Will there be a limit to Walmart's price increases?

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Vdubchaos

Lifer
Nov 11, 2009
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I don't normally shop at Wal-Mart, partly because because they don't have a store close by, and partly because the stores always seem to look disheveled. However, I got a $25 Wal-Mart gift card as a gift a few months ago, so I figured what the hell. I swung by a local Wal-Mart and picked up some cereal, body wash, and a case of bottled iced tea. Wal-Mart couldn't possibly screw up non-perishable food from national brands, right?

Wrong.

The cereal was stale, the body wash left me feeling "greasy" (for lack of a better term), and the tea was so nasty I threw out the entire $10 case after trying to drink two bottles. And again, these were national brands.

I strongly suspect that manufacturers retaliate against Wal-Mart's pricing pressure by supplying them with the lowest-quality batches that pass through inspection. I can't think of any other explanation why the quality of Wal-Mart's products are so much lower than other stores.

It's the other way around.

Walmart forces manufacturers to produce product to THEIR price point. Which means SOMETHING has to give.

And you end up with the results you described.

From food to electronics. You name it, something was done to the product to meet the pricepoint.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,081
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Not necessarily.

I find people who ask such questions clearly haven't taken any basic economics classes.
If the masses are willing to pay those prices, then the seller is either at or below equilibrium. I think folks are ignorant and spoiled and dont realize that places like Walmart have probably been selling most of their goods for slightly less than they could have all these years.

I think such attitudes are indirectly related to the current national debt as well. We all want shit and none of us wants to pay for it. But we've been GETTING shit. Does anybody else see the problem here?
 

OverVolt

Lifer
Aug 31, 2002
14,278
89
91
Hmm you guys might be right on the quality. Its not like Wal-Mart is the only place I shop lol. I go to Wegmans, Target, Giant, etc. Certain dry goods at wal-mart ARE in fact a good deal. Goya comes to mind, really good olives, beans, & dry rice, lentils etc at a good price.

I got "Schmidt King Loaf" white bread (bad for you, I know, I didn't really care) at Wal-mart. It was... square shaped.

I got the same loaf from a grocery store... it was normal shaped lol. I used to be on a wheat bread kick, but I'm way way too busy to make good sandwiches with wheat bread.
 
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tboo

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2000
7,626
1
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And you think its just walmart? the walmart i go to is still the cheapest but the prices are getting higher. Hi-vee is my 2nd favorite place and its far higher then walmart.

oh and prices for everything is going to shoot up soon. the crops this year have not been good.

This. Where I live prices have gone up everywhere but Walmart is still the cheapest.
 

SandEagle

Lifer
Aug 4, 2007
16,809
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Walmart fruits and vegs are the worst. i stopped going there recently and switched all produce shopping to kroger or meijer.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
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D@mn that's a lot of beef. But when you're feeding a family I'd bet it doesn't go as far as one would think, particularly if the kids are grown.

This might be the time for us to consider a storage freezer. Sometimes you have to spend more to save more, and we just don't have enough freezer space to buy that kind of size and also freeze our extra fruit/produce from the back yard.

8 T-bones
6 Porterhouse
16 ribeye
12 sirloin steaks
7 (2 4bl and 5 8ish lb) chuck roast
3 round roast
8lb's of stew meat
80lbs of hamburger.

weight after cutting is guaranteed over170lbs. price went up to $850 though. All flash frozen and double butcher wrapped.

that should last us the winter and into spring.



It's the other way around.

Walmart forces manufacturers to produce product to THEIR price point. Which means SOMETHING has to give.

And you end up with the results you described.

From food to electronics. You name it, something was done to the product to meet the pricepoint.

yeah. what amazes me is people think that those products ONLY go to walmart. (btw the scu number is the same at target, and large grocery stores). It does not make financial sense. if a business produces a item cheaper at walmart that sales they are going to do the same cheap shit to other stores.
 

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,758
603
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It's the other way around.

Walmart forces manufacturers to produce product to THEIR price point. Which means SOMETHING has to give.

And you end up with the results you described.

From food to electronics. You name it, something was done to the product to meet the pricepoint.

Yeah, the same trick happens with Home Depot and something like a John Deere lawn mower. You look and see they have a super cheap John Deere but its made out of crap parts and sucks. Personally I think its idiotic for John Deere to ruin their brand just to get a product in another store but they do it.

Anyway I avoid Walmart if I can. I hate shopping and there isn't a store on the planet I hate going to more than our local walmart. I've been to other Walmarts in other states and they aren't that bad but ours is awful due to a number of local factors that ensure its always crowded as hell and filled with weird people from across the entire state. The fact that the store itself is poorly run like any walmart and has weird congestion causing layouts of the isles just exacerbates the situation.

I don't buy any food there since it isn't a super walmart anyway and I buy most other stuff off of amazon or from costco. If I need a low quality appliance that is to heavy to ship or certain toiletries I'm forced to go there. I wish Ames was still open. It was a dumpy store but at least it wasn't a nightmare to navigate. I feel like I'm on a fucked up Safari whenever I go to Walmart.
 
