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John Gress / Reuters
A worker walks through a new Wal-Mart store in Chicago in this January 2012 file photo. Wal-Mart got low ranks in a Consumer Reports survey of favorite grocery stores.
When it comes to grocery shopping, people say they value customer service and fast checkout lanes.
But these days shoppers often choose their grocer based on two things, experts say: Price and convenience.
That may be why Wal-Mart is the nation's No. 1 grocer, even though it ranks among the least-beloved store chains.
"People who like Wal-Mart shop there, and people who don’t like Wal-Mart shop there more," said supermarket consultant David J. Livingston.
Livingston said people who live in a big city like Chicago might place a higher value on a convenient location because they’re more likely to have to lug their groceries home by hand, or at least battle traffic and parking considerations.
For people who live in very drivable communities, low prices are likely to be a primary consideration, Livingston said. That’s one reason he said stores like Wal-Mart, Aldi and Target are attracting customers who may have previously shopped at more traditional grocery stores, like Safeway or Albertsons.
On Tuesday, Life Inc. asked readers what bothers them most about grocery stores. More than 50,000 readers responded to our survey, and although many said they don’t like dirty stores and long lines, the most common gripe was high prices.
Many of our readers admitted they grudgingly shop based on price.
“Love Trader Joe's, Co-op, Whole Foods, etc. but low price comes first,” one reader wrote.
“Luv/Hate with Walmart. We are disabled and on a fixed income -- go to Walmart for prices but hate the store,” another reader commented.
The poll accompanied a story about Consumer Reports’ latest survey on the best and worst supermarkets. The consumer magazine’s readers gave the highest marks to stores including Wegmans, Trader Joe’s and Publix.
Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, ranked low overall but got excellent marks for price.
The company itself also recently cited low prices on brand-name groceries and beverages as one of the key reasons sales have increased.
Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sarah Spencer said the company surveys about half a million customers each month and finds customers generally pleased with the shopping experience.
“Our priority is ... to focus on our customer and give them what they want, which is low prices, a broad assortment (and) great customer service,” she said.
Livingston, the supermarket consultant, said addressing other customer complaints could literally come at the cost of their key advantage.
“(Wal-Mart’s) only appeal is price, and yeah, they do have a lot of shortcomings, but for them to correct those shortcomings, that would cost money,” he said.
That’s particularly true now, with the economy still relatively weak and food prices on the rise. More than four in 10 respondents told Consumer Reports they had switched supermarkets because of high prices.
“We switched over to Aldi," one Life Inc. reader wrote, referring to a chain with more than 1,000 outlets, mainly in the Eastern U.S.
"No name brands, but we save a ton. I love Wegman's, but we don't have them here and Publix is just too expensive.”
Still, for some Life Inc. readers low prices weren’t enough to sacrifice other things, like well-stocked shelves.
“I recently switched from Wal-Mart to Kroger despite the higher prices. I love going to the grocery store knowing they will have what I need,” one reader wrote.
Only about 13 percent of our readers said a lack of fresh produce or meat is their top concern. Livingston said those shoppers who do value quality over everything else may also be abandoning the traditional grocery chains in favor of more high-end stores. Whole Foods, known for its fresh and health-conscious items, also has seen strong sales improvements recently.
Some readers said they can’t settle on just one store.
“It's very hard to find a one-stop-shop kind of place anymore. I end up splitting my shopping between three or four different stores just to try and get the best balance between quality and prices,” one reader wrote.
Leave a Comment:
Walmart doesn't get a dime from me.
Prude comment. If it saves me money, I'm getting from there. And I make very good money. It's just common sense not to be wastefull with your cash. Unless your a stay home wifey that gets an absurd allowance and you need to go flaunt your tososhy at the meat man in the "traditional" store.
I always shop at Aldi's and Target for 90% of what i need food wise. Both have the best overall prices and quality. If you have an Aldi's near you and haven't been in it, check it out. Milk and eggs are always cheaper than anywhere else, outstanding chocolate, chips, cheeses, etc...I shop at Sam's club for certain items i save when buying in bulk, but rarely do i shop at Wal-Mart, just too many people, and check out is a headache. Kroger's prices are always crap, their "regular" prices "no card" are 10 cents to 20 higher than anywhere, and in most cases with the card you are still paying higher than most stores. I'd rather go to wal mart and sit in line 15 minutes for better prices than go to kroger and their misleading, rip off prices.
This is what drives manufacturing jobs overseas and keeps them there. Consumers say a lot of different things about their shopping habits but in the end most will buy the cheapest product available.
Time is money, and it takes at least twice as long to go to Walmart as it does Publix. I'm not going to hike around a massive store and then wait in a really long line with frightening looking people just to save 10 cents on peas. The last time I went to Walmart, I got my foot run over by a woman's shopping cart (she didn't apologize), got in a long line, and then ended up leaving before purchasing anything because these two guys started yelling at each other and I thought they may start fighting.
