Posted on 02/16/2010 10:01:48 AM PST by Star Traveler
Published by diamondpoet
December 4, 2009
What is Walmart really up to.
Walmart is one of the biggest supermarket chains in the world. As of August 31, 2008, Walmart has as many as 100 food categories:
United States 4,227 total units.
International 3,210 total units
This is a time where families needs to make every penny count, Walmart expansion of it’s Great Value brand is replacing many of the name brands, we have used for so many years.
The new improved Great Value products — which has been appearing on shelves and various sections of the store, is slowly being integrated into Walmart stores across the country, within the past few months – will provide families with affordable and possible high quality groceries. This is some sales jargon that Walmart has come up with, but what is really going on?
Walmart is the company, that is famous for their roll-back slogan, and now it would seem that they are also trying to monopolize the food industry. I am all for savings, but I prefer quality products and good taste. I grew up with many of the brand names and it is what I am accustomed to.
There are a few thing that I could settle for, that is not name brand, but when I was shopping during the Thanksgiving holiday, I was looking for McCormick’s vanilla, this is the only brand that I use to make my pies. I discovered that Walmart had completely removed McCormick’s brand and replaced it with their own brand Great Value. I rely on McCormick’s products to prepare many of my meals.
I tried using substitutes, but there is no comparison to McCormick’s Seasonings. I have never shopped anywhere other than Walmart, because I was comfortable and they basically provided most of my needs.
It would now see that I am being forces to shop somewhere else. Walmart no longer stock all the brand names that I desire. Since Walmart is trying to completely eliminate the middle-man, what type of effect will this have on many of the distributors and will this also have a spiraling effect on the economy as well?
Since so many distributors rely on Walmart’s business, will they not suffer and be forced to downsize? I can’t help but wonder is this really going to benefits the consumers or hurt us even more?
Do you have any Aldi’s near you? Great prices and excellent products.
And it has hardly anything... LOL...
I'm in Tulsa and I don't know why anyone would go to that store... :-)
I used to shop at a Mom and Pop store called Walton’s 5&10 back in the 1950s and early 1960s.
And that reminds me of the "Kress' five and dime" that I used to see as a boy... :-)
I've seen name brand products disappear from WalMart shelves only to re-appear months or years later. It all depends on the deal the WalMart buyers can get for that product.
Ummmm... "note to Walmart marketing department"... don't expect the consumer to be waiting around for a year or two for you to get the product back on the shelf again... LOL...
I’m a Skippy gal myself.
They already control the fresh produce market which is why we no longer grow fresh produce, we got tired of getting screwed. It was different when Sam was alive, they gave the best price for the best produce, now they want to pay nothing for perfection and they mislead and actually defraud you.
***...one of the big problems we have noticed with US supermarkets is TOO MUCH choice.***
Years ago I saw a news report that producers of groceries often have to BUY shelf space from the grocer. Kind of a “kick back” to display their goods.
While Wal-Mart is good for non-grocery items...I HATE buying food there and avoid going whenever possible. I find Kroger has better food and deals anyway.
The reality is most of those GV products are processed at the same plant as the name brand but they use less than perfect product in the GV brand. It shows in the fact that you get a lot of stems in the green beans or the peas aren’t uniform. It isn’t inferior, per se, it is just not as good.
I am cost conscious but there are very few products where I will regularly choose the store brand over the name brand.
I'm really more upset that Stop & Shop is discontinuing the USA made cat food by Harmony Pet Products. After Purina had the tainted Chinese melamine in it's pet food, I go the extra cost for the cat.
***...by driving some of their customers to Walmart’s competitors to get the brand that they want. ***
We often go to another store to get MSG free meats.
Well, more power to them! Where you shop is a choice. Don’t like great value? Don’t shop there.
And there is the marketing problem that Walmart has created for itself -- just what you said... :-)
You see..., other major chains and big stores (like Walmart) will carry their "off-brand label" product along with the name brand product. That keeps their customers "in the store" -- with either choice... the off-brand or the name-brand.
BUT..., here we see that Walmart has decided to eliminate some name-brand products on their shelves for the off-brand -- only. Now... what that does is that it no longer keeps the customer in their own store with a "choice" -- but that drives their customer "out of the store" to Walmart's competitor -- in order to exercise their "choice".
So, yes, the customer does have a choice, but Walmart just ended up driving a lot of their customers to Walmart's competitors in order to "exercise that choice" that you're talking about.
Now, that's what I call a "dumb marketing decision" by Walmart... LOL...
Too bad. Ours is small but carries a lot. We buy all our cereal there, many of our canned goods and frozen pizza for nights when we’re out too late to cook. It’s the best we’ve found. Plus, they have special buys there all the time. My husband bought his wheelbarrow there, I bought a laminator there last week and we bought a panini maker there that we love. We also buy food items as gifts. We love our Aldi’s.
My wife got WalMart house brand hamburger patties once. They were vile, odd texture, weird taste, I wouldn’t feed them to an annoying neighborhood dog. That was the last straw in a series of disappointments with WalMart house brand, they are now banned from the home.
We often go to another store to get MSG free meats.
And I've gone to a store or two when something has been out of stock at Walmart, too. And sometimes one or two things that I can't get at Walmart.
But, now I see that Walmart is going to make it so that I can't get "more" of those things that I may want... and I've kinda seen it building up over the last year, too (myself).
That has caused me to wonder if I should start "looking around" for a better store with better choices in it.
That's just my own thinking, as it's been developing, over the last year, without having seen this particular article.
That's not a smart "marketing move" by Walmart.
***And that reminds me of the “Kress’ five and dime” that I used to see as a boy... :-)***
The one in downtown Tulsa? Is that the one with the elevator incident which led to the 1921 riots?
My wife got WalMart house brand hamburger patties once. They were vile, odd texture, weird taste, I wouldn’t feed them to an annoying neighborhood dog. That was the last straw in a series of disappointments with WalMart house brand, they are now banned from the home.
That's because it was dogmeat... LOL... (just kidding... :-) ...).
No, I do know what you mean and with certain of the off-brands, it just doesn't cut it. I still do get some of them for certain products though, but I do keep in mind what is good and what is not.
Great Wal-Mart.
The one in downtown Tulsa? Is that the one with the elevator incident which led to the 1921 riots?
Well... I'm old but I'm not that old... :-)
My grandmother always liked Kress' five and dime, and so she took me along with her, at various times. I just can't remember where it was in Tulsa though -- you know how it is with kids... (the adults just take you there...).
But, it could very well have been that one, however it wouldn't have been back in 1921...
My aunt, though (my mother's sister) did tell me that she saw the riots and the smoke pouring out in the sky from it -- and her father (would be my grandfather), told her -- "We can't go over there..."
She told me that a few years back. And the area is marked and "displayed" to this day. On the sidewalks around the area, the different businesses that were burned in the Tulsa Race Riots (the worst in U.S. history, I believe) those businesses are named in plaques on the sidewalk.
The Greenwood district was called "Black Wall Street" being the richest black community in the country -- and it all ended in one day. It never recovered.
Hey... ;-)
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