Walmart expanding grocery departments in some stores

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
We don't shop at Walmart for groceries except for occasional pick-up items if we are already in the store for something. The produce at my local Walmart is always pretty nice and generally cheaper than Publix (the other big grocery store chain in our area). Admittedly haven't tried it again in years but the steaks we bought once at Walmart were abysmal, tough and gristly and they were rib eyes.

Publix did an item by item comparison with Walmart a while back and Publix was actually cheaper as a whole. Showed the actual receipts and items in shrink-wrapped carts in their stores. Granted, some things were cheaper, some things more expensive.

We'll buy meds, especially their $4/12 ones at Walmart plus the ones thru insurance. However, if we need an antibiotic depending on what kind it is, we'll go to Publix or 1 of the pharmacy chains (can't remember which one) because they are free for some penicillin formulations and a couple of other kinds. And I'll buy things like cat litter and toiletries because they are cheaper at Walmart than the grocery store unless they happen to be on sale at the grocery.

I'd rather shop at Publix because of the convenience of getting in/out of store. Walmart nearly always has long lines and difficult parking and Publix doesn't.

Now, I live in the "burbs" of a large metropolitan area. My dad, however, lives in a tiny, tiny town pretty much in the middle of nowhere. They have a very small Piggly Wiggly, a tiny pharmacy and a couple of Dollar-type stores. The PW often has produce that is less than fresh and quite often moldly out on the shelves and my aunt has gotten bad chicken/beef there more than once. So, they go to the Walmart that is about 45 minutes away via mostly Interstate (or longer if you get stuck behind a tractor on the way to the Interstate) to get to from their home or to the PW in the next town over. Even in the town with Walmart, it's WM or some independent grocery store that's in a less desirable part of town.

When I was there a few months ago, news had just broken that Walmart was going to put in one of those little stand-alone grocery stores in the next town over about 15 minutes away from their home. People were up in arms in sharply divided camps. The PW people of course were screaming about it because WM will put them out of business, pharmacy people too, although the 1 pharmacy in the town with the decent PW should be put out of business, it's prices are just highway robbery, $12 for a small bottle of Mylanta that is $5-6 elsewhere. Then, there are people like my stepmom who can't wait for it to get built so they don't have to travel so far.
 
Last edited:
There is always going to be controversy where Walmart is concerned. And a lot of it reigns on the "hate" side. But I think they brought it on themselves with their employee practices and destroying local businesses. :angel:
 
To add what PF said, Walmart is a huge company and they are able to get manufacturers to make smaller sizes of things just for them so that they can offer it at a lower price.

.
That is another thing I have against Walmart/Asda. They treat their suppliers very badly. There has been nothing short of a scandal over here when it broke that they were paying their milk suppliers - mostly small dairy farms - less than it cost the farmers to produce it. As a result 3 farms around here have pulled out of supplying milk to supermarkets and set up as retailers, selling directly to small shops such as the greengrocers, the health shop, etc., and providing doorstep deliveries. Something of a volte-face.
 
That is another thing I have against Walmart/Asda. They treat their suppliers very badly. There has been nothing short of a scandal over here when it broke that they were paying their milk suppliers - mostly small dairy farms - less than it cost the farmers to produce it. As a result 3 farms around here have pulled out of supplying milk to supermarkets and set up as retailers, selling directly to small shops such as the greengrocers, the health shop, etc., and providing doorstep deliveries. Something of a volte-face.

I love stories of folks standing up to the Walmart's of the world. We need more of them. :angel:
 
I'm not a big fan of Walmart and stores similar to it.

I have never understoodd the idea of hating them for the way they treat employees. All of the people that work at Walmart went in, filled out an application, interviewed and were thrilled to hear that they were hired. Then Walmart becomes the bag guy.

If the answer is that Walmart is the only place that would hire them then they should be thankful. If not they should move on.

It is a similar situation to the way large corporations treat small suppliers. In the beginning the suppliers are thrilled with the extra business. They expand, take on more debt, add employees and gradually drop other long time customers so they can swing more business to the MEGA corp. Then the MEGA corp starts making demands and the suppliers become little more than underpaid employees.

I have much more sympathy for the mom & pop stores that fold up when stores like Walmart come to town.

It's just a corporation that does not respond to love or hate only profit and loss.

I try to shop locally but I still sneak into the Walmart's of the world to get my bargains. I guess I'm just as much a part of the problem as Walmart! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
i have a built in mistrust for walmart, so i rarely buy any food there.

they are a few pennies to maybe a dollar cheaper than everywhere else, but at least i think i have a better chance that my food doesn't come from china.

downwind of a lead factory

and downstream from a political prison work camp.

:cool:

oh, wait, except for the shiitakes and yu choy. ;)



WalMart's connection to China and their products is indeed alarming.

I won't set foot in a WalMart for any reason.
 
WalMart's connection to China and their products is indeed alarming.

I won't set foot in a WalMart for any reason.
My dad shops at WalMart a lot. The prices are usually lower, but I have found when I've been at my parents' house that some of the products are past their best by dates. I do not buy food at WalMart, and I try not to buy anything else there, either.
 
My dad shops at WalMart a lot. The prices are usually lower, but I have found when I've been at my parents' house that some of the products are past their best by dates. I do not buy food at WalMart, and I try not to buy anything else there, either.

The elderly shop where the prices fit their wallets. You can't fault them for that. :angel:
 
The produce at our WalMart leaves a lot to be desired. If I'm there for something else and I need lettuce, for example, I'll buy it, but when I need to replenish my produce supply I go to Aldi's. They have the nicest produce for the price in our area. You have to go early in the day or they sell out. Everyone around here knows about their produce.

