why it wins	The honest trade-off
Everyday clothes tubs	Best for budget bulk: Kmart	Cheapest per litre, huge range of sizes, stackable lids in the same range	Thinner walls — lids flex under heavy stacks; don't stack more than three high when full
Moving house & garage	Best for moving day: Big W	The heavy-duty tubs have the sturdiest lids and handles of the three; built for weight	Heavier empty, and the big sizes get genuinely heavy when full — two-person lift
Under-bed storage	Best for under-bed: Target	Low-profile tubs and fabric bags that actually fit standard bed clearance	Fabric options aren't dustproof; hard tubs seal better
Pantry containers	Best for pantry looks + function: Target	Consistent sizes that stack in a grid, clear bodies, lids that seal properly	You pay more per container than Kmart's equivalent
Baskets & visible storage	Best for open shelves: Target, then Kmart	Target's woven-look and fabric baskets read "furniture"; Kmart's are cheaper and cheerful	Kmart's prettiest baskets are often the least sturdy — squeeze before you buy
Kids' toy storage	Best for toy chaos: Big W	Big open tubs and colourful crates survive being dragged, sat on and launched	Not exactly decor — these live in kids' rooms and play corners
Wardrobe & linen	Best for manchester: Kmart	Vacuum bags and soft storage in every size — manchester (bedding and linen, for anyone new to the word) is Kmart's home turf	Vacuum bags slowly leak over months; re-seal each season

Read the "best for" labels as the point of the whole exercise: a tub that's perfect for Christmas decorations (light, seasonal, stacked in a cupboard) is the wrong tub for books on moving day. Most storage disappointment is just a good product in the wrong job.

How we chose (our methodology)

The short version: we compared the three ranges the way a careful friend would — on published specs, materials and construction, lid and handle design, size ranges, and the patterns in hundreds of Australian buyer reviews — then matched each product type to the job it's genuinely built for.

To be plain about what this is and isn't: we did not run a laboratory, and we are not going to pretend a drop-test happened on our driveway. What we did is slower and, for buying decisions, more useful. We lined up each store's storage range category by category, checked the details that decide whether a tub lasts — wall thickness you can feel with a squeeze, whether the lid clips or merely rests, whether handles are moulded in or separate parts that snap — and read what long-term Australian owners report after the first move, the first summer in a hot garage, the first year under a bed. Where a store's range changes often (Kmart, we're looking at you), we say so, because buying a "system" you can't add to next year is its own kind of waste.

We also applied the rule from our own homes: buy once. A tub that costs a few dollars more but survives five moves is cheaper than the bargain one replaced every year. Prices change weekly in these three stores, so — as always on StyleBloom — we don't print them. Check the shelf price on the day; the value judgement in this guide is about construction, not this week's catalogue.

The picks, job by job

Best budget tubs: Kmart — with one rule

Best for: seasonal clothes, decorations, linen and anything light-to-medium that lives in a cupboard. Kmart's tubs are the cheapest way to get a whole house organised in one trip, the size range is the widest of the three, and because half of Australia owns them, they stack with what you already have.

The honest trade-off: the plastic is thinner. Flex the lid in store — if it bows easily empty, it will bow under a stack of winter jumpers. Rule: Kmart tubs stack three high maximum when full, heaviest at the bottom, and never use them for books or tools. Inside those limits they're unbeatable value; outside them they're the tubs in your graveyard.

Best for moving day: Big W heavy-duty tubs

Best for: moving house, garage storage and anything heavy — books, kitchen gear, tools. Big W's heavy-duty lidded tubs are the ones removalists nod at: thicker walls, lids that clip down hard, handles that feel like they were designed by someone who has actually carried a full tub up stairs.

The honest trade-off: they cost more and weigh more empty, and the biggest sizes are a trap — a 100-litre tub of books is not a storage solution, it's a back injury with a lid. Buy two mediums instead of one giant. For the garage specifically, the dark heavy-duty tubs also handle heat better than clear thin ones; clear tubs in a hot Queensland garage go brittle over a few summers, whichever store sold them.

Best under-bed: Target low-profile tubs and bags

Best for: under-bed storage that actually fits. Measure your bed's clearance first (most are 12–18cm of usable height once the base dips) — then Target's low, flat-lidded tubs and zippered fabric bags are sized for exactly this. The hard tubs seal better against dust and silverfish; the fabric bags squeeze into awkward gaps and are kinder to delicate clothes.

The honest trade-off: wheels on under-bed tubs sound brilliant and mostly raise the height and rattle. Skip wheels, choose flat. And in humid climates, under-bed is a mould watch zone — our wardrobe mould guide has the check that applies under beds too.

Best pantry containers: Target — Kmart close behind

Best for: the decanted-pantry dream (flour, rice, pasta in clear containers). Target's containers win on consistency: same footprint across sizes, so they tile neatly on the shelf, and lids that genuinely seal — which matters, because pantry moths are an Australian rite of passage and a loose lid is an invitation.