I've never been to Aldi in the US. In Prague they just kind of have pallets of groceries all over the place, and you never quite know what they will have on any given day. Like, they may only have one kind of cheese, or one brand of toilet paper. Are they different in the States?
this how people are with everything, they can gripe about loss of American jobs and poor customer service but at the end of the day they are loyal to one thing, and one thing only-price. Why do you think Wal-mart treats people like crap? Because they can and no matter how outraged they will be back, so long as the price is right. We would rather buy 10 crappy items and put our neighbor out of a job than buy 1 quality item. Wal-mart kills local business, growing up as late as the 80's my hometown had 7 independent grocers, it now has 1 kroger oh and a wal-mart near by.
I would love to be able to afford shopping at Whole Foods all the time. But I can't. I shop for best bargains at the local farmers market and anywhere else, trying to support my LOCAL farmers and local economy in general.
As long as you buy AMERICAN MADE goods and produce, it does not matter WHERE you buy them.
Blake:
You make "good money" doing what? I found at least 4 grammatical errors in your post and several items that were questionable. Like Prairiedale I never set foot in Wal-Mart. By the way, exactly what does "prude comment" mean? Did you mean "rude comment" because the word prude certainly is out of context.
If there were a Whole Foods or some other place to shop that had the healthier/organic/vegetarian foods I would shop there. I do go to WalMart, but only because there isn't a better option locally. The two local little groceries have no healthy options at all besides small produce sections, and I am not buying junk.
We are getting a Publix whenever they get the building built, and we hope they have what I have been told they have. We would pay a bit more and leave off some less healthy options if we could get what we want to buy. I do go to the local health food store, but they are small and don't have everything I need either.
I keep hearing that Walmart treats you like crap. I agree to the extent that it is hard to get most of their employees to help. But I have not had better experience with other major grocery chains too. Safeway, Giant are not better with steep marked up price. Trade Joe's, yes they are ever helpful and nice in my neighborhood. I may pay a little bit more for that kind of service but it is out of the way!
prairiedale - that must mean you're not on a budget. ive lived in a lot of major cities in the US and i can tell you that i love whole foods and trader joes for their absolutely delicious selections of natural foods... but id give my right arm to shop at wal-mart. one stop shop and the cheapest food on earth. its worth waiting an hour in line to save $100 every trip.
I don't do walmart. I either shop elsewhere or do without
This just emphasizes why I think trying to browbeat companies into manufacturing here is the wrong approach. People buy primarily based on price, and right now, goods manufactured in the US are not price-competitive. Withe the current rules, if a company produces here, they will be at a price disadvantage - and likely to ultimately fail since consumers will buy from cheaper competitors.
We need to change our trade, tax and regulatory policies to make US manufacturing price competitive again (at least when sold in the US).
Anyone who is more concerned with their money than they are with supporting their local community has no business criticizing ANYONE about slow economies and lack of jobs.
Keep buying those cheap imports if you want, but you and your children will suffer for your choice.
Most ignorant comments ever on this thread. First, Wal Mart gets its food from the same places virtually every other food retailer gets theirs. You can get local foods at a WalMart just like you can at Whole Foods. Blind taste tests in California showed no preference between WalMart produce and Whole Foods produce, the preference is all in the consumers head based on PERCEIVED quality. Second, WalMart is not monolithic. You can go into a WalMart in one area and it is bright and uncrowded but in another it is crammed. It all depends on the consumer base it is supporting. That same effect applies to Kroger, safeway or whatever other grocer you patronize. For example, the Kroger that left here was a dump but when I go down to my in-laws they have a Kroger's Market and it is fantastic. If you want cheap, shop Aldi's, I have shopped at them for over 30 years and you can't get better produce anywhere, including Whole Foods. Moreover, Whole Foods doesn't touch them in price nor do they have the seasonal European food items that come to Aldis. The only WalMart store that provides decent meat is Sams but I generally shop local where I know the butcher and can rely on specialized service. Another thing, when a WalMart grocery moves into a rural area it generally brings food items never before available locally. I used to have to go to the commissary to get a lot of the foreign food makings we use in out cooking. When WalMart came I can get a lot of that locally now. The reality is I shop where I can buy what I want at a cheap price. The vast bulk of my dry goods are obtained from Aldis. I get meat at my local grocer or the commissary. I get milk at the local gas station as they stock milk from our local dairy, their small stockage guarantees freshness and IT IS CHEAPER than the local grocers, go figure. I shop WalMart for seafood, eggs, sundries and spur of the moment items. Finally, I make good enough money I can shop wherever I wish but wasting money is not how I got to where I am today nor would I dare to snottily criticize people who do the best they can on their limited resources. For shame to the snobbish prigs above who do so....
Smart Shoppers shop where the prices are better. I stopped shopping at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods because their prices just kept going up on the same old products. If you are going to raise the prices, then make the packages bigger.
In my small town I get fresh farm eggs for 1.50 a dzn., the Walmart 20 miles from me offers good prices on their produce and other items as well that my small town does not offer.
Walmart sells a can of Chunky soup for 1.69, my small town store sells the same can for 3.79. Personally, I don't care if the small town store goes out of business. They are a greedy bunch of azzholes imo price gouging the people in our community.
