Posted on 08/15/2013 5:14:53 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
If discount every-day necessities can’t tempt shoppers into stores, it’s a clear signal that consumers feel stifled by a tough economy at home and overseas.
That’s the picture provided this morning by Wal-Mart’s latest quarterly report. The world’s largest retailer cut its annual profit and revenue outlook and reported second-quarter figures that missed expectations.
Wal-Mart, operating 10,800 stores across 27 countries, is seen as an economic bellwether because it’s a go-to spot for so many households, where they shop for groceries, home supplies and gasoline. Nonexistent wage gains and a sluggish recovery are hampering spending in America and Europe, while slowing growth in developing companies keep the emerging middle classes there from spending much, too. Listen to Wal-Mart CFO Charles Holley: “”The retail environment remains challenging in the U.S. and our international markets, as customers are cautious in their spending.”(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
In my area (practically urban, between Newark & Jersey City NJ) Wal-Mart is noticeably cheaper than grocery stores. We lost our Pathmark after Wal-Mart opened, and I expect we’ll lose our K-Mart as well. The only way shopping in Wal-Mart is bearable is to go very early; the worst of the workers and shoppers are still asleep.
“A huge problem is that the continuing instability of the world economy—breathlessly reported by the mass media around the world—is literally scaring people into closing their pocketbooks.”
Our media here in the US is pretending things are going well. People are closing their pocketbooks because their own eyes tell them otherwise.
“Say hi to Family Dollar and General Dollar, your neighborhood answer to WalMart that keeps a bit more gas in your tank and has as good or better prices on lots of things you used to get at WalMart.”
We recently had a Dollar General open by us; maybe I misunderstood the concept - I just don’t get it. Having lower prices by selling smaller packages doesn’t seem all that beneficial unless you’re a bachelor living on your own. Otherwise, they seem much more expensive than Wal-Mart. The Dollar General seems to operate with a staff of two or three; they won’t open a second register until ten people are lined up at the first one.
Ooops, that should read 2005-2012 product & prices.
That’s the old “Farm”; I’ve since moved east to a Condo and have a similar set-up in the new basement. If a can isn’t dented, rusty or bulging (throw away), there’s no need to rotate it out. I had soups from 1999-2000 which were perfectly fine in the cool, dry, dark basement.
I read the CNN Money and Marketwatch websites all the time. Sanguine about the economy they're not.
To not shop Walmart you have to have some where else to shop. We don’t have much of that in our county.
They operate as thinly as possible and squeeze every dime until it screams. Their aisles are narrow and packed with as many brands as possible, but as a regular shopper, I’m certain their prices on “most” things are right there with WalMart. In my case, WalMart is 30 minutes away and Family Dollar is 5 minutes away. In my F-150 super cab, that’s about 4 gallons of gas versus a half gallon, and an hour of travel versus 10 minutes.
So I save about 12 bucks in gas before I even start, and am home and done in an hour less time.
Family Dollar seems to have the same sized packages as does Wal-Mart for the most part. You lose on variety, of course, but the prices are similar. So, with a Sav-a-lot also nearby, we can put off a trip to one of the larger stores now. It’s more like once every other week when it used to be once a week or more.
I am boycotting them and have canceled my membership at Sam's Club.
Not to mention the clientele.
especially when stuff and junk is cheaper elsewhere.
I agree, you won't get the sale prices at Walmart.
Anybody been to Costco lately? It's a horror show. Prices have, in many instances, doubled from what they were 4-5 years ago.
We are getting a WinCo. right around the corner from Walmart, Sam's and Costco. It should hit them all in the pocket pretty good.
Buying food is getting ridiculous. I was in Sweden this summer and much of the grocery prices THERE were on par or even cheaper than ours now. (ground beef, for instance was cheaper in Stockholm than here.) What's that tell you?
I don't go anywhere else without a good coupon. I do most of my shopping online, anyway. I dislike Wally World not for the usual leftist comtard reasons but rather because the ones near me are filthy and staffed by idiots. And the prices are not as good as they used to be.
“These comments about Walmart always tend to be tied to the local market and demographics. Here, the cashiers are pleasant and many of their customers know them personally. One recently died and a bunch of people went to his memorial. Regarding service, I would say though it isn’t the style of the business to have sales staff follow the customers around the stores like Nordstroms or somewhere. In fact, I won’t shop anywhere they do that. Many employees are stockers or another specialized position and won’t be able to answer questions about products nor should they try. As far as grocery prices, you can often do better with sale prices at pure grocery chains, but if what you want isn’t on sale Walmart will be about as low as anywhere. And the Walmart house brand is priced quite low.”
