'Shark Tank' Star Kevin O'Leary Buys $29 Walmart Jeans And Bulk Bounty Paper Towels — 'I'm Always Looking For A Great Deal'

Jeannine Mancini

Sat, August 29, 2026 at 11:00 PM GMT+3 6 min read

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Even people who spend their careers talking about money still have to buy paper towels. And apparently, there's no reason to overpay for them.

"Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary has built his reputation around knowing what makes a deal worthwhile, and he's applying that same thinking to an ordinary Walmart shopping trip.

"Inflation affects all of us. That means focusing on value and always looking for great deals," O'Leary wrote in a post on X in August. "I know I am!"

The video that followed was less about investment theory and more about getting through a shopping list without spending more than necessary.

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The $29 Jeans Were Just the Beginning

O'Leary held up a pair of black jeans and revealed that the Walmart find cost $29.

"I'm always looking for a great deal. That's why I'm in Walmart," he said in the video. "You know why these fantastic black jeans I'm always wearing? That's right. Walmart special. 29 smackaroos. That's how you save dough."

Then he moved on to the paper towels.

His wife had given him a shopping list that included several household basics, and he was looking for the better value among the Bounty options.

"I got to pick up a bunch of stuff, and I want to save dough when it comes to paper towels," O'Leary says. "Check it out — Bounty. Twelve-plus rolls is like 18 small rolls."

There's nothing particularly glamorous about comparing paper-towel packages. That's probably part of the point.

When prices keep rising on things people have to buy anyway, saving a few dollars here and there can become a habit worth having.

The Grocery Cart Is Still Feeling Inflation

The latest government numbers show why shoppers continue to pay attention to those small differences.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that food-at-home prices were up 2.7% over the 12 months ended in July, while the overall food index increased 3%. Fruits and vegetables were up 5.1%, and nonalcoholic beverages rose 4.1% over the same period.

That's not every product getting more expensive by the same amount. It does mean the average grocery bill remains higher than it was a year earlier, giving consumers plenty of reason to compare prices and look for better value.

O'Leary's approach is basically old-fashioned value shopping with an investor's eye for the numbers. Buy what you need, check the price and don't assume the most expensive option is automatically the best one.

A Bulk Deal Only Counts If It Gets Used

Billionaire investor Mark Cuban has made a similar argument in the past, saying buying commonly used products in bulk can offer a strong return when the savings are real and the buyer actually uses what was purchased.

That's the catch with bulk shopping. A giant package isn't a bargain if half of it sits untouched in a closet.

The bigger opportunity is what happens to the money that doesn't get spent.

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A few dollars saved on household purchases can go toward an emergency fund, retirement account or investment instead of immediately disappearing into the next month's expenses.

And while cutting costs has a limit, building assets can give the other side of the equation some attention.

Turning a Little Savings Into Something Bigger

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A $100 investment won't transform someone's finances overnight. The point is to start putting money to work when possible, even while looking for ways to spend less.

O'Leary's Walmart trip ultimately comes down to a pretty basic financial principle: don't just ask whether something is affordable. Ask whether it's worth what you're paying for it — and what could happen with the money you don't spend.

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This article 'Shark Tank' Star Kevin O'Leary Buys $29 Walmart Jeans And Bulk Bounty Paper Towels — 'I'm Always Looking For A Great Deal' originally appeared on Benzinga.com