News Walmart Store Prices higher then online?

[13Gigatons]

I popped into Walmart and grabbed a few things, the checkout was more then I expected. The online prices are still the same old price. The store prices are higher and many of the shelf tags haven't been changed to reflect the higher price.

Now I will have order online and do pickup which is kinda of annoying.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm pretty sure prices vary by location. My walmart's fairly expensive.

 

[Captante]

Yes.... frequently.

Always check the website first especially for pricy items before heading to the store and order for pickup if that's a better deal.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Walmart. My store of last resort.

 

[Captante]

Walmart. My store of last resort.

Certain items there really are the cheapest although the shopping experience is pretty terrible.... I have 5-6 things I buy there once a month or so.

For example the steroid allergy spray I use (generic Nasonex) is literally half the price it is at CVS, Rite-Aid or Walgreens for the EXACT same product except for the "brand" line on the label.

 

[snoopy7548]

I love shopping at Walmart; it's fun seeing all the destitutes.

 

[13Gigatons]

The price changes are a recent thing and are pretty steep for some items.

Maybe Walmart has invested more in online shopping and is trying to force people to use that more....haven't seen much about their business model.

 

[lxskllr]

I buy motor oil, sometimes cat food(if I'm already there for motor oil), and hot sauce from walmart. That's pretty much it.

 

[pete6032]

It is like that with Target too. Prices online can be less than in store. You can order something from the app for in store pickup and it will be cheaper than what you would have paid if you had gone into that same store and bought it off the shelf. Makes no sense.

 

[ponyo]

Lot of retail business seem to operate online and brick and mortar almost as separate entity. And maybe in bid to gain marketshare and to show online sales growth for Wall Street, they sometimes sell the same item cheaper online than in stores.

Even for luxury retailers, boutique and online sales are considered separate and purchase history are not shared. So you can't use online purchases to establish prior purchase history to get on the retail boutique VIP list.

I think Walmart greatly improved their B&M and online store experiences in recent years. I have zero hesitation shopping at Walmart if they have the product I want or need at comparable or cheaper prices. I mainly go there to buy pellets for my BBQ pellet smoker. My Walmart store is clean, and I'm in and out of there quick using their self checkout line. And I occasionally order from Walmart online since I get free Walmart+ membership through Amex Platinum.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Big Lots ....

They often do on-line only sales, special discounts or buy one get one % off. Web only, not in store. Towards the end of last year they were also doing an extra 10 or 15% off if you bought on the web and picked up in store. So, you could get the special price, plus an extra discount AND have the store clerks run around and grab the stuff off the shelves for you. Or you could go to the store, run around and get the stuff yourself and pay full price.


The clink in the deal was that their inventory matching sucked. The web would say the store was out of stock when it wasn't. Or it would say in stock and let you check out, only to have the store cancel some items that they didn't have, or the clerk couldn't find.

 

[Captante]

Best Buy has been known to pull the same nonsense and frequently has higher prices or non-posted sales in-store vs the website.

Crazy thing is even with the above crap they've actually improved... at one point they blocked external internet inside the store and forced a "special" higher priced version to load via their wifi among other shenanigans. (this was during the "Devil-customer" days)

 

[sdifox]

I buy motor oil, sometimes cat food(if I'm already there for motor oil), and hot sauce from walmart. That's pretty much it.

That is just one product no?

 

[Torn Mind]

My general experience is that the online prices are lower than the store ones for items like motor oil. Food though, might be the opposite.

 

[snoopy7548]

They do have good prices on motor oil. 5 qts of Mobil 1 full synthetic 0w-20 for about $26, plus Mobil 1 always has a $10-15 rebate that you can send in.

 

[13Gigatons]

I miss the old days when Walmart was 24 hours....at least the self checkout is painless.