Sam's Club vs Target
On overall TruNorth grade, Sam's Club scores higher (Sam's Club: C, Target: F). Both graded from public records across nine values categories.
Political donations
Via parent company Walmart: FEC: $22K PAC donations; 58% to Republican, 42% to Democratic committees. [CA CalAccess + NY COELIG + TX Ethics adds state-level totals.] [Stanford DIME (Bonica) corroborates.] [FollowTheMoney.org adds state-level totals.]
FEC: $47K PAC donations; 54% to Republican, 46% to Democratic committees. [CA CalAccess + NY COELIG + TX Ethics adds state-level totals.]
Environment
Via parent company Walmart: water pollution violation: $90.8M in federal penalties (Violation Tracker).
hazardous waste violation: $22.6M in federal penalties (Violation Tracker).
Labor
5 OSHA severe-injury reports in past 2y (0 amputations); 70 since 2015.
177 federal penalties totaling $192.4M since 2000 (Violation Tracker).
DEI
Via parent company Walmart: HRC Corporate Equality Index: 90/100 (2025) — strong LGBTQ+ workplace policies with minor deductions. Disability:IN Equality Index score 90/100. JUST Capital JUST 100 — ranked #88 of Russell 1000 (2025) for treatment of workers, customers, communities, environment. HRC Corporate Equality Index 90/100 (2025) — top-tier LGBTQ+ workplace equality rating.
HRC Corporate Equality Index: 100/100 — Equality 100 Leader (2025). Top-rated LGBTQ+ workplace policies, benefits, and culture. JUST Capital JUST 100 — ranked #23 of Russell 1000 (2025) for treatment of workers, customers, communities, environment. Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index member (2024) — transparent on female leadership, equal pay, inclusive culture. HRC Corporate Equality Index 100/100 (2025) — top-tier LGBTQ+ workplace equality rating.
Charity
$1.73B reported corporate giving in 2024 (~0.27% of revenue) via Walmart Foundation.
$230M reported corporate giving in 2024 (~0.21% of revenue) via Target Foundation. JUST Capital JUST 100 — ranked #23 of Russell 1000 (2025) for treatment of workers, customers, communities, environment. Drucker Institute Management Top 250 — ranked #23 (2024) on customer satisfaction, employee engagement, innovation, social responsibility, and financial strength. Fortune World's Most Admired Companies — ranked #11 (2024). Newsweek Most Trustworthy Companies in America — ranked #6 (2024). Operates the Target Foundation: $26.4M in charitable contributions, gifts & grants paid (FY2024, IRS Form 990-PF).
Animal testing
Via parent company Walmart: Open Wing Alliance: At risk — Great Value cage-free milestone not yet reported. MSC retail partner — Great Value canned tuna + wild-catch lines MSC-certified. [Cage-free at risk · MSC certified]
Target sustainable-seafood policy developed with FishWise — covers MSC + ASC + Seafood Watch alignment. [FishWise partner]
Firearms
Via parent company Walmart: Buycott — campaigns over warehouse wages, firearm retail, supply-chain labor. [buycott]
No federal firearms license on record for this company in the ATF FFL registry — no licensed firearms dealing or manufacturing.
Privacy
Via parent company Walmart: 1 investigation by The Markup (themes: pricing). Most recent: "Walmart Charges Higher Prices in Lower-Income Zip Codes" (2023).
1 publicly-disclosed data breach per Have I Been Pwned (2013) — 70M accounts compromised. Most recent: Target (2013).
Executive pay
Via parent company Walmart: CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio 958:1 (median employee pay $30,520) — SEC proxy statement (DEF 14A, 2026).
CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio 794:1 (median employee pay $58,269) — SEC proxy statement (DEF 14A, 2026).
Compare any two brands on the values you care about — personalized to your 30-second quiz.
Open TruNorth →