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walmart vs other superstores

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
First off....I hate shopping. Hate those big malls. Hate standing in line for 15 minutes waiting to check out. I'm a small town guy. Hate the busy city life.

Now...wtf is it with these other stores that make you walk a half mile out in the parking lot(which they don't bother to plow in the winter) to rent a freaking shopping cart? Once you manage to get find a cart that actually works and accepts your coin to release that stupid locking mechanism, you can finally push that thing a half mile back to the store through salty icy snow, you are left to fend for yourself because customer service is next to non existant. Once you've found all your items and go to check out, after waiting in line for what seems like forever, you are run through and asked how many bags you would like to buy.:hammer: I don't have a freaking clue lady!!! Just pack the freaking items in bags so I can get the heck outa here.:hammer: So she rips off a few cheap plastic bags and throws them ontop of your items then looks away...next please!!! WTF??????? You mean i have to bag them myself???? What kind of service is that????? Then, to make matters worse, she rushes you along and you don't even have time to pack the items you bought before pushing that stupid cart all the way back through icy, slushy snow covered parking lot. After you're done unpacking the cart, you have to wrestle with this stupid key thingy again to get your coin back. And another thing, the guy that designs these parking lots must own a pinto or something. I have to park a mile away just to find a spot big enough to fit my truck in. And its only a regular truck.

As much as I hate shopping, that's the reason I'll drive right by the superstore in the city and head over to walmart. You don't have to rent a cart. You walk in and there's always someone right there waiting to hand you a cart. Once you go to check out, they bag the stuff for you and don't ask how many bags you would like. Then, their parking lot actually has room to park something bigger then a moped.

Our grocery store is part of a big chain superstore like I described first. This is a small town. You can't expect to come into a small town with a big city screw you crap on everyone mentality and expect to make it here. I hate going to that place for that reason. I try to avoid that place and will spend an extra 2-3 bucks on a hundred dollar grocery shopping just to get the service of our other small grocery store. There, they have two girls at the counter. They pack the stuff for you and even carry it out to your car for you. Now that's service. The carts are nice and warm inside the store. You don't get frostbite in the winter trying to rent a stupid cart. I'll keep going there.


OK......rant over:biggrin:
 

JEV

Mr. Congeniality
GOLD Site Supporter
We like going to our small grocer, whose business is appropriately name "Family Foods." Yes, some things cost a bit more there, but the meats, produce, bakery items and service are exceptional. We also shop the "screw you" franchise store Giant Eagle, but it's purely to take advantage of advertised items and BOGO meat deals. Basic grocery items are priced sometimes as much as 40% higher than Super Wal-Mart, whose store is equally attractive. We also find that many private labeled items (not all) are as good as the national brands, and in some instances are better than the national brands. Caveat Emptor remains the rule of the day when you go shopping.

FWIW, I never see a manager wandering the aisles of Giant Eagle like you see at the small, local grocer. I guess he/she is pretty busy filling out all the P&L paperwork in the back room, and doesn't have time to listen to customers bitch about the inflated prices. OH, and WTF is with latte bars in the fucking grocery store????? No wonder the prices are so damn high.
 

pirate_girl

legendary ⚓
GOLD Site Supporter
The only store I've ever had to rent a cart from is that discount place- Aldi, and I don't go there now.

I hate the way the lines go all the way to the back of the store, and some of the shoppers buy enough to last them 6 months, while you stand behind them with half a cart of groceries.

What I really hated about that store is how the cashiers toss everything back in the cart in a very careless fashion, just to get you out of the way.

I don't really like my local grocery store because it's the same stuff. I could shop there blindfolded.
I prefer a little Mom and Pop grocer that used to be an A&P years ago.
It's small, and it's about 12 miles from here, but they have the best of everything all the time.
 

REDDOGTWO

Unemployed Veg. Peddler
SUPER Site Supporter
The only store I've ever had to rent a cart from is that discount place- Aldi, and I don't go there now.
Gee Whiz, you get your quarter back when you return the cart.:yum:

Oranges, four pounds for a dollar, compared to 88 cents a pound in a regular store.

Turkey bacon $1.99 compared to $3.49 a package.

Just discovered the store in Florida in November and the cities this last month, not a huge selection but some decent pricing.
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
About the only thing I buy from WalMart is DVD and minor electronics such as batteries. Food I don't buy there unless named brand can goods, cereals or condiments. I don't buy ammo there either though the cheapest I have gotten some bad rounds in name brands including Winchester, Federal and Remington so now I spend more and buy the full power brands from a real gun shop.

