Posted on 11/12/2014 5:36:14 PM PST by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at ca.news.yahoo.com ...
Does anyone have a link to an article explaining the "reduction in U.S. food stamp benefits?"
I ask because every client I interview at a local food/clothing bank has seen a substantial increase in food stamps in the last month or so.
Here's a real kick: about 50% of the interviewees are unaware they got an increase.
I made that mistake once - what a circus!! All the people on disability go shopping at WMT just two days of the month, what a sight!
Dunno, the crowd is much larger on those days around here.
“What state are you in?
Tell your legislators to go to calendar sequenced EBT payouts like SocSec has done.”
Wealth redistribution works so much better that way.
The stores lobbied for it (most states), to smooth out the sales during the month.
The Fedgov adopted it for SocSec in 1997.
Yup. ALDI is a great store. There are not many brands, often only one, but the quality is good.
I don’t see this payment method affecting the underlying political philosophy at all.
It just makes sense for the stores to even out business during the month.
The fedgov changed SocSec payments to multiple days back in 97.
I buy the reduced for quick sale meat at Walmart. Lots of times it’s “yellow-tagged” several days before the sell by date. I’ve done that for years.
Several years ago, as long as I got there before 9:00am, I could always find yellow tag deals. Nowadays, there are folks waiting around at 7:30am for the guy to come out, and do the mark downs.
From Floridas site
“Cash benefits are available by the 3rd day of each month.
Food assistance benefits are available by the 15th day of each month. (SUNCAP food assistance benefits are available by the 3rd day of each month.)”
I can see where that’s a big problem!
Here’s a more typical setup (ex: my state of Indiana)
http://www.in.gov/fssa/dfr/4832.htm
With 50,000,000 people on food stamps, the core customer for everyone in the food business, outside of Ruth’s Chris steak House, is food stamp recipients.
Per the census, there are approximately 115,226,802 households in the United states 49,900,000 on food stamps and approximately 313,000,000 million people, give or take ten to twenty illegals. @ 2.6 people per households that is almost 19.2 million households food stamp dependent. That is i in six. ONE IN SIX.
SNAP benefits cost $76.4 billion in fiscal year 2013. Almost $80 billion for ONE Federal food program. Lots of money in poverty.
If it’s the same Aldi that we have in our area they have DELICIOUS spaghetti sauce.
Walmarts vary greatly in customer service from store to store. Generally they reflect the attitude of the neighborhood they are in.
Their meat is expensive and poor quality.
They have basically become a store that caters to the EBT and Welfare crowd. Which is why a lot of us avoid Walmart. BTW, also surprised anyone wants to work there—especially the cashiers. I have witnessed customers screaming and hurling insults at cashiers worse than the saltiest sailor.
My wife will shop there for some items, but I don’t anymore. I think the last time I shopped there was last Christmas because I could not find the item in other stores and it was too late to shop online due to shipping. Agree with what you said....they are basically raping us all. Taking EBT billions and propping up Chinese manufacturing.
Who really cares if the Fed govt doles out the EBT Food Stamps on a more regular (I.e. Weekly) basis? I think you are missing the larger point.
I wrote to our local WM.
Nothing in response.
We shop at WalMart because we can’t afford to shop anywhere else. Won’t buy their meat though - I once knew a guy that got fired from WalMart as a meat manager because he threatened to blow the whistle on shady redating practices (or so he said at the time - he may have just been deadwood). The problem is that they rarely restock and the store is out of at least 2-3 items per week that we need.
People trying to avoid a mass of noxious indigents on certain shopping days certainly care.
And merchants trying to have a balanced daily workload and workforce certainly care.
FWIW SNAP (aka food stamps) is actually administered by the states, not the fedgov.
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