By Alyssa Oursler

The famous Target (TGT) vs. Wal-Mart (WMT) battle rages on, and this month, a tally goes to the former. 

For the first time since October, Target has reclaimed the title of "cheapest" from its fellow big-box retailer, Bloomberg reported, and the gap was the biggest its been in the two years the difference has been tracked.

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Both companies have thus been trying to lure in those penny-pinching customers with discounts and slashed prices. The key to Target's success in the pricing department  came from the addition of a groceries to many stores, which cut into Wal-Mart's advantage on food prices. The company has also added discount incentives through its REDCard.

Cheap, though, can have its downside. Target's margins have declined for the past eight quarters, thanks in part to such deals.

And generally, Wal-Mart is still the name that tends to be associated with discount retailers like Costco (COST), as are dollar stores like Dollar Tree (DLTR) and Family Dollar (FDO). The larger company claims that its prices remain lower every day and that Target relies more on seasonal sales.

Target will have to prove that isn't the case when next month rolls around and the back-to-school promotion season has come and gone.

Both retailers are also trying to gain an edge in other ways -- by squeezing their large stores into cities, for example -- especially as competition from online giant Amazon (AMZN) remains tough.

While Wal-Mart and Target have lower prices than Amazon, one could argue that you can't put a price on the convenience the online retailer provides over a brick-and-mortar model.

For now, though, things seem to be going just fine for both companies. Wal-Mart has seen gains of nearly 37% in the past year, while Target's shares have climbed around 23%. Maybe with a price gap in its back pocket, Target will be able to climb some more and close that gap as well.

As of this writing, Alyssa Oursler did not own a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

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