Now when it comes to food I buy from 4 stores, Alda, Kroger, Meijers and Whole Foods. Alda is limited but their chicken is strickly natural raised yard birds as it Whole foods. Other meats I buy from Kroger, Meijers and Whole Foods. For imported foods I buy from the Liquor Barn which is like a WalMart though great imported cheese, meets and olives as well as wines I use for cooking. I also prefer quality over price as what I eat I want the best not second best.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
That's one thing I always go to Wallyworld for.......ammo and fishing supplies. Where else can you get a complete rod n reel for $20? I normally only buy #7 1/2's or #8's for shotgun shells for small game. I walk out of there with a brick of shells for under 25 bucks.
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
Well that is fine, Groomer in my case I've gotten Federal way under powered compared to standard Federal, Remington UMC with primers in backward and Winchester with 1/8" wide x 1/4" deep pieces of the brass pealed back. The only ammo the sold worth a darn was RWS which they no longer sell only to replace with Tula because it was foreign well so is Tula. RWS is some of the finest ammo made on the planet just ask any pro target shooter. Hence I stopped buying their ammo and buy from Dick's for about $1 more for the real ammo not the WalMart echo brand of ammo. As for shotgun shells my WalMarts don't seem to carry anything but bird shot forcing me to go to Dicks for buck shot or slugs.
 
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BRGTold

Bronze Member
SUPER Site Supporter
gheesh ! A Amo store...what about feeding your family..$,38 cent a loaf .for bread is better than..a dollar..And who cares if you get to see the wally show..,,:whistling:
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
There are other places cheaper such as Alda with good quality food such as eggs, bread, and milk much cheaper than Wally World. As I said I will buy some things from them but if one knows how to use coupons, the fliers in the paper one can buy good food for a lot less but one must shop.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
OK, I hate shopping and especially hate Walmart. I usually only go there for dog treats and then I get enough to last about 3 months so I don't have to go back again anytime soon. I sometimes grocery shop there when I'm getting the dog stuff.

This last week, my wife noticed a $500 plus charge on my credit card at Walmart from the beginning of November. That's way more than I usually spend at the place. I took the statement to Walmart, went to the customer service place way at the back of the store and asked to see the manager. She was there within one minute. She took the details and went to pull the purchase up on the computer. As I was waiting, every single Walmart employee who passed, about 6 of them, asked me if I was being helped. Even one customer asked. It turned out she was a part time employee who was shopping and said she could find somebody to help if I needed it. Five minutes later here comes the manager with a printout of the purchase. I totally forgot about the new glasses and new lenses for my old glasses that I had bought. My bad.

As far as customer service went, it was unbeatable. So it's not all bad. Now if only they sold some stuff that wasn't crap, I might shop there more often.
 

JEV

Mr. Congeniality
GOLD Site Supporter
Now if only they sold some stuff that wasn't crap, I might shop there more often.
I'm not here to promote or bash Wal-mart, but please explain to me exactly what "crap" Wal-Mart sells? You're the second person to equate Wal-Mart with crap, and I would like to know specifically what you are talking about. I don't see how you get to be the largest retailer in the world by selling crap day in and day out. Eventually that's going to catch up with you and you're going to go out of business. Purely from a business standpoint, I see Wal-Mart as filling a niche for people to purchase food and merchandise at affordable prices, within a no-frills environment.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Our local walmart is OK for some things. They have the best prices I can find on American made Ball canning jars.$10 a case. They also carry my brand of real Lebanon bologna and Kunzler turkey bacon. The manager will try something if you ask for it and if enough of it sells they will stock it. We don't have a whole lot of stores to choose from without going an extra 20 miles to Elmira so we get only those items we need till our next trip east.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
I dont know how many of you have a Sams club near you or shop there if you do . Its basiclly a wholesale walmart store where things can be bought in bulk & far cheaper then most other stores .

You do need to buy a yearly membership card there but its well worth it IMO . But what you might not know , is you can place your order online the day ahead of time and they will pull your purchases & have them ready for you when you get there & even load them for you at no extra charge . :wink:

This works great for us as my wife gets all of our household type products ( paper towels,toilet paper & cleaning supplys ) there as well as tobaco products , pet food , bulk canned foods, spices ect . Theres not much they dont carry & the stock might change each time but its for the most part all name brand products .