Walmart sells OJ for $2.39 half gln, our store sell the same one for $4.99.
I go to Walmart twice a mth to do my shopping and that's pretty much it.
If you are a smart shopper, shop where the prices are reasonable even if it's your local Walmart or Aldi's.
If you want to waste your money elsewhere, by all means, go ahead and do so, but don't bytch about it later. I'm all in favor in supporting your local Mom &Pop stores, but if they are going to raise prices so high that its a joke, then they are the one's to blame for sending me to Walmart to do my shopping.
jussayin-
Sorry but I rarely got to walmart, to many people, and the price is not always the lowest. While I can price match, it is pain to do with so many around. I also noticed that while some prices are lower, I basically get the same amount from our local food store. I also hit the farmers markets and the local meat markets who normally are lower than either Walmart or the other food stores.
Thanks for the disclaimer chris. Most of us realized that just from the lack of paragraphs in your post and claims of how you wouldn't dare snottily criticize as you snottily criticize. Perhaps you could compare and contrast other comments regarding the consequences of shopping at Wal-mart vs. insulting people making comments.
Perhaps Wal-mart has some locally produced items, but that doesn't change the equation much. The majority of their products are still imported. They kill locally owned businesses with low prices, then raise the prices once their competition is gone and you have no other choice. And perhaps the biggest reason, most of the money you spend in Wal-mart is not kept in your community.
When you're trying to survive you go to the price leader even if you dislike the store. Otherwise, if you like paying higher prices then whatever- go somewhere else like whole foods
Walmat produce seems about the same, but is this how a store is judged. Produce is not the biggest ticket item in anyone's cart. Its all the pre processed stuff, and WalMart has tons and tons of that.
We like to say we place value on quality, but our spending habits show otherwise. As a whole, we're focused on cheap.
@Lori W,
You would go hungry before buying a loaf of bread at Wal-Mart? A little extreme, don't you think?
We shop at Target because there is not a Wal*Mart close by. Sometimes go to Costco, but the portions are too big and it is a giant hassle.
Jewel and Dominick's use union labor and their prices are 40% higher than Target. They also tend to have older and dirtier stores.
Everybody loves to hate WalMart, but they help a lot of Americans with their low prices. People vote with their wallets. With the Obama recession, high gas prices, no jobs and no raises, people have to economize.
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE JOKES:
Get your pay cut because of overseas jobs
Start shopping at WalMart to save money
Get your pay cut because your company now knows you need less to live on
Shop more at WalMart to save money
Lose your job, finally, because your company is losing business to people who want to save money.
Wish you worked at WalMart with no benefits and no protection and for next to no money, because then you could at least feed your kids pink slime.
GO AMERIKA!
I would too, going to walmart is like being instantly transported to the deep south or mexico.
I sometimes shop at Walmart, there is no Whole Foods or Trader Joe's anywhere near where I live. Mostly I shop at two locally owned stores. Yes, the prices are higher, but the service is better, and I feel I'm giving back to my community. Our Kroger store recently remodeled, and the prices went sky high, and they dropped a lot of brands I had been purchasing. When I asked about it, I was informed their new, Kroger brand, was the same thing. Not!
Farmer's Market? Surely you jest! I can't afford to shop there at all! The produce is gorgeous, but three times as expensive as the green grocery in any of the local stores!
I shop occassionally at Walmart for a few specific items. I have found though, that Walmart, like Costco, doesn't carry a wide variety of items that I use - for example, I like the Bounty paper towels, but in the half sized sheets. Target carries them but Walmart doesn't. There are several items like that. Walmart does have really cheap prices on groceries, but I won't make a special trip just for groceries. The stores are just huge and very crowded. I like Ralphs' (kroger) sales prices, but their regular prices are way too high. I overheard a Ralphs employee the other day saying that the prices were going down because they were trying to compete with Walmart. The prices in their most recent ad were great, but I haven't been to the store since the "change" so not sure about regular prices.
Like most people, we are on a tight budget. I try to save where I can. I do go to Whole Foods for certain items and the prices at the Trader Joe's in my area (Long Beach, CA) are cheaper than most grocery stores, but selection isn't great. I try to go where I know I'll find the best deal on most of the items on my list.
The Obama recession...hahahaha. I'm not going to bother and place blame on either recent administration, because it is America's own greed that caused the recession, but we need to all remember that it started in 2008 and there were warning signs for the two years prior. But I digress..
I personally try to avoid Wal-Mart. I don't care for the store, its practices, etc. It is also across town and it never makes sense to me that people will drive all over the place to save a few bucks and end up spending more in gas. On occasion I will shop there for something that I might not be able to find elsewhere. I purchase some things at Whole Foods (meats, some produce, and some canned goods that I can't get at the regular chain) and the rest at a local chain grocery.
I have no particular affinity for Walmart but I shop there for name brand pre-packaged foods such as canned vegetables and other name brand packaged foods because the prices are many times not slightly, but dramatically lower.