Add to that, the Union thugs and paid anti Walmart posters who hate Walmart.
In our Walmart, if a competitor has a better sale price on an item, you mention it to the clerk when he/she starts to check out an item, and you get the competitors’s price.
Costco has better prices on some items like large size household items/cleaning stuff. So we make a monthly trip to an out of town Costco for that stuff and their fresh meats/fish from Alaska. We fill up on gas at about 25 cents less per gallon.
In the growing season we use our local farmers market and a farming family we have used for decades for fresh fruit and produce.
Our Walmart is about one mile away and other super markets are several miles away with usually some heavy traffic. So Walmart is like a 7-11 for us with better prices. We use their 20 item or less checkout lines. They were understaffed for a while, and I took some pictures of the long lines at the registers and emailed them to their home office. In about a week, new checkers were hired, and there is usually a minimal wait.
We park on a side parking lot, and spread the word to friends. Now, we joke that it looks likes a Lexus, Merc, BMer and other premium car parking lot with $30-40 K suvs and pick ups.
Anti Walmart/Thugs complain about surly clerks at Walmart, the most surly checkers here are union thugs at the other markets. Whom, we often see shopping at Walmart, because they can’t afford the price difference between their stores and the lower prices at Walmart.
Walmart just doesn’t work for my large family anymore. I still go there probably once a week but I seldom purchase more than $50 anymore. I’ve switched to Costco and I just end up with more for my money. I do like Wholefoods but for now I just can’t afford the premium price but plan to resume shopping there beginning of next year but only for those specialty items that I like. If I’m going to shop based on the overall experience Target wins hands down.
“I am eternally grateful for the $4 prescription drugs at Walmart. In fact, when we get dumped from our insurance plan on Jan 1 because it doesn’t meet Obamacare requirements I will be even more grateful.”
That is great for a short term/time RX.
If the RX is for a long time, Walmart has a 90 day supply of the top 100 generics for $10. We have an excellent RX plan for expensive on patent RX items. However, they charge $30 for a most generic 90 day supply. So I save $20 every quarter when I can get that rx filled at Walmart.
Often on a short term rx not in Walmart’s 90 day program, via our Rx Plan, we get an rx for a few bucks. That day versus sending the rx in and getting it mailed back often at a higher cost.
“These comments about Walmart always tend to be tied to the local market and demographics. Here, the cashiers are pleasant and many of their customers know them personally.”
EXACTLY....
I’ll drive 20 miles to a smaller town Walmart where things are actually in stock, the store is clean, my car isn’t in danger in the parking lot, and the employees are pleasant, thus avoiding the noise and “Demographic” of the city.
I think good store managers have as much to do with the experience, as does the demo.
Pricing isn’t much different than Meier or Kroger, although Meier still has in-house butchers, making the meat quality the best in this area.
“I read the CNN Money and Marketwatch websites all the time.”
The difference between the face they put on this and the reality is very creepy (and probably played a big role in people just tuning them out). The closed businesses, “for sale” signs all over, the old clunkers filling the roads - they tell the truth.
I understand what you’re saying, but in my area Wal-Mart is definitely cheaper. Dollar General is 5 minutes away, Wal-Mart is 10; I’ll go to Dollar General if I only need ONE thing. Otherwise, they aren’t competitive; in fact, they aren’t even competitive with Shop-Rite (7 minutes away). I see people describing the pricing Wal-Mart uses in different areas (depending on the competition), and that might explain the difference in our experiences.
I bought a pair of shorts at Dollar General in which the pockets quickly wore out; the same may have happened if I bought them at Wal-Mart, but I would have paid several dollars less for the lesson.
I no longer live near maple trees and a good friend that used to make his own maple syrup. I do hear that maple syrup can be mailed. Can I interest you in a trade for an authentic southwest tumble weed. A genuine tumble weed can be quite the conversation piece in the northeast!
Don’t expect ANY customer service at a Savannah, GA Wal-Mart. They act like they are doing you a favor just to sneer at you as they slowly ring up your purchases. I usually go to self-checkout except when I’m feeling feisty and want one of those receipts where you rate the cashier. I ALWAYS fill those out.
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