Kmart's pantry range is cheaper and prettier in the photos, and if your pantry is small, its smaller sizes may fit better. Whichever you choose, buy the whole set in one trip in one range: mixing ranges is how you end up with lids that fit nothing. Our pantry organisation ideas show the layout maths once the containers are home.

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Best baskets and visible storage: Target, then Kmart

Best for: open shelves, lounge rooms, the storage you see every day. Target's baskets — woven-look, rope and fabric — are the ones guests assume cost more. They're sturdier in the hand, too: lift by the handles in store and feel whether the base sags.

Kmart wins the fun category (colours, novelty shapes, seasonal designs) and its basic fabric cubes fit the famous cube shelves perfectly — half of Australia's playrooms agree. Just know the trade: the cubes are light-duty. Books and board games will bow the bases within a year; keep them for soft and light things, or slide a piece of stiff cardboard in the bottom as a life-extender.

Best for the wardrobe: Kmart vacuum bags + Target tubs

Best for: seasonal rotation. Doonas and winter jumpers shrink to a third in Kmart's vacuum bags — genuinely space-changing in a small robe. Keep everyday folded clothes in Target's medium tubs or open baskets so they stay aired.

Wardrobe people should also read our closet organisation ideas and linen closet ideas — the AU twist on both is airflow: in humid states, a wardrobe packed airtight is a mould farm, so leave breathing room and rotate the vacuum bags each season to check for leaks.

The three stores, honestly characterised

The quick version: shop Kmart for volume and seasonal, Big W for strength, Target for anything that stays visible — and never marry a range you'll need to match in two years unless it's a store staple.

Kmart is the ideas machine: cheapest, fastest-changing, most fun. Its weakness is exactly its strength — ranges turn over so quickly that last year's tub may not exist this year, and construction quality varies within the range, so the in-store squeeze test matters. Big W is the tradie of the three: fewer pretty things, more honest workhorses, and toy and garage aisles that take punishment. Target is the middle sibling with taste: pricier, calmer designs, better consistency in pantry and baskets — the one your organised friend probably used, even if she says she "just grabbed something".

One more that matters at the checkout: all three run deep storage discounts around Black Friday and Boxing Day and again at mid-year. If your project can wait a few weeks for a known sale window, storage is one of the categories genuinely worth timing — it's bulky, margin-rich and always in the catalogue then. Just don't let a discount talk you into the giant tub (see above, re: backs).

Smart parents buy the school storage in the November sales

The quick version: back-to-school shopping peaks in mid-January, but the tubs, tub labels, lunch storage and desk organisers behind it are on sale from November — buying school storage in the sales beats the January rush on price and sanity.

Australian schools go back in late January and early February, state by state, and by mid-January the school aisles at all three stores are a contact sport. The families who glide through are the ones who bought the storage half in the Black Friday and Boxing Day windows: the clear tub for uniforms and shoes, the lunch-system containers, the desk caddy, the tub that swallows sports gear by the door. Retailer back-to-school guides note that January prices on the same gear typically run higher than the November–December sale prices — ShopBack's guide puts the gap at roughly 15–30% — because January demand needs no discount to move. Everything in this comparison applies to school kit exactly as it does to pantry kit: buy the range once, label it, and let January be about haircuts instead of tubs.

Boxing Day: when storage and manchester go cheapest

The quick version: if your storage project can wait for one day on the calendar, make it Boxing Day — the deepest clearance of the year traditionally lands on storage, homewares and manchester (bedding, towels and linen).

Black Friday is where storage gets discounted; Boxing Day is where it gets cleared. Retailers go into 26 December carrying Christmas-season stock — gift tubs, decoration storage, spare bedding, towel sets, sheet sets in seasonal colours — and the business of the day is making it gone. Sale trackers like ShopBack consistently put fashion, homewares and manchester among the deepest Boxing Day categories, with clearance ranges far beyond November's. For this page's world, that means: the big tubs for decorations (buy them when the decorations come down, in the exact week you need them), the vacuum bags for winter manchester, the basket sets for the January reset. Two honest cautions. First, clearance means colours and sizes are what's left — measure before the day and be ready to mix neutrals rather than match a dream set. Second, a Boxing Day tub is still a tub: the squeeze test, lid test and handle test from the end of this guide apply at 40% off exactly as they do at full price.

What NOT to buy — from any of them

The quick version: skip unbranded ultra-cheap tubs with resting (not clipping) lids, wheeled under-bed boxes, and any "system" in a colour or range about to be discontinued.

• Resting lids for anything heavy or stacked — they slide in transit and pop in the garage. Clips or latches, or it stays on the shelf.
• Clear tubs for long-term garage storage in hot states — UV and heat make them brittle; opaque heavy-duty wins up north.
• Matching novelty sets for kids — the character tub will embarrass its owner in 18 months; plain tubs get handed down forever.
• The biggest size, full stop — if you can't safely carry it full, it's furniture, not storage.
• Vacuum bags for leather, fur or delicate beading — compression can mark them permanently. Everyday cotton and doonas only.