However, for such items as fresh vegetables and meats/fish and specialty items, I shop at Publix and Fresh Market, and occasionally Krogers. Walmart meats are "select" grade and I wouldn't take any even if offered to me for free.
I go where the prices are cheap, but never to Wal-Mart. For one thing, the closest Walmart is more than 20 minutes away, while there are at least 100 grocery stores within the same distance. 20 minutes is a lot of gas...
Walmart does not have the cheapest prices. Some may be better, but really only on name brand. If you are only buying name brand, you are wasting money.
As much as it pains me to shop in a store that pays their employees the barest minimum, with bare-bones medical insurance coverage (fulltime employees only) and is a privately-owned behemoth that makes the Walton family hundreds of millions of dollars annually, I am literally forced to shop there because I haven't had a raise in over five years, and three years ago, I had to swallow a 10% pay decrease. And I have it good compared to some poor souls who have been out of work for months or even years!!
As soon as employers get over their made-up "uncertainty" over the economy and start paying their employees more with all that money they have in their vaults, consumer spending will pick up and the economy will go into full recovery mode. Until those who horde the money start sharing the wealth (uh oh.....those dirty little lib words again!!) with those who are directly responsible for those fat profits they are seeing, I will be forced to continue paying the lower food prices at Wally World!
You gotta love simpletons such as Gary420 that think the problems with the global economy started with Obama. "Obama recession". (rolls eyes)
I do not shop at Walmart and the reason is simple: I have shopped at Walmart in the past!
Without exception, any brand names that I buy at Walmart are of much shoddier quality than those same name brands elsewhere. I don't care about the difference in cost, I do not want the decrease in quality.
Now, given that, waht the hell do you think they do to the quality of their food to get lower cost? No, thank you!
Walmart does spend locally. I have just returned from Bentonville, Arkansas and the Crystal Bridges Museum where a member of the Walmart family has reportedly spent over a BILLION dollars on property, structure and the purchase of art for this museum. The whole effort is mind staggering.
Those of us who avoided Walmart in the beginning are now aware that the enterprise is not so different from most others. And, as most of the above have stated, people shop for the price. Competition for the dollar is at an all time high mostly because the dollar is worth less and less as time passes.
Shop where your conscience wants you to and don't look back.
Great story about one member of the Walmart family having over a billion dollars to spend on an art museum in Arkansas. I'm sure it is much better use of that money than having the millions of mom and pop stores who used to buy their products from local producers.
Is there free admission to the $billion+ museum by chance? How many hours does one have to work as a greeter or cashier for Wal-mart to afford a trip to this generous offering by the Wal-mart family member?
I shop at Whole Foods occasionally and if you stick to their 356 line you can shop as cheaply as the national brands and often cheaper, which is very good for organic food. I haven't been impressed with WFs veggies and I don't buy meat there because I can get better meat locally.
Wal-Mart has decent bakery bread and their veggies aren't too bad but I prefer to buy from local grocers when I can. I have a garden and grow a lot of my veggies in the summer because I enjoy doing it and I know how there were grown.
Thinkaboutit
I did not think it would take long for somebody to take a dig at the Walmart money.
Yes, the admission is free because a ten million dollar endowment was set up so no one would EVER have to pay to get in.
And from the looks of the patronage that was there, a lot of Moms and Pops were looking at American Art. Hundreds of children were with them.
go to crystalbridges.com and see for yourself
Fourtwentylove, my IQ dwarfs yours. Let's review why middle America shops at WalMart: high gas prices, foreclosures, no jobs, trillion dollar deficits, no new business startups, etc. etc.
Food Stamp Obama is Walmart's best friend.
Only liberals are too ignorant go get it.
Romney 2012!!!!
Didn't take too long for the Alec lover's to come out in defense of their champion of the 1%. Look here at this billion dollar museum... how can we be bad for Amurika...
No reply needed
WallMart is a store for people without any social conscience, and those who are only interested in saving money in the short term. In Wisconsin, WallMart instructed their employees on how to use the state supported health insurance for low income people, BadgerCare, because they didn't want to provide health insurance to their employees. They've put thousands of people on the publicly tax supported program. So, if I purchase WallMart goods, even though they might appear to be cheaper, I'm encouraging corporate welfare and subsidizing WallMart's responsibility to insure their employees with my state tax dollars. Screw Wallmart! I will never spend a penny there, and you shouldn't either.
Costco. No guilt.
If I want to splurge,( prime meat, produce) I go to Whoe Foods; otherwise, Walmart. I did notice that I can get some of the items I want at Walmart that I can't get at Smith's (Kroger), such as Challenge European Style Unsalted butter.
If you like good butter, try Lurpak... It's cultured butter, so it tastes richer than sweet cream butter.
Been to Wal Mart once in my life... Once was enough.
I wish people would pull their heads out of their a**es about the foods sold at Wal-Mart.
While it's true the vast majority of crap sold there is made in China or other Asian centers, the FOODS are made in the USA (for the most part).