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waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
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Yeah, the same trick happens with Home Depot and something like a John Deere lawn mower. You look and see they have a super cheap John Deere but its made out of crap parts and sucks. Personally I think its idiotic for John Deere to ruin their brand just to get a product in another store but they do it.

same with err. sigh brain went dead typing. But another Big Tractor line. they do the same shit.

sigh. i need more coffee.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
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Supermarkets use very low meat prices to get you into the store. Walmart doesn't. Which is why Walmart meat prices are often not as low as a supermarkets.
 

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
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high five for knowing what everyone does!


really if you can eat for a day on a box of zatarains (yummy stuff) you are single. come talk to us when its a family of 4 with 2 kids.

to be honest your post was idiotic. IF you can't understand that the cost of food is going to be and is a major issue for families.

oh and guess what? its going to get worse over the next year.


Waggy, I think you are way off. No other time in recent history (last 100 years or so), have food prices been so cheap. We have it easy and food prices have been so cheap that we are spoiled. Perhaps we, as a society, wouldn't waste so much food if food prices rose and we were more accountable for what we put on our plate. Sure, it sounds bad to go to the store and spend $125 every week like we do (family of 5), but lets be honest. We would make a lot better choices and waste a lot less food if prices were more in line with how much things should cost and livestock were raised in a more humane way.
 

Nintendesert

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2010
7,761
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We can't negate the problem of wasting viable farmland on things like ethanol. The feed prices for cattle are over twice what they were last year, this raises the prices of all the farm and ranch products and in turn raises prices of all other food products.

We need to use farm land for farm products and not energy production.
 

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
10,473
81
101
Aldi - This goes against my buying local thing, but the prices are cheap as hell. I like their efficient setup, and the food quality is as good as national brands, but at (sometimes sub)dollar store prices. Kind of far, and I combine it with my BigLots trip.

We took the Aldi Challenge and their prices were higher than Hy-vee, plus, their selection of "fresh" meats was horrible and they had no good fresh fruit, no deli meat area, and their selection of goods was in general, pretty poor. Would not shop there again. The best bargain we got was a shopping cart for 25 cents that we have sitting in the back yard. :)
 

KlokWyze

Diamond Member
Sep 7, 2006
4,451
9
81
www.dogsonacid.com
Walmart isn't even inexpensive..... and they focus on selling the lowest quality crap, especially when concerning food. Plus it's like your IQ has to be below 80 to shop there. It's weird. I loathe going here and Best Buy.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
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Waggy, I think you are way off. No other time in recent history (last 100 years or so), have food prices been so cheap. We have it easy and food prices have been so cheap that we are spoiled. Perhaps we, as a society, wouldn't waste so much food if food prices rose and we were more accountable for what we put on our plate. Sure, it sounds bad to go to the store and spend $125 every week like we do (family of 5), but lets be honest. We would make a lot better choices and waste a lot less food if prices were more in line with how much things should cost and livestock were raised in a more humane way.

I disagree. food is more expensive today then it was 8-10 years ago AND the packages are smaller.

shrug. you can take it as you want but hell i know spending $125 a week 10 years ago got me a hell of a lot more food then i get today.


We took the Aldi Challenge and their prices were higher than Hy-vee, plus, their selection of "fresh" meats was horrible and they had no good fresh fruit, no deli meat area, and their selection of goods was in general, pretty poor. Would not shop there again. The best bargain we got was a shopping cart for 25 cents that we have sitting in the back yard. :)

Aldi is terrible. Some of the stuff is dirt cheap but most is not a real deal. No way in hell would i even look at the fresh fruit or meat.

Only stuff that i seen worth it was the bread. we go through it so fast a $.25 loaf is great!



Walmart isn't even inexpensive..... and they focus on selling the lowest quality crap, especially when concerning food. Plus it's like your IQ has to be below 80 to shop there. It's weird. I loathe going here and Best Buy.

It really depends on what walmart you go to. I live between 3 diffrent walmarts. One in rochelle, Rockford and Dekalb (all within 15-17 miles).

the rochelle and rockford one are disgusting. The store is dirty (both very new) and is everything that people complain about with Walmart. The prices are as hi as hi-vee. it blows my mind whenever i stop at it.

Dekalb one is ok. it's clean, prices are the cheapest in town and while busy i haven't seen many rude people. The only time you want to avoid it is on the first of each month, and when the college kids come back to school in the fall (NIU is in Dekalb). otherwise its a great place to get the boxed food, bathroom items.

For fresh fruit i go to hi-vee for meat i go to the butcher shop.
 
