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.