The very same brands and foods you get at any other local chain grocery is SOLD AT WAL-MART. So to blanketly state anyone who shops at Walmart (for food) is "un-American" and supports foreign economies and teh Chinese should just GET STUFFED. (Or go back to your meds, Matlock episode, and grumbling about your Social Security checks).
The money you spend in a local chain is much more likely to stay in your community. The Wal-mart near me has moved 3 times in the past 10 years from one township to another whenever their tax-breaks run out. Vacant buildings and super-sized parking lots overgrown with weeds aren't the only blight this corporation has inflicted on our community. Does anyone really think Sam had this in mind for America?
is there any local chain left in America? if you are in some small town with mom&pop stores, sure you can have it, but like most American that live in big cities, there is no local chain.
There are where I live. If the local competition around you is gone then Wal-Mart is starting to raise the prices in your neighborhood as their business plan dictates.
Walmart told me it didn't want my business because I'm the wrong religion. I was specifically told that Walmart didn't want Jewish customers. Instead, I go to Kroger and Costco plus local farmers markets.
Really? I don't doubt or assume the authenticity of your account, but if there ever was a time that I wanted audio or video evidence of something, this is it.
Even if legal (and it's almost certainly not), it's an astoundingly bad and dumb move for a store (even Wal-Mart) to make.
Don't paint all Wal Mart stores with your same brush. I have found that the friendliest and most helpful people in my town are at Wal Mart. In fact I was looking for something at a Wal Mart in town last week, and couldn't find it. An employee from another department went up and down several aisles in the grocery section and then came and found me to direct me to the specific aisle to find what i wanted. That is the kind of service I don't get at Target (too expensive to shop at anyway), Dillon's (Kroger)(too high priced) and HyVee (regional store chain where I buy fish products). I am on a severely limited income, but have shopped at Wal Mart for the last 25 years since I moved to Wal Mart territory.
To respond to all, I was told this by people at corporate headquarters. When I ran into a regional manager and told him what happened, he called me a liar. When I asked him, "Are you telling me I didn't hear what I heard?," he said, "Yes."
People shop at their local grocer for price, for the most part. I don't buy from Whole foods, even though I live in Austin. They are over priced and the service really isn't any better than what I get at Walmart, or the local grocer(HEB). Frankly I refuse to pay a premium for "Organic" foods. If its an egg, call it an egg and charge the same price. And for Austin, the lines are shorter at walmart than they are at whole foods.
Sorry Michael, we don't believe you. What you may be referring to is the demographic that WalMart targets their stores and advertising towards. It seems to me that they target most of working class and middle America ( black, white, hispanic, etc). A Jewish ( or Protestant) with a doctorate living in San Francisco, Manhattan, or Miami Beach, may not be in their target market. They are very shrewd marketers.
Grow up and stop being so sensitive. If there is one thing I know is that WalMart, McDonald's, Exxon and other large corporations want all the customers and money they can get.
You make a good point, Jean. Walmart carries one item - Calgon bubble bath powder - that I cannot find at any other brick and mortar store within a 20 mile radius of where I live - and, believe me, I've looked high and low. They not only carry the item, but, it's much cheaper than I can find it at any online store. I can drive right to the store and buy the item without having to pay for shipping and not have to wait until the shipment arrives.
My experience with Walmart customer service people has also been good. During one of our recent trips to the store, we couldn't find an item and asked a clerk for help - who was standing on a fairly high step ladder at the time. She gave us a friendly smile, got down from the ladder, walked us to the area where the item was - but, we still didn't see it. She then stooped down and reached under a pile of loose merchandise on the bottom shelf and pulled out the item we were looking for. We were pretty impressed!
To be honest, I would love to not have to shop at Walmart. But, after going through two devastating downsizings during the last 20 years, I shop where I can get the biggest bang for my buck - and Walmart fits into that equation.
Gary, you don't have to believe me. I know what happened. I live in an area that has a large concentration of Jews. That didn't seem to matter.
YEA, they told me the same thing and gave a policy letter stating the same thing.
Perhaps you experienced the policy at one location. I can tell you for a fact I live in an Orthodox Jewish area, and one cannot shop at our local WalMart on any day other than the Sabbath, as it is packed on every other day, serving those you say WalMart won't serve. And in case you don't know, the Orthodox advertise their religion, so don't try to say they don't know they're serving Jews.
Scuba gal, I'm not Orthodox, so people can't really tell I'm Jewish. I can only tell you what my experience was.
Michael,
Exactly who told you that?
Andy - I had called in to inquire as to why I couldn't get what I needed for the religious holy days and was told by a representative, and these were his words, "We won't be supplying our Jewish customers with what they need. We don't need our Jewish customers. We don't WANT our Jewish customers!"
I am sure you are frustrated. I would be. What sort of merchandise did you need?
There is a huge Walmart not far from where I live and I have a great Jewish friend who would love to make the same inquiries if she hasn't already.
What sort of merchandise - kosher honey and a specific style of challah. It was for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Michael,
I will check with my friend and see it she will ask the store here.
