I also live in Arizona.
Something horrible has happened to the ribeye steaks and roasts at Walmart over the last year. The fat doesn’t change texture when I cook it. It has no flavor (fine - it’s a walmart steak), but that’s not the problem. There’s a distinct difference in the texture. My family can’t stand to eat a walmart steak or roast any more. When I trim it up for soups and stews, I find these huge hunks of fat that’s still a hard, pure white, solid lump after cooking. Even the crockpot doesn’t touch it.
At first, I just thought it was weird and moved on, but it kept happening. I’m hunting for another place to buy meat in our town now.
My local Aldi store has pretty good sirloin steaks. They are just about the right thickness. Too many competitors either have them too thick or too thin. Also, Aldi has them in air-tight plastic. That keeps them days longer than with other stores. Also, when the slab of steak comes out of the plastic, it is larger than it appeared while wrapped.
Try Fry’s or Albertsons. Both still have real butchers in each store and the pork, beef, and poultry are by far better than any of the crap you get at Wally World. I live in Yuma and what meat I don’t by from the carnecerias, I buy at Fry’s or Albertsons. There is something seriously wrong with the meat at Wal-Mart.
When I have to, I buy my meat at Costco. I used to go to Fry’s but the taste was more bland than any other.
When I am lucky enough to get drawn for elk, I don’t have to buy anything other than breakfast sausage or bacon.