Half of what you'd like this year is sitting in a Target cart, and the other half is on Walmart's app. Somebody asks what you want, and you don't want to answer with twelve screenshots.
Both stores let you make a wish list and send it. Here is how to do it on each, on the website or in the app, how the people buying for you find it, and what each list can and can't hold. The steps follow Target's and Walmart's own help pages.
How to make a Target wish list
Target keeps wish lists and registries in one place, the Registry & Wish List page. You can make one on Target.com or in the Target app.
On Target.com:
- Sign in to your Target account.
- Open the Registry & Wish List page.
- Pick the kind of list. Choose the wish list (or registry) you want to make, then select Create.
- Follow the prompts to set it up. If you move later, update the shipping address on the list.
In the Target app: sign in, type "Wish List" into the search bar on the home screen (it's also in the Categories list), then use the Create your registry and wish list section, pick the type and select Create.
Need more than one? Target's Custom Wish List page says you can build up to five wish lists for each household.
How to add items to a Target wish list
From the Registry & Wish List page, open your list and select Add items at the top. Browse by category, use the checklists for ideas, or search, then select Add to registry or wish list next to anything you want. In a Target store, you can scan items with your phone or at the scanners at Guest Services.
Two small settings are worth a minute. Under My registry/wish list, the "–" and "+" buttons set how many of something you'd like. And the Prioritize as most wanted checkbox lets friends and family know which items you want the most.
Target's help page also notes that select items may not be eligible for a wish list, so an item without the add button isn't a glitch.
How to share your Target wish list
- Open the list from the Registry & Wish List page.
- Select More (…) in the top navigation.
- Select Share your registry or wish list.
- Copy the link, or select Customize your link to choose a link name of your own. If the name is taken, edit it or pick one of Target's suggestions.
A custom link like one with your name in it is easier to paste into a family group chat, and easier for Grandma to type.
How people find your Target wish list
This is where Target differs from most store lists: a new Target wish list is public. Target's privacy answer says friends and family can search for it by name on Target.com and in Target stores, and it may also show up in searches on TheKnot.com and its partner sites and on MyRegistry.com.
To find someone's list, a gift giver goes to the Registry & Wish List page, enters the person's first and last name, selects Search, then View registry or wish list. In the app, it's under Registry & wish list, then Find a registry or wish list. In a store, the gift registry kiosks are usually near Guest Services.
If a search turns up nothing, Target's finding page gives two reasons: the list has no items yet (it isn't searchable until it does), or its owner made it private. Then the only way in is the link.
To make your list private, open it, select Edit under the list name, and under Registry settings check the box to make it private across Target.com, Target stores and other registry or partner sites. People can then see it only through the link you send.
Whichever you choose, Target says your shipping address, phone number and email address aren't shown to anyone who views or buys from your list.
What gift givers see on a Target wish list
A gift giver adds items with the Buy gift button next to each one, and at checkout can ship the gift straight to the address on your list or to their own. Gifts bought that way are marked as purchased within about 15 minutes. In a store, the cashier scans the list's barcode along with the gift, and that marks it too.
Bought it somewhere else? A giver can open the list, select the ellipsis (…) next to the item, choose Mark as purchased and pick the retailer where they bought it, so the next person doesn't buy it again.
On your side, Target's gift tracker lists what's been bought, with the quantity, the name of the person who bought it and the date, plus a checkbox for the thank-you notes you've sent. That makes thank-yous easy. It also means a Target wish list tells you who gave you what, so check the tracker only if you don't mind knowing ahead of time.
How to make a Walmart wish list
Walmart keeps wish lists in the same place as your other lists. The steps are the same on walmart.com and in the Walmart app:
- Select My Items.
- Select Lists.
- Select Create a wishlist.
- Name it and add the date of the event.
Then add items. On any product page, select Add to Wishlist, pick the list and select Save. In a Walmart store, open the Walmart app, tap the scan icon in the search box, scan the item's barcode and add it the same way. The wishlist page also has an Explore tab with popular items and categories.
To change the name, date, location or shipping address later, open the list and select Manage (the pencil in the app), then Save. Next to each item, Manage lets you change the quantity you'd like, and Remove takes it off.
If you remember Walmart's Any Occasion registry, it's gone: Walmart's help page says Any Occasion registries are now wishlists. Walmart's registries today are for a baby, a wedding, a classroom and Spark Good.
How to share your Walmart wish list
- Go to My Items, then Lists, and open your wishlist.
- Select Share.
- Choose how: Copy URL, Facebook, Twitter or Email.
Copy URL is the one to use for a group chat or a text.