Michael,
I haven't forgotten you. My friend has been out of town for Passover. I am still trying. I may go to Walmart myself this week to see. Santa Fe is also a large Jewish community.
I appreciate your trying, Andy. Atlanta has a nice-sized Jewish community as well.
You can't beat Walmart for most things. It is a great American success story.
What could be more of a success story then making huge profits by forcing American manufacturing jobs off shore which created a large group of consumers that can only afford to shop at Walmart. They have provided jobs for many Chinese slave laborers while enriching the Chinese government. By corporate America's standards they are a great success.
Rampant obesity, loss of manufacturing jobs, loss of local retail jobs (and not just clerks the owners who used to be your neighbor are SOL too) yup by God it's a fantastic tale, God bless 'Murica
Common Man, maybe so, but considering most of the products Walmart sells now are made out of the USA, and considering that a lot of small business have been going under as a result of Walmart opening up, I'd say the "American success story" is more than just a bit tainted.
troll
Success story my ass.
Great prices. That's all i need.
food is the most important purchase i make. i shop at whole foods.
We have bought canned, boxed, or paper goods from Walmart. The meat, bakery, or produce is very low quality (think pink slime). I bought cheese there once, & found it to have mold. We've also noticed some prices are cheaper at regular grocery stores when they have sales. I don't like the dirtyness, or long lines at Walmart. It's a great success story for the Waltons, but not for the employees or other businesses. I stay away as much as possible.
EVERYTHING they sell is low quality, you just can't always tell from looking at it. They cut corners everywhere, and once that cheap tool or cheap clothes you bought rip or bust, the cost of buying twice isn't worth it.
Really?
They sell a variety of National Brands.
Are the Cheerios...the Heinz ketchup...Butterball Turkey...the Ekrich and Oscar Meyer meats... the Charmin TP ...Hefty Trash bags... Starbucks coffee...Coke & Pepsi cola...Tazo teas...Progresso soup...and Tide laundry detergent sold by EVERY chain grocery store "low quality"...or only the ones sold at Walmart?
Walmart pressures these companies for a lower price, many times they get a similar LOOKING product that is lower quality or lower quantity to sell cheaper. There was a documentary about walmart that discussed this a few years ago.
Widewillie: Like other posts have already stated, the FOOD products mostly are the same brands as many other stores, and less expensive because of the volume of wholesale purchasing power Walmart has.
However, at all the 4 Walmart's in my area, all are what they bill as 'super' stores. In other words, food is only about 1/4 of the store's goods. Almost without exception the other products are crap/import/off-brand/plastic/imitation/knock-offs, ect. And, did I mention crappy?
To purchase a product assembled at slave labor wage that has to be shipped across the ocean causing pollution and impacting oil prices, then have it trucked (not much rail left in America) along all the highways of America while competing for roadway with little sudans, just so a consumer in average-city-usa can have cheap stuff....well fine. If that's the standard of quality they expect and feel they deserve, that's just fine, let them stand in line to pay for it at the only 2 open check-outs, while the other 21 checkouts remain closed.
knightsofdespair...please see my post in #20.5.
On that I'll agree.
But, two things: first...smaller packaging was not invented by nor is it exclusively used by Walmart. Second, a smaller quantity is NOT the same as an inferior quality...which is what you initially claimed.
Believe what you like...my knowledge-base stems from personal/professional experience w/ Walmart's practices...and Target's...and Sears'...and Bed/Bath's...JCP's...Costco's, etc.
easydoesit...Walmart is simply capitalism at it's best...or worst...depending upon how you view it.
Ford gave us the Mustang...and the Pinto. Chevrolet gave us the Corvette...and the Chevette. Crappy quality products that impact oil prices and fill up our roadways is not the exclusive providence of far-off foreign manufactures.
Regardless, the cheaper price reflects a cheaper product. You really think the walton's are taking a hit in the pocketbook for you?
Not always. Did you read your third link from #20.6?
For years...Walmart offered a "cheaper price" than competitors on a Snapper mower...that was, in no way, a "cheaper product".
Sure, when Walmart pushed for even lower pricing, Snapper couldn't accommodate. But the fact remains ... Walmart offered a better price on the EXACT SAME model of mower sold elsewhere... for years!
No, I don't think that.
But I also don't think the Walton's are engaging in a deceptive practice to sell products in different sizes or qualities ... at different price-points....to satisfy different customers.
I shop at Walmart about twice a month just to stock up on a few items that either I can't find elsewhere, or because their prices are lower. But most of my shopping is done between local grocery stores & Aldi. I buy most of my meat at a local butcher shop, prices aren't much higher than the grocery store and the quality is much better.
I've shopped at Whole Foods for years. But over the last few years they've jacked up their prices so absurdly high that I almost laugh out loud to myself when I walk down the aisles. I still go to Whole Foods every now and then to pick up two or three items I know they stock but which I can't find elsewhere. But that's it. They now get about 10% of my grocery cash versus perhaps 50% a few years ago. I suspect they've observed thousands of other customers acting out this same scenario. I hope they are feeling the pain in their back office that we customers feel walking through the store, and eventually realize that raising prices yet again is not the way to answer the problem of declining profits.