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Jeffg010

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2008
3,435
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The dollar stores are way cheaper then anything a grocery store or Wallmart will have. The Dollar General by my house is my main place for milk, bread, tea, toilet paper, soup, can goods, cereal, birthday cards, light bulbs, batteries over the counter medicines. Everything is like .50 to $2.00 off on the same product. The only thing I can't get is produce and meats which I still get at the grocery store and some frozen meals. They even have a deal if you buy something during the weekday your receipt will have $5 off a $25 on Saturday. I save like $1,500 to $2,000 a year compared to the a grocery stores. That is some nice jing to have saved.

http://www2.dollargeneral.com/Ads-and-Promos/Coupons/pages/Index.aspx
 

Jeffg010

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2008
3,435
1
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We took the Aldi Challenge and their prices were higher than Hy-vee, plus, their selection of "fresh" meats was horrible and they had no good fresh fruit, no deli meat area, and their selection of goods was in general, pretty poor. Would not shop there again. The best bargain we got was a shopping cart for 25 cents that we have sitting in the back yard. :)

Aldi is a complete joke. I have an aldi across the street from the Dollar General and see tons of people in there. They open last summer so I thought these people were on to something. I went in there and was like WTF at the prices and walk right out the door. I'm not sure why people even go in there when the Dollar General is right there.
 

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
19,441
86
91
You all need to get some relatives that live in the country. Last visit to the in-laws I came home with 15 pounds of tomatoes. Now I have a freezer full of salsa and spaghetti sauce.

There are also a lot of local sellers near me where I can get produce cheaper than the store. Kroger is the closest place to me.. they have gone up some but not too bad. You just stock up on shit when its on sale.
 

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
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I don't mind shopping at kroger (Dillons in Kansas), but I don't like using their "card" to get discounts on things and dislike their ad (its hard to read). Their prices are not cheaper than HY-VEE's either, but are close.
 

Train

Lifer
Jun 22, 2000
13,587
82
91
www.bing.com
I don't mind shopping at kroger (Dillons in Kansas), but I don't like using their "card" to get discounts on things and dislike their ad (its hard to read). Their prices are not cheaper than HY-VEE's either, but are close.

Why would you NOT use the kroger card? It basically reduces the price of damn near everything you buy, not to mention you get coupons mailed to you of the stuff you buy most.
 

mvbighead

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2009
3,793
1
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Why would you NOT use the kroger card? It basically reduces the price of damn near everything you buy, not to mention you get coupons mailed to you of the stuff you buy most.

Because you have to have it, is what I would assume. I have enough shit in my wallet, carrying around a card that says I am a member is just thickening an already thick enough wallet.

Was in FL on a vacation and went through a CVS, I didn't have a card (nor do I visit a CVS often enough to bother to get one), and I ended up paying $2 for a drink instead of $.79. The need to carry around a "member" card is a joke, IMO. Especially when that card is free.

I understand they are trying to figure out what their customers from different areas are buying, and getting other information from it, but it is simply annoying to have to carry one more card for a store that you may not visit for another 5 months.
 

Train

Lifer
Jun 22, 2000
13,587
82
91
www.bing.com
Because you have to have it, is what I would assume. I have enough shit in my wallet, carrying around a card that says I am a member is just thickening an already thick enough wallet.

Was in FL on a vacation and went through a CVS, I didn't have a card (nor do I visit a CVS often enough to bother to get one), and I ended up paying $2 for a drink instead of $.79. The need to carry around a "member" card is a joke, IMO. Especially when that card is free.

I understand they are trying to figure out what their customers from different areas are buying, and getting other information from it, but it is simply annoying to have to carry one more card for a store that you may not visit for another 5 months.

I don't carry any physical cards, and neither does my wife.

But I have a barcode or about 15 different stores/memberships on my phone using this free app:

http://keyringapp.com/home

Takes two seconds to pull it up while at check out.

Not to mention Kroger just lets you punch in your phone number to apply your card if you don't have it (or in my case, forgot my phone)
 

slag

Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
10,473
81
101
Because you have to have it, is what I would assume. I have enough shit in my wallet, carrying around a card that says I am a member is just thickening an already thick enough wallet.

Was in FL on a vacation and went through a CVS, I didn't have a card (nor do I visit a CVS often enough to bother to get one), and I ended up paying $2 for a drink instead of $.79. The need to carry around a "member" card is a joke, IMO. Especially when that card is free.

I understand they are trying to figure out what their customers from different areas are buying, and getting other information from it, but it is simply annoying to have to carry one more card for a store that you may not visit for another 5 months.

Its not that. I carry the card with me often enough, but just the fact that they want me to use a card to get a discount on items sucks. Plus, I've NEVER received coupons in the mail from them, but thats probably because they have a super old address on file. At any rate, Hyvee doesn't require a dumb card and so I use them, plus their store is cleaner, prices are better, and its overall a better experience imho.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,081
136
PSA:


Any store that uses a special membership or discount card always charges more than the competition, even after the discount. The discount is just fluff to trick you into believing you are getting a bargain. You arent.
This is especially true of grocery stores.