Our Giant Eagle markets are privately owned and operated. There are 3 in my area, but the closest one has the best meat. I never get ground meat that is brown in the middle and there's never a puddle of that red stuff in the package. It's because of the owner and his employees, not because of the particular chain. The meat is not that nice in the other Giant Eagle Markets.

Some stores in our area offer free antibiotics and also diabetes meds. That's a nice feature. They figure while you're in the store for your meds you will grab a few other things that you need.

About Walmart, I agree with Aunt Bea. If the people working there aren't satisfied with the working conditions they can look for another job. That's what my step-daughter did. She took the job at Walmart when she was in-between jobs, as she made more money there than she would have received on unemployment. She was very happy to have that job, until she found another 9-5 M-F job that was a better schedule for her. Her biggest complaint was that when she wasn't busy in the jewelry department she had to go over to the next department and help stock shoes. What a terrible employer to expect her to work 8 hours for an 8 hour pay check instead of just standing around.
 
When you look at the bigger picture, as opposed to someone's individual experience - sort of like a real clinical study as opposed to anecdotes - things look very different:

How McDonald's and Wal-Mart Became Welfare Queens - Bloomberg

Their staffs are paid so little that they often have to go on public assistance in order to survive. So Walmart creates their own customers, as they are the largest recipient of SNAP benefits. And if you think anyone can just up and look for another job, you haven't been paying attention to the economy.
 
Have all of you forgotten that we have a Walmart employee in our forum. Crazy Cat Lady is a supervisor at her local Walmart. Why? Because she doesn't have to work for the money, but to help fill her time. Whether she likes her job or not, she will have to say.

Are we all forgetting also the law suits that have been brought against Walmart by the Federal Government regarding their practices of making it mandatory that once an employee punches out that they are required to continue working for an additional hour or lose their job?

Today, if you want to get into the system of welfare benefits, then go to work for Walmart. You are so right. I am not a fan of the practices of Walmart and the way they treat their employees. :angel:
 
The irony is that founder originally was "Buy American" but to help keep US manufacturing jobs. Need I say what happened to those manufacturing jobs and why so there are so many low-paying service industry jobs in NA?
 
The irony is that founder originally was "Buy American" but to help keep US manufacturing jobs. Need I say what happened to those manufacturing jobs and why so there are so many low-paying service industry jobs in NA?

He just forgot to teach his kids to "Buy American". Once he died, you began to see most of the products came from Taiwan, The Philippians, and other foreign countries. :angel:
 
The produce at our WalMart leaves a lot to be desired. If I'm there for something else and I need lettuce, for example, I'll buy it, but when I need to replenish my produce supply I go to Aldi's. They have the nicest produce for the price in our area. You have to go early in the day or they sell out. Everyone around here knows about their produce.

That is so weird how stores are in different geographical locations. Walmart produce where I live is great, also where my Dad lives. Aldi's produce here absolutely sucked.
 
That is so weird how stores are in different geographical locations. Walmart produce where I live is great, also where my Dad lives. Aldi's produce here absolutely sucked.

I think some of that has to do with how much turnover the stores have and when you shop. We have several grocery stores to choose from and they all get a lot of turnover, so if you shop before about 3 pm, there's typically a good selection, because they generally restock overnight.
 
The produce at our WalMart leaves a lot to be desired. If I'm there for something else and I need lettuce, for example, I'll buy it, but when I need to replenish my produce supply I go to Aldi's. They have the nicest produce for the price in our area. You have to go early in the day or they sell out. Everyone around here knows about their produce.

Our Giant Eagle markets are privately owned and operated. There are 3 in my area, but the closest one has the best meat. I never get ground meat that is brown in the middle and there's never a puddle of that red stuff in the package. It's because of the owner and his employees, not because of the particular chain. The meat is not that nice in the other Giant Eagle Markets.

Some stores in our area offer free antibiotics and also diabetes meds. That's a nice feature. They figure while you're in the store for your meds you will grab a few other things that you need.

About Walmart, I agree with Aunt Bea. If the people working there aren't satisfied with the working conditions they can look for another job. That's what my step-daughter did. She took the job at Walmart when she was in-between jobs, as she made more money there than she would have received on unemployment. She was very happy to have that job, until she found another 9-5 M-F job that was a better schedule for her. Her biggest complaint was that when she wasn't busy in the jewelry department she had to go over to the next department and help stock shoes. What a terrible employer to expect her to work 8 hours for an 8 hour pay check instead of just standing around.

That discoloration in the ground beef is just from lack of oxygen making it to the center of the meat clump, this can happen within a few hours. Chances are the Giant Eagle that you go to is quite busy or they have the time to grind small batches throughout the day to keep it as fresh as possible.

If you notice in prepacked ground beef (not ground in store) the meat in the pack will be quite flat and extruded with deep ridges in it to maximize surface area to keep it as red as possible, they have a gas in them that helps.

The Aldi near us is quite busy so there produce has a fast turnover, I get stuff there whenever I can, it is always nice and the price can't be beat! I ate a lot of $1.19 pineapples this summer!
 
I think some of that has to do with how much turnover the stores have and when you shop. We have several grocery stores to choose from and they all get a lot of turnover, so if you shop before about 3 pm, there's typically a good selection, because they generally restock overnight.

Working in grocery retail for all these years, turnover has everything to do with it. The busier the store, the better the fresh foods will be.

I've worked for a few different companies and they pretty much get very similar stuff, there are of course different grades, so an upscale store may have prettier stuff, but freshness seems about equal overall.

You'll likely have better luck with exotic produce in an affluent area, where a less affluent area is just buying the basics.
 
Back
Top Bottom