Well maybe because when you factor in what some of make per hour, waiting 15 minutes in line isn't worth our time to save 2 or 3 dollars.
Plus I wouldn't eat the meat or produce from there. And they have no fresh fish counter.
The other name "Whole Foods" is known under is "Whole paycheck". Shoprite, Pathmark, and Food Basics for me. Maybe quality isn't exceptional, but acceptable - and the price is half that of Whole. Playing one against the other, paying attention to sales, and using coupons slashes about 1/2 off the grocery bill. Spent time? Just happens that all of these supermarkets are located between my job and home, so it's a matter of stopping by on the way home. And if you buy only a few items at a time you go through express checkout.
I read a lot of comments on yesterdays wall about this topic. Personally, long lines don't bother me too much. Patience. I really don't see why people would pay 2 or 3 dollars more on a product in other stores if they can get it down the street elsewhere... If you are worried about the "other" store not having everything you need, then buy what you need that they do have and then go to the expensive store and pick up the things they didn't. It's common sense really. I'll never pay 7.99 for a case of pepsi when I can to to walmart down the street and get the exact same product for 5.49.
Whole Foods: Most overrated grocery store in America
Amen.
Expensive too! Newark Mayor Cory Booker referred to Whole Foods as Whole Paycheck!
If you know how to get the best bargains by using coupons and stocking up when items are on sale there is no reason to ever go to Walmart. You can save way more money by dividing your shopping between a few stores and only purchasing the loss leaders items that are on sale that week. However a lot of people are too lazy or misinformed to be smart shoppers.
You get what you pay for - Krogers, the nest largest grocery chain, has net margin of 0.66% on sales - that's 33 pennies on a $50 sale. Whole foods, has a net margin of 3.55% - that's $0.89 on a $25.00 sale.
Even though the products they offer are vastly different, the margins are slim, no matter which way you slice it.
If wages had kept up with inflation for the last 30 years, it wouldn't really matter much - people can't afford real, good quality food because they make the same $ as they did 30 years ago and the cost of housing, food, and everything else is 3-5x as much.
Welcome to walmart! (aka mexico)
Eat less. No junk food. Buy quality. Buy locally. America is known for food waste while the developing countries in this world go hungry. Walmart is notorious for abuse: I would never buy food there because of the way it is produced. Massive factory farms with food additives to make animals grow fast, vegetables sprayed with insecticides and pesticides polluting land. Factories in other countries paying non-livable wages to their workers, enforcing poverty, so Americans can shop at Walmart and get something for less. Every store has sales (circulars at the front entrance) and can be shopped wisely and economically. Supporting Walmart is supporting poverty and cruelty.
I'm on a very limited income and I have no vehicle to cart groceries home from some place far away. I have two options for groceries, Safeway and Walmart, because both are right on my bus line. Buying groceries for the month at Safeway costs me on average $45 more per month than it does at Walmart. No one needs to do the math there. Walmart wins. Also, Walmart carries over a dozen grocery items that I use each month which my Safeway does not carry (like Banquet boxed meal kits), meaning I would have to go to Walmart anyway for those items if I wanted them. Might as well get everything there for cheaper and deal with the inconsequential possibility of having to wait a little longer in line.
Also, while some of the products Walmart carries are produced for them at various locations, most of their stuff is brand-name products produced at the same factories that make the stuff at Safeway and Kroger. Even many different "store brand" canned produce items are packaged at the same facilities with different labels. So your argument about their production methods is a wee bit flawed.
Except the "sale" price at whole foods is still more expensive than walmart
Walmart isn't that bad. We save dollars on items such as soup, cereal, dairy, etc. We go to Wegmens, Harris Teeter, Trader Joes, or Giant for fresh produce, and specialty items. It's my money and I want to keep more and give less to big businesses like Kraft, ConAgra, and the like
That's great, try a local CSA to keep more of your money. I joined one this year and get no less than 10lbs an average of 12 and up to 15lbs of produce for $21 a week. at the high end that $2.10 a pound for grapes, strawberries, baby greens, avacado, apples, oranges, peaches etc all of which around here are at least $2.79 a lb even at Wal-mart
I would agree with the majority. Wal-Mart isn't my favorite but we get groceries there. Our town has an Aldi's....fantastic deals. If you've never been there but have wondered, check them out. We have a Price Chopper - which I guess would be our fancier grocer - but they are too expensive.
Aldi rules!
Agree with Marla!! Aldi has their own brand in many items and the quality is great. If you don't like it they will give your money back AND replace the item!
We're in the country and the WalMart here is clean, not usually crowded, and the employees are friendly.
I buy quality vegan staples and cooking ingredients from Whole Foods.
I get disposable items (razors, towels) from Family Dollar.
And by all means, plant a garden if you can!!
Thing is... you literally get the exact same products at WalMart. Same brands as more expensive stores. They have an organic section.