How people find your Walmart wish list
They can't search for it. Walmart's help page says it directly: you can share your wishlist, but friends and family can't search for it the way they can a gift registry. The link you send is the only way in, so send it to everyone who asks.
From the link, people can buy items, mark them as purchased and have them shipped straight to you. If someone buys a gift somewhere else, they can still mark it: Walmart's purchased page says gifts don't have to come from Walmart, and the Mark as Purchased form asks for the quantity, who it's from and where it was bought, with other retailers in a drop-down.
Target or Walmart: which list to use
The two lists are built for slightly different people.
- Target: public and searchable by name unless you make it private, with a custom link, a most-wanted flag and a gift tracker for thank-you notes. Good if you want relatives to be able to find it on their own.
- Walmart: found only through the link you share, with Mark as Purchased open to gift givers wherever they bought. Good if you'd rather the list only reach the people you send it to.
A Target list also has an end date. Target says owners can manage it for 18 months after the event date, and gift givers can search for it for a year after that date.
The one thing a store list can't do
A store wish list holds that store's products. Target's help page answers the question outright: asked whether you can add items from other websites, it says "No. Target Registry doesn't support universal registry." Walmart's help pages describe adding items from Walmart's product pages, by scanning in a Walmart store, and from the wishlist's Explore tab, and no way to add something from another store.
If almost everything you want is at one of them, that's no limit at all. It's only a problem when the list spans stores: the sweater from Target, the kitchen scale from Walmart, the print from an independent maker. That's the gap a universal wishlist fills. The same limit applies to Amazon, and there's a separate guide on how to make an Amazon wish list.
When your list spans more than one store
Tools like Wishes are built for exactly that. It's free on iPhone, Android and the web, and it does three things a store list doesn't:
- It takes a link from any store: Target and Walmart included. Paste a product link and the photo, name and link come in, so one list can hold things from every store you like. On a phone, you can also share a product page to Wishes from the share menu.
- Friends open it without an account: the list is a web page. Nobody has to download anything, sign up or be signed in to see what you want.
- You see what's booked, not who booked it: when someone books a gift, it shows as taken to everyone, so nobody doubles up. On your own list you'll see that it's booked, but no Wishes app or page shows you who booked it. Booking takes a free sign-in with Apple or Google, and nobody pays to book a gift.
Your first three wishlists are free, and Wishes Plus lifts that limit. If you'd rather not install anything to try it, the free wishlist maker lets you type a list out in your browser before you decide to save it. And if you're weighing up more than one tool, there's our look at the wishlist apps worth looking at.
Target and Walmart wish list questions
How do I make a wish list on Target?
Sign in on Target.com, open the Registry & Wish List page, choose the wish list, select Create and follow the prompts. In the Target app, search for "Wish List" and use the Create your registry and wish list section. Then add items with Add to registry or wish list, or by scanning them in a Target store.
How do I share my Target wish list?
Open the list from the Registry & Wish List page, select More (…) in the top navigation, then Share your registry or wish list. Copy the link, or select Customize your link to choose a link name of your own.
How do I find someone's Target wish list?
On Target.com, go to the Registry & Wish List page, enter their first and last name and select Search. In the app, it's under Registry & wish list, then Find a registry or wish list. Target's help page says a list won't show up if it has no items yet or if its owner made it private, and then you need them to send you the link.
Is my Target wish list public?
Yes, by default. Target says a new registry or wish list can be searched by name on Target.com and in Target stores, and may appear on TheKnot.com and MyRegistry.com. To hide it, select Edit under the list name and check the private box under Registry settings, then share the link directly.
How do I make a wish list on Walmart?
On walmart.com or in the Walmart app, select My Items, then Lists, then Create a wishlist, and give it a name and an event date. Add items with the Add to Wishlist button on a product page, or by scanning barcodes in a Walmart store with the app.
How do I find someone's Walmart wish list?
Ask them for the link. Walmart's help page says friends and family can't search for a wishlist the way they can a gift registry, so the owner has to share it: from My Items, Lists, the wishlist, then Share, with Copy URL, Facebook, Twitter or Email.
Can I add items from other stores to a Target or Walmart wish list?
No. Target's help page says its registry doesn't support adding items from other websites, and Walmart's help pages describe adding only Walmart items. For one list that holds a link from any store, use a universal wishlist such as Wishes.
The list that gets you the right thing
A wish list isn't asking for too much. It's saving the people who love you a guess.
The sweater in the right size. The coffee maker you keep looking at. The little thing you'd never buy yourself.
Start your wishlist, or read what a universal wishlist is if what you want lives in more than one store.
