Wal-Mart has been busy this year slashing drug prices and then putting pre-season discounts on electronics, toys and other gift items to try to make an early impression on holiday shoppers.

According to CNN Money, Wal-Mart is now chopping prices on food items, in a last-ditch attempt to undercut grocery stores with some items marked down by as much as 20%.

The markdowns are in effect from now to the end of the holiday season.

Wal-Mart started early this year, slashing prices on electronics and other big-ticket items well before the traditional day-after-Thanksgiving Christmas season shopping kickoff.

And they continue. Wal-Mart has cut prices four times since mid-October and promises more savings and discounts for holiday shoppers. If you are a competitor, what are you going to do?

That’s right, you are going to try to keep up and that is exactly what Target is doing. Just as Target tried to follow in Wal-Mart’s footsteps over the $4 generic drug prices, so they follow in the discounting of popular electronics and other items that are high on Christmas shopping lists.

All of this can only be good news for consumers. Price wars ultimately will benefit all shoppers at both stores this season. Best advice for Christmas shopping? Before you buy, check the competitor’s price, it may have just gone down.