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Those in my area that shop at Wal Mart, are more likely to be into light farming, more self sufficient for staples, etc..They may have larger families. They shop where it is economically to shop. They have to value the stretch of a dollar. The majority of the time they "cook, eat & play" at home. However, I am not saying they are not as educated.

The other food chains I mentioned closer to #1, are mainly upscale in that they attract a whole other more metropolitan-appearing clientele.

I know a Wal Mart worker and it has become "family" for him in many ways. He has health issues and relies on the insurance they offer. He receives a bonus for high store team sales often. He states that sees many customers in several times a week. It has become a meeting place for some younger mothers in a rural atmosphere. Often taking the older generation with them. It's a place to go, to get out see friends--it's a "self-selective part of their given lifestyle". People have been known to marry in Wal Mart. The latter instance not unusual.

I just know the parking lot is always full. Must be doing something right!

You’re right about people shopping where their dollar will go further. I’m a homeschooling mom and though I work part-time, we are in a much lower economic bracket than most families who do not homeschool because most moms are working full-time. I have to make a dollar stretch and GV products allow me to do that. I can feed my family delicious homecooked meals utilizing GV products. We don’t even enjoy eating out very often because for the amount of money we spend at a restaurant, the response is usually something like “your (fill in the blank) is way better than this, Mom.”

You were saying ...

I just know the parking lot is always full. Must be doing something right!

Walmart may have been -- but they just made one of the dumbest marketing moves, by driving some of their customers to Walmart's competitors to get the brand that they want.

Other stores keep the off-brand and the name-brand on the same shelves. Walmart has made it so that they don't carry some name-brands and you only have the "off-brand" there, instead. That causes some of their customer base to start shopping at other stores, where those customers would have never had to do it before.

Thus, this is a big mistake that Walmart will be paying for, a few years down the road...