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?
Ok, well I’ve tasted Great Value foods and also we have Safeway Select brands and Western Family ... some taste thing there that’s a bit off ... I spend the extra few cents and get the name brand ....
I would only recommend it to the suicidal and those who want to experience the joys of being a guinea pig.
Every large chain has their house brand.
But, I'll tell you what every large chain doesn't do -- that Walmart is doing.
You won't find these large retailers and chains getting rid of certain name-brand products and only having the "off-brand" house product (meaning no name-brand product there in the store for that item).
If all Walmart was doing was just like the other big chains... it would be no big deal. Yeah, have your own "house brand" there, too. That's a great idea.
But, what they're doing is making it so that the consumer has to "leave Walmart" to get that name brand product at a competitor of Walmart's (for whatever name-brand product/products Walmart has discontinued, leaving only the off-brand on the shelf).
Now, that's the stupid marketing trick that no other big chain has been dumb enough to try... LOL...
I've always suspected as much.
Be careful about drawing those conclusions "across the board" -- because I'll assure you that it isn't that way across the board. I've been in on that business end of things and there are definitely lower quality products made that are off-label... :-) ...
The best you can say is that some may be that way and other are not that way...
If I go to WM and all I see is “Great Value” food items, I won’t buy - I’ll go to Safeway or someplace similar and get brand name stuff .... not that food wants are all that much to begin with ....
Slim Jims
Brim's Pork Rinds
Jimmy Dean's Sausage.
Goo-Goo Clusters.
B-B Bats
Mary Janes
Moon Pies
I agree with you, Jason. Even though some national brand items are better then the generic brands, its mostly psychological. If you want to spend less, ignore the pretty packaging and labeling. After you open it and try it, if you don't like it, Wal-Mart will take it back and refund your money, in full. Simple as that.
As noted before, many manufacturers use essentially the same product for generic and name brands. In a previous lifetime, I worked in the catbox filler industry...the main difference between the store brands and the main line was the color sprayed on it...magritte
Does the author start out with a credibility deficit when he confuses the possessive with the plural on the very first word of the article?
Great Value = Made by lowest bidder.
I started a litte trend last week, where I printed up about 15 sheets of 72 font bold simply saying PRODUCT OF CHINA. Everything that I bought that had a Chinese alternative had it placed on it. Like the Tilapia that was on sale as an example One associate saw me do it, and didn’t say a word.
Kroger has their own brand, why not Wallmart.
Well, if that's all that was being said here... we would have nothing much to talk about. That would be fine. But, you see... that's not what is being talked about... :-)
The deal is that Walmart has been discontinuing certain selected name-brand products and only having their off-brand product in its place.
Now, what you see most all the other big stores and chains (at least that I've seen and been to) -- is that -- yes -- they carry off-brand labels, along with the name-brand label on the shelf. The consumer can look at both of them and pick which one they want. That consumer has the choice of either one -- right in that same store. There's no need to go elsewhere. That store has kept the consumer in the same store.
BUT... what Walmart has done with those certain select products is that when the regular shopper at Walmart who gets that name-brand product sees that it's not there any longer -- Walmart has actually "pushed that consumer into Walmart's competitor's hands"... LOL...
Now, if that isn't the stupidest marketing move ever... I don't know what else would be... :-)
That's what the problem is... that is... Walmart driving their former customers who can no longer find those certain selected name-brand products there -- right into the hands of the competitors of Walmart...
Real smart... Walmart... :-)
I have little shopping choice as there is only one other grocery store in my town and WM is the one most convenient to me.
I buy meat at a meat market.
Does the author start out with a credibility deficit when he confuses the possessive with the plural on the very first word of the article?
You're probably talking about a normal housewife who can't find her name-brand product (and several products she says) at her Walmart any more...
I doubt she's a professional writer... but I'll guarantee you, she's a "professional shopper" and Walmart is probably going to lose her as a customer at some point, if they keep that up... :-)
As noted before, many manufacturers use essentially the same product for generic and name brands. In a previous lifetime, I worked in the catbox filler industry...the main difference between the store brands and the main line was the color sprayed on it...magritte
It doensn't work that way all the time. There's a problem with drawing those conclusions "across the board" if you've seen it a time or two in a couple of different places.
What I do know is that there are different runs made for different quality products/raw material for these manufacturers at certain places and for certain items.
Now, I don't say that this is so for all of them, but it's so for a certain number of them -- and so that's why you've got people reporting that -- "it was the same when I tried it" -- and others reporting -- "it was garbage when I tasted it and I went back to my name-brand product"... So you see, it varies from product to product and from place to place.
I agree with you, Jason. Even though some national brand items are better then the generic brands, its mostly psychological. If you want to spend less, ignore the pretty packaging and labeling. After you open it and try it, if you don't like it, Wal-Mart will take it back and refund your money, in full. Simple as that.
Well... two things here.
The first thing is that there are differing quality products that are produced for these off-labels. This may not be so with all products, but it's so with enough of them so that you have to try it out and see if there is a difference. In many cases, it might be fine, and then again, in many cases, you might find out that it's absolutely terrible (bad quality control there or bad raw products/lowered quality). So, it can vary and there are differences between name-brand stuff and "off-label stuff.
Now, the "second thing" here is that the problem that people have run into here with Walmart (i.e., what the article is about here) is not about the quality of the off-brand label that Walmart has -- but -- it's about the fact that Walmart has chosen to eliminate some name-brands and only carry their "off-brand" label, as the only item. And I understand from some other articles that Walmart is going to be doing more of that, too.
SO..., what has happened is that a certain number of Walmart shoppers have been pushed out (by Walmart's decision to eliminate the name-brand item) and right straight into the hands of Walmart's competitors.
And there you have it -- the stupidest marketing decision that I've heard Walmart making ... LOL...
Yeah, and I understand your sentiments on the issue. I’ve got concerns there, too... but I’ve still shopped there. However, the one thing that will actually make me quit shopping there will be if Walmart starts discontinuing many more of these name-brand products that I normally buy.
That’s what is going to kill Walmart, even more than that sentiment of yours (and it’s a legitimate one, too...).
If Walmart can't buy it at the price they want, they don't carry it. They are so big it really hurts a company if their products aren't sold at WM.
That's a two-edged sword... :-)
Let me tell you what's going to hurt Walmart. If a consumer can't find their product on the shelf of Walmart, then they are going to go looking for it elsewhere.
Now, someone else here on this thread posted that sometimes Walmart discontinues an item for a couple of months or more (he was hinting, I think, that it was a negotiatig tactic). Now, that may be so -- but I'll tell you that if my product is off the shelf for a couple of months -- I'm going somewhere else... LOL...
That cuts both ways with Walmart.
And if Walmart starts eliminating a whole slew of name-brand stuff and only carries their own "off-label" and I can't get my stuff there -- it will be "audios to Walmart"... :-)
Products of China are taking over. I get fresh vegetables in season at a local farmer's market. I especially like their fresh garlic. Last year I couldn't find the bin of garlic they usually have and instead they had garlic in net bags like many stores sell onions. When I got home I realized in small print the tag said the garlic was a product of China. On my next trip I quizzed the worker at the farmer's market about what happened to their terrific garlic they always had and why they had garlic from China~ she did not "get it" at all.
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