They just have lower prices.
no it's not the same, the produce I have gotten from Wal-mart when I was forced to go always went bad super quick and tasted like crap..even the organic
No, it isn't the same. They do have some organic/vegetarian foods, but not many. There are a few things they have no one else here has, but not many.
It's in your head. Frozen, canned, and packaged foods are identical no matter what stores you buy them from. If I buy a Wii game or Transformer, they're identical. All the brand-name items are the same no matter what store you buy them at -- so it makes little sense to deliberately pay more.
The quality of fresh produce can vary between individual Walmarts, depending on the stockers and managers they have. But it can vary between individual Smiths and Trader Joes too.
Hardly matters though, since you should be buying local produce from farmers markets if you want anything remotely resembling freshness and quality.
Not true, walmart pressures every single one of their suppliers to cut costs to the bone, and many times their product is packaged similarly but contains less or poorer quality than other locations so it can be sold cheaper.
I cannot say that what you allege has never happened...but it's not the norm.
Sure Walmart demands the lowest possible pricing from their vendors...and in exchange... those companies recognize huge revenues albeit on smaller margins.
And, FWIW... Walmart doesn't buy groceries on the same national (international) scale they buy hard and soft consumer lines.
Much of the buying for products sold in their grocery division is done through local distributors and suppliers...NOT via the product manufacturer. Meaning the goods they're buying have already been manufactured, packaged and shipped to the distributor/supplier.
Even in cases where Walmart IS buying on a national level...their QC standards are extremely ridged. Companies that get caught changing weights or providing a lesser quality than what was contracted for will not get paid for those products, and they will be removed from the vendor list...AKA, no re-orders.
Lastly, the costs involved with changing manufacturing models... acquiring different raw materials, reformulating methodologies and ingredients, retooling machinery...etc... will outweigh "cutting costs to the bone" on the goods they already are producing.
Not to mention the impact on their brand.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2007/02/can_this_be_true_of_wal-mart.html
http://grist.org/business-technology/2011-11-11-is-your-stuff-falling-apart-thank-walmart/
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/102/open_snapper.html
KoD...none of your links address the "frozen, canned, and packaged foods"...you claimed were different?
It seems your complaint isn't really w/ Walmart's practices... as much as w/ the "good-better-best" merchandising strategy used by many (most?) manufactures and retailers.
Offering different qualities, features and/or sizes of products at different price-points....to meet the needs and budgets of different customers isn't a deceptive attempt to fool customers...it's a legitimate business practice.
Ha ... I wish I could shop at Walmart, but in my area there are not any 'Super Walmart' stores, just the smaller ones and their food selection is very minimal.
The discount grocery store out in this area is Market Basket and they are fairly reasonable with prices. Not as good as Walmart, but close. Sure as hell beats places like Shaw's which are by far the highest prices in the area.
The Target's in the area have started devoting floor space to groceries, but still not as large as the Super Walmarts. There is one within walking distance from our house so we get what we can from there, but still have to go to Market Basket for things like meats and vegetables.
My biggest complain about stores would be the lack of attention to FIFO. It's annoying to look at say cheese and see expiration dates all over the place, with some actually expired, because their stockers don't put the new behind the old. I once found in the freezer cabinets a frozen dinner that was over a year past its expiration date.
I think the conditions of any Wal Mart depends on its geographic location. If it's in a lower socio-economic area the quality and condition of the store is not as good as if it were in a "better" area. I've gone to one in Middletown DE and it's clean and well stocked and the staff, in general, pleasant and helpful. Bottom line, anything that will keep more $$ in my pocket will keep me coming there. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Wegman's, etc, are too expensive for my pocketbook.
Used to shop at Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods. Then I got laid off. Went to Walmart and found that my three week $220 groc bill only needed to be $150. Killer savings, especially on cleaning supplies/detergents, paper products, and dog food. The only thing I buy at the other two now are top beef cuts and ahi tuna steaks. And oddly enough, checkout at Walmart is just as fast unless you're shopping at Christmas.
I fear being shot in my local Walmart. And I live in the middle of Kansas in a town of 50,000 people. That is how bad it is in Walmart. So NO I do not shop there and I will NOT shop there. Doesn't matter how much money I save if I get shot in the process!! Walmart needs to clean up their stores and hire full time security and throw people out who are throwing things and screaming at the top of their lungs.
So, you're saying that you are only in danger of being shot if you're in or near a Walmart store? You don't really believe that - do you?
I feel the same way, there is definitely a vibe at every single one around here that I have ever gone into. There are 4 in this general area, all of them are very crowded, run down, and have an air of desperation about them. Walmart is the only store of dozens around here where panhandlers/druggies roam the parking lot asking everyone for a few bucks, the aisles look like a tornado blew through and knocked everything over. You can hear 10 different kids crying at once, and everything has a distinctly poor quality appearance. My mom gave me a gift card once for xmas, I went until June without using it before my GF made me go with her, I detest the place and avoid it generally for 9-10 months at a time before someone drags me in with them.
Sounds like you are talking about Salina, and in that case, I don't feel safe anywhere in that town.