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Americans are buying more food at Walmart
Washington Post ^ | August 17, 2017 | By Abha Bhattarai

Posted on 08/17/2017 2:34:35 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

Competition is heating up among U.S. grocery chains, but Americans are increasingly buying their food at Walmart.

The retailer on Thursday said food sales had grown to their highest level in five years, as Walmart expands its grocery business both in stores and online by adding more organic produce. The company is also testing grocery delivery in New York, and has taken aggressive steps to compete with Amazon.com.

“We’ve seen strong results from the rollout of online grocery, which is now in more than 900 U.S. locations,” Doug McMillon, president and chief executive of Walmart, said in a Thursday call with analysts. “We’re expanding this service in many of our markets around the world.”

Food sales make up more half of Walmart’s revenue, accounting for nearly $200 billion worth of groceries each year, said Joseph Feldman, an analyst for Telsey Advisory Group in New York. (By comparison, the country’s second-largest grocery chain, Kroger, brought in $115.3 billion last year.)

“There’s been a real effort to improve fresh foods — produce, meats — and they’ve been very aggressive in keeping prices low,” Feldman said. “Big picture, we’re feeling pretty good about Walmart.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Arkansas
KEYWORDS: grocery; retail; trends; walmart
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Corporate Welfare:


1 posted on 08/17/2017 2:34:35 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I prefer the Inorganic Produce....


2 posted on 08/17/2017 2:35:39 PM PDT by Paladin2 (No spelchk nor wrong word auto substition on mobile dev. Please be intelligent and deal with it....)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I will not support WMT. I’ve always disliked shopping WMT, but was drug there against my will by the other half. Not anymore.


3 posted on 08/17/2017 2:37:54 PM PDT by WeWaWes (When I look in the mirror I see an elephant—a bad ass elephant)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

We have a Walmart Superstore here in Prescott AZ, and it is really a great store to shop for food - great prices and great selection of surprising quality brands. We also have a wonderful Trader Joe’s. So we buy the regular stuff at great prices at WM and the cool stuff at TJ’s.


4 posted on 08/17/2017 2:40:32 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Jim 0216
Costco has better prices than Walmart.

Their meats, cheeses and produce are better quality.

Never buy meat or produce at Walmart.

5 posted on 08/17/2017 2:45:44 PM PDT by detective
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To: Jim 0216

I am in supermarket heaven TJs, Walmart, Fresh Market, Fresh Thyme, Target, and 2 local chains/ Eight or so grocery stores within 2-3 miles of our home.


6 posted on 08/17/2017 2:49:24 PM PDT by UB355 (Slower traffic keep right)
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To: Jim 0216
Around here, anyway, Most of WM's meat and produce come from Mexico, and in general, isn't as fresh/good-looking. I generally avoid it.

Pre-processed foods though? Sure. Cheerios are Cheerios, doesn't matter if you buy at WalMart or the grocery store.

WalMart always has a fair price. You can do better on loss leaders at the grocery store, but if you want, say, Cheerios, and they're not on special? WM is the place to go, at least local to me.

What's interesting - again, to me at least - is that oftentimes, the "markdown" (not a loss leader, just a "lower price") price at the grocery is approximately equal to that of WM. Tells me what the real price of the stuff is, and how much the markup at the grocery store is.

7 posted on 08/17/2017 2:53:22 PM PDT by wbill
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To: detective
Costco has better prices than Walmart.

Not on a weekly basis for two people - much too much stuff you have to buy.

Never buy meat or produce at Walmart.

You probably haven't been in the kind of Walmart Superstore I'm talking about. They have some superb meats. We've had sandwiches made with sliced mesquite turkey from the Walmart deli and they were so good. Their strawberries are great in season. They've got the best deviled egg potato salad. Bananas are great and so are the Fuji Apples.

8 posted on 08/17/2017 2:55:19 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: UB355

Within 4 miles we have our choice including TJ’s, Sprouts, Aldi, Grocery Outlet, Smart & Final as well as all the regular stores like Vons, Food Maxx, Albertsons, and Walmart. I never go to Vons, Albertsons, or Walmart.
We also have a Sams Club and Costco in that perimeter.
My fave is Smart &final. Ours has fresh produce and everything.


9 posted on 08/17/2017 2:55:37 PM PDT by sheana
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To: UB355

Man, I’d spend all day going around getting samples. No need to cook. :)


10 posted on 08/17/2017 2:56:25 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: wbill

You may not have been in the kind of Walmart Superstore I’m talking about. They have some superb meats. We’ve had sandwiches made with sliced mesquite turkey from the Walmart deli and they were so good. Their strawberries are great in season. They’ve got the best deviled egg potato salad. Bananas are great and so are the Fuji Apples.


11 posted on 08/17/2017 2:57:13 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: detective

Aldi has better prices than Costco!! Love, love, love Aldi.


12 posted on 08/17/2017 3:00:56 PM PDT by EnquiringMind
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To: EnquiringMind

Yep. Aldi has changed our lives, and it’s not hyperbole to say so.

That said, I’m not a huge fan of some of their meats. Hamburger and chicken is fine, everything else seems to be low quality.


13 posted on 08/17/2017 3:11:24 PM PDT by NorthstarMom
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To: EnquiringMind

I think Aldis vary in quality from store to store. Mine has terrific produce, better than any other store in town. Beef, not so much.

But I think Walmart’s meat prices are high.


14 posted on 08/17/2017 3:17:02 PM PDT by hellinahandcart
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To: EnquiringMind

Aldi’s produce seems to be better and cheaper than Walmart.


15 posted on 08/17/2017 3:22:48 PM PDT by Guardian Sebastian (God Bless President Trump and Keep Him Safe)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I was until a day or two ago ... never again.


16 posted on 08/17/2017 3:30:58 PM PDT by bankwalker (Immigration without assimilation is an invasion.)
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To: detective

I’ve shopped at both and I don’t think the prices are that great at either. Quality is the same as everyplace else, but Costco you have to buy stupid amounts a lot of time. I’ve bought plenty of meat and produce at WM though, absolutely nothing wrong with it, but it’s not escpecially cheap. I can get much better deals at FoodMax. Costtco does have a great fresh baked large pizza for ten bucks though.


17 posted on 08/17/2017 3:46:45 PM PDT by Hugin (Conservatism wiiohout Nationalism is a fraud.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

So what store doesn’t take EBT? Why single out Walmart?


18 posted on 08/17/2017 3:49:22 PM PDT by Hugin (Conservatism wiiohout Nationalism is a fraud.)
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To: wbill

Bill, you said “Cheerios are Cheerios, doesn’t matter if you buy at WalMart or the grocery store.”

Unfortunately, you’re wrong. I learned this the hard way. I won’t go into how I learned it but suffice it to say, the Cheerios you purchase at Walmart or Target or even Costco don’t necessarily come from the General Mills factory. GM sells their recipe to companies who manufacture the cereal and order the boxes. What you get in the box depends on that particular factory and if they’re abiding and purchasing their ingredients as they’ve been instructed to.

Walmart and Sam’s Club, especially, I’ve noticed certain items don’t taste quite right sometimes. Almost, but not quite.

Buyer beware.


19 posted on 08/17/2017 3:54:06 PM PDT by Auntie Mame (Fear not tomorrow. God is already there.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

After relocated to West Virginia two years ago, I’ve noticed that Walmart is the best and sometimes the only place to buy groceries in small towns like Spencer, WV. I use to hate Walmart. Now I am grateful.


20 posted on 08/17/2017 4:01:16 PM PDT by neefer (We're walking real proud and we're talking real loud again.)
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