Wal-Mart 'urgent' memo urges improvement at U.S. stores: NYT

Reuters ^ | 12 Nov 14 | Reuters staff

[SkyPilot]

Wal-Mart stores Inc issued an "urgent agenda" memo to its store managers across the United States last month, laying out guidelines to boost sales of "chilled and fresh" food, the New York Times reported.

The memo, marked "highly sensitive", asks Wal-Mart marketing managers to make sure they discount aging meat and baked goods to maximize chances of selling them before their expiration dates, according to the report.

Wal-Mart, which has posted six straight quarters of flat or declining same-store sales growth, has been battling a stronger dollar and a reduction in U.S. food stamp benefits, which has eaten into the budget of the retailer's core customer base.

The Times said the memo calls for comprehensive markdowns across 32 departments, asks stores to find creative ways to sell clearance items and to keep "complete records of daily throws" of meat and poultry.

[Organic Panic]

[Windflier]

I am certain they will replace it, if not double the replacement. Often you will have a choice as to whether you want the product or a cash refund.

Talk to the store manager or grocery manager only. They will want to know.

Thanks for the tip, Jim. I've never run into something like this before, and wondered what the normal course of action might be. Much appreciated.

[Jim from C-Town]

Aldi’s is bare bones. Not big stores, but clean and well lit. They have all their products in the boxes. They cut the boxes open and put them on the shelf, just an open box. Their quality is quite good. It is all store brand, specifically made for Aldi’s and they offer a double money back guarantee. Some stuff is better than others.

Always bring quarters for the carts. You get the Quarter back when you return the cart. That way they don’t pay people to chase carts around the lot. You also should bring your own bags, or , take empty boxes off the shelf to pack your groceries.

They do not pack your groceries. You pack them yourself. You can buy bags there for a nickle a piece, but almost always plenty of boxes to find. Get a banana box. Heavy duty and has handles.

Take it for what it is. It is a place that you can save between 20-50% on groceries. Only thing comparable is items on sale at the Full Service Grocery store, plus a coupon that doubles. It is a great place to shop because it is impossible NOT to see what real inflation is like. The prices go up and down based on REAL inflation.

[dragnet2]

The memo, marked "highly sensitive", asks Wal-Mart marketing managers to make sure they discount aging meat

I can smell aging meat. I always ask for the aging meat discount when I'm at Walmart.

[RitchieAprile]

life’s too short to eat rotting meat.

[steve86]

I always ask for the aging meat discount when I'm at Walmart.

That sound suspiciously like the senior citizen discount.

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[CARDINALRULES]

Yeah it was on sale. Mix and match 10 items and save $5.
So I got 6 butters, 2 chicken broths and 2 BBQ sauces.
Got a rain check for the $.69/lb turkey. Looks like Kroger is having the same sale this week.

Butter has gone up. Had been $2.29 at Aldi’s earlier this year and has gone up every few weeks it seemed and is now $3.49. Last year the Winter seasonal price was $1.69.

W-M had LoL butter 2 pack for $6.48 on sale which is cheaper than their brand 2 pack that is now $6.68 here.

[familyop]

Mr. Walton was the beginning of the end of main street keystoning (100% markups from costs of all items). Too bad, so sad. Waaaaa.

[dragnet2]

Don’t be fooled Richie, you can get great aging meat cuts at at a good value. Just add a bunch of stuff like your wife throws in, like chopped rabbit food...rodent chow and boil the whole shebang. Even left over macaroni with slices of hot dog can be added for flavor.

[dragnet2]

And it’s why our seniors are living so long now. Slightly aged and dated pre-rotting meat can be quite nutritious.

[sheana]

I won’t shop at Walmart for that reason. If they actually have something I want I order it online and go early in the morning to pick it up. In and out. That’s it.

[GeronL]

I actually got a catalogue from Dollar Tree for some reason.

[familyop]

Although it doesn't have much to do with Walmart cutting costs in general, the issue of food stamps went around and around a little in the thread. Food stamp cuts do happen from time to time.

House Votes To Cut $40 Billion From Food Stamp Program - America's Newsroom (Fox News)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPLLvdSrwNg

Mutually Assured Destruction [Tues. debacle confirms growing rift between Dems & teachers unions.]
American Spectator ^ | 11/5/10 | RiShawn Biddle
"Congressional Democrats angered centrist school reformers, MoveOn.org-style progressives, and other party activists in August when they voted to ladle $10 billion in federal subsidies (funded from future cuts to the Food Stamp program) to school districts in order to stave off layoffs of 160,000 teachers (or just 2.6 percent of the nation's 6.2 million school employees). In turn, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers poured more than $40 million of their hefty campaign war chests (including more than $15 million by the NEA in the last weeks of the election season alone) to help the Democrats keep full control of Congress."

Obama signs emergency bill to halt teacher layoffs
yahoo ^
Posted on Tue Aug 10 17:38:51 2010
"The aid for the states is to be paid for mostly by closing a tax loophole used by multinational corporations and by reducing food stamp benefits for the poor...The legislation provides $10 billion to school districts to rehire laid-off teachers or to ensure that more teachers won't be let go before the new school year begins."

Three-quarters of Americans think teachers paid less than they really are
Washington Examiner ^ | 9-16-13 | ASHE SCHOW
"Seventy-four percent of Americans think teachers make less than they really do, according to a new poll from Rasmussen. The average teacher salary in America is $55,000 (upward of $75,000 in Chicago), but three quarters of Americans think teachers earn less than that. Over half of Americans (52 percent) believe teachers are paid too little."

The answer for many is to spend more time finding out how to become more self-sufficient for necessities like food, water heating and space heating--in general, studying to cut personal costs. Then learn to produce something of good use as a hobby for now. Then starve the B.

[cherry]

I’m a sale shopper, but can’t find enough at Walmart to make it worth my while to shop there...

[familyop]

"Butter has gone up."

I eat margarine instead and get more exercise. I'm old enough and have enough old injuries that exercise hurts me more than most folks for most of the year, yes (20 degrees below 0 Fahrenheit here about an hour ago). But it's either exercise anyway, or start falling apart now.

[sheana]

We have a local market with an old fashioned meat market in it. They sell only high quality meats and their prices are no worse than the chain grocery stores. All our meat comes from there. I can really tell the difference between their meat and others.
I have found Walmart groceries are NOT cheap. We have a small Grocery Outlet right across the Main Street from our subdivision and all our other groceries come from there.
I can pre order my meat via telephone and pick it up then a quick trip around Grocery Outlet and I am done. No muss no fuss and no frighten EBT crowds.

[GeronL]

Wal-Mart stopped trying to have real meat markets when unions got involved.

[Jim from C-Town]

Yeah. What is up with butter? Is their a cow strike I hadn’t heard about?

reality is lunch meat has almost doubled in price the last year as well.

[21twelve]

“What is up with butter?...lunch meat has almost doubled in price...”

Global warming. Seriously.

Well, at least the “remedy” for it. Corn crops for ethanol is a huge, subsidized cash crop. Instead of growing hay and other grains for cows, the land is going to corn. Same thing is happening to wheat - flour is much more expensive too. Soy beans and other crops are taking a hit too.