They also have a great bakery & meat department that is worth a look . FYI they buy all of their meat from Excel/Cargill & Sams is one of their pickiest buyers , in most cases you will get better meat there then your local small town grocery store . At least thats how it works here as Excel/Cargill is also local to our area .

That being said we still buy our meat from a local amish meat market :smile:
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Sams has good prices on most items. I fill a lot of my scripts there as the pharmacy gives me a discount with my business plus membership. Buy batteries and tires there and depending on price get my Rotella and tractor hydraulic oil there also. I watch prices real close and some items are not that good of a deal. The previous manager ran a much better store but he moved up in the company and the new guy has that college mentality. I buy most of our pet foods and paper products there in bulk so we have enough on hand for a few months.
 

Cowboy

Wait for it.
GOLD Site Supporter
Sams has good prices on most items. I fill a lot of my scripts there as the pharmacy gives me a discount with my business plus membership. Buy batteries and tires there and depending on price get my Rotella and tractor hydraulic oil there also. I watch prices real close and some items are not that good of a deal. The previous manager ran a much better store but he moved up in the company and the new guy has that college mentality. I buy most of our pet foods and paper products there in bulk so we have enough on hand for a few months.
Yep good point, thats the main thing is you have to stay up on the prices like most stores they vary on what is a good buy . But it really is damn near a one stop shop for most folks . They also have one helluva electronics department for those that buy all the latest fancy gadgets . :wink:
 

mosi

Banned
I very rarely ever purchase any food products unless they are on special/sale.

I do not wait until I am out of something before I purchase it. When I get low on something I start to watch for the item on sale. I always have on hand what I have a taste for, and have it for the right price.

As an example..... I love my grill and I also love whole beef tenderloins. You will always find tenderloins in my freezer ...... You can check the price at your local store to see what the going price is but if you check my freezer you will see $4.99/lb with an occasional $3.99/lb.
At those prices I can afford to eat it and feed it to people who stop by.

Throw a few coupons in an envelope and keep them in the car.... and I find my grocery bill to be reasonable without a lot of effort.
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
I very rarely ever purchase any food products unless they are on special/sale.

I do not wait until I am out of something before I purchase it. When I get low on something I start to watch for the item on sale. I always have on hand what I have a taste for, and have it for the right price.

As an example..... I love my grill and I also love whole beef tenderloins. You will always find tenderloins in my freezer ...... You can check the price at your local store to see what the going price is but if you check my freezer you will see $4.99/lb with an occasional $3.99/lb.
At those prices I can afford to eat it and feed it to people who stop by.

Throw a few coupons in an envelope and keep them in the car.... and I find my grocery bill to be reasonable without a lot of effort.

I'm with you on this and often buy my meats be it beef or pork in halves then freeze it. With that said I also see a good price on a particular cut we often jump on it. We do use WalMart for our prescriptions also.
 

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
I don't buy much food in stores except for stuff like crackers and maybe condensed soups. I buy my dairy products and bread but we raise our own meat and produce for the most part. We are planning on doing even more canning this year so I am buying up jars and lids when I find them. The big stores are about all that is left around here as most small grocers have been bought out by handy market chains.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I see Wal-Mart as filling a niche for people to purchase food and merchandise at affordable prices, within a no-frills environment.

JEV, I totally agree with you.

I can only talk about our local Walmart. In the food section, you have to check the "use by" dates very carefully. My main complaint with them is their stocking practices. You find something that you like and go to pick it up next time you are in and it's nowhere to be found. After that it's hit or miss, sometimes they may have it, sometimes not. In these days of computerized stocking and ordering, I find that difficult to explain. An ex-Walmart buyer once told me that they truck purchase a lot of their non-perishables so that when the truckload is gone, that's it. You have to wait until another truck purchase for restocking.

I find a lot of their merchandise to be in "use once and throw away" category. Things like "superior/best" paint brushes shedding bristles on the first use, paint rollers losing their nap on to the finished surface, etc. You can tell my latest experience has been with painting. Drill bits made of really cheap steel in another one.
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
They do sell a white grease that I've never found anywhere else. We buy it by the case when they have it and use it on our roll up storage doors. The stuff also works great on our gate chain and doesn't attract dirt like other stuff does.
 
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