"Buy the tub for the job, not the catalogue photo — a storage box that survives the move is worth three that only survive the shelf." — the StyleBloom storage rule

How to choose in the shop: the 30-second tests

The quick version: squeeze the wall, clip the lid, lift it by its handles, and check the shelf for next year's matching stock.

1. Squeeze test: press the long wall with your palm. A little flex is fine; a creak or oil-can pop means thin walls.
2. Lid test: clip it on, then lift the whole tub by the lid. If the lid lets go, it will let go on your stairs too.
3. Handle test: imagine it full of books. Would you trust those handles on a staircase? Your back gets a vote.
4. Stack test: put a second tub on top in the aisle. Rock it gently. Wobble now = collapse later.
5. Range test: is this a core range or a seasonal colour? Core ranges can be matched and extended; seasonal can't.

Renters, one extra note: everything in this guide is freestanding and bond-safe, and our rental organising guide for Australia builds the full no-drills system these tubs slot into. Small-space readers should pair this with our small bedroom storage ideas and shoe storage ideas — the same buy-once logic applies, just smaller.

And if you're timing a bigger gift-and-storage spend for December, start with the flagship: our summer Christmas gift guide for Australian mums uses the same best-for, no-invented-prices honesty as this page.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheapest overall — Kmart, Target or Big W?

Kmart, on shelf price, almost every week of the year — its tubs and baskets carry the lowest ticket in nearly every category. But cheapest per purchase isn't cheapest per year: a thin tub replaced after one move costs more than a sturdier one that lasts five. For light, cupboard-bound storage, Kmart's price is the right answer. For anything heavy, stacked or moved, Big W's heavy-duty range works out cheaper over its life.

Do Kmart tubs stack with Target or Big W tubs?

Not reliably. Each store's sizes, rims and lid profiles differ slightly, so mixed stacks wobble and mixed lids rarely swap. A stack is only as stable as its least-matching layer. If you already own a mixed collection, stack like with like in separate columns, heaviest at the bottom, and use the odd ones for light, top-of-wardrobe duty where a wobble costs nothing.

What size tub should I buy for moving house?

Medium — roughly 30 to 52 litres — for almost everything, and reserve the big sizes for genuinely light, bulky things like doonas and cushions. A large tub of books or kitchen gear can pass 25kg, which is where backs and broken handles live. Two mediums beat one giant every time, and label the top and side of each tub with the room and the three things you'll need first.

Are vacuum storage bags worth it?

For seasonal bulk, yes — doonas, winter jumpers and spare bedding shrink to about a third of their size, which transforms a small wardrobe. Three honest cautions: cheap bags slowly leak over months, so re-check each season; never vacuum-store leather, fur or embellished pieces, because compression can mark them; and in humid climates, only seal clothes that are bone dry, or you're vacuum-packing a mould starter kit.

Which store is best for pantry containers?

Target, by a nose — its containers share footprints across sizes so they tile neatly, and the lids seal properly, which keeps pantry moths out. Kmart is the value pick and perfectly good for a small pantry. The real rule is consistency: buy one range, in one trip, with a couple of spare lids. A pantry of mixed containers wastes more shelf space than any single range ever will.

Do Kmart, Target and Big W have Click Frenzy and Black Friday storage sales?

Yes — all three run the full Australian sale calendar. Storage starts appearing in Click Frenzy catalogues around 10–12 November, is a Black Friday week staple in late November, and then gets its deepest clearance treatment on Boxing Day, with the mid-year EOFY sales as the other big window. The stores discount it hard in those windows because it's bulky and high-margin. If your project can wait for a known window, it's one of the few categories where timing genuinely pays. Our Australian sale-season guide tracks the honest calendar and what is actually worth waiting for.

Is storage cheaper on Boxing Day or Black Friday?

For storage specifically, Boxing Day usually wins on depth, Black Friday wins on choice. In November the full range is on the shelf at solid discounts; on 26 December the remaining stock — Christmas tubs, decoration storage, spare manchester (bedding and towels) — is cleared at the year's deepest prices, but colours and sizes are whatever is left. Need a specific size in a specific colour? Buy it in Black Friday week. Flexible and buying bulk basics? Boxing Day is your day. Either way, run the same in-store tests — a cheap tub with a failing lid is expensive at any discount.

How many tubs do I actually need to organise a house?

Fewer than the catalogue wants you to think. Start with the problem zones only: usually four to six medium tubs cover a wardrobe rotation, two for the pantry overflow, two for seasonal decorations. Live with those for a month before buying more. Storage bought before decluttering just organises the clutter — sort first, measure the keepers, then buy the exact sizes those piles need.