Comparing Walmart with WDW

[fla4fun]

I have done two WDW trips since the reopening and have one booked for this month as well. The main difference I noticed between going to Disney and going grocery shopping is that at Disney people seemed to actively be trying to comply with all the guidelines, especially spacing and masks, and at the grocery, they don’t. Of course, this will vary depending on where you live and what restrictions are in place at your location. I think the travel industry is really trying to go above and beyond because they know what is at stake if they get it wrong. I doubt there would be as much news coverage if there is a superspreader event at Walmart as there would be if it occurs at Disney or Universal.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Can anyone explain the logic of feeling safer at WDW when compared to Walmart?

I see so many people say it here and on FB groups. A trip to Walmart would be like 30-60 minutes. You don’t have to eat your meals there and you can even do curbside pickup. So how is WDW safer when you are with thousands of people, spending the whole day, and having to take off the mask to eat and drink?
It defies logic but maybe I am missing something

Because I'd much rather be trampled in the mad rush to get to the newest ride than trampled in the mad rush to get to a lousy $100 TV.

 

[luvsvacation]

My son is 17 and works at Walmart. He works stocking in the grocery department. He’s worked there for over a year. When school shut down in March he began working full time and continued doing so until school started back up in September. Since then he only works 32 hours a week since he’s in high school full time all day. We live in a state with no mask mandate. Starting in July Walmart made mask mandatory, but about 2 months ago I started to notice that compliance is dwindling. I would say it’s safe considering in all these months of him being there almost every day we’ve never gotten sick.

 

[Kitty 34]

I hit the local Walmart on a weekday mid-morning, there's nobody there.

This was Tuesday morning at 11 :00. I think the 20 of us in the store just decided to check out at the same time!

eta.......I saw no one NOT wearing a mask btw.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I hit the local Walmart on a weekday mid-morning, there's nobody there.

I do online ordering and in car pickup. I never go in the store. Works wonderfully. And no impulse buying.

 

[neverlandsky]

Anyone can shop at Walmart. Not everyone can afford to go to WDW.

 

[kdonnel]

And no impulse buying.

My wife and I were talking about the lack of impulse buying and how that might be effecting grocery stores profits in particular.

 

[spiders]

My son is 17 and works at Walmart. He works stocking in the grocery department. He’s worked there for over a year. When school shut down in March he began working full time and continued doing so until school started back up in September. Since then he only works 32 hours a week since he’s in high school full time all day. We live in a state with no mask mandate. Starting in July Walmart made mask mandatory, but about 2 months ago I started to notice that compliance is dwindling. I would say it’s safe considering in all these months of him being there almost every day we’ve never gotten sick.

He’s essential so it’s safe for him.

 

[ronandannette]

The Walmart rides are terrible. I actually cut myself trying to get into that seat at the front of the cart. You'd think it was designed for children!

Try the adult-sized trikes in sporting goods. I'd like to say my DS has never ridden a bike around the aisles in WalMart, but that would be a lie.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I do online ordering and in car pickup. I never go in the store. Works wonderfully. And no impulse buying.

I still manage to impulse buy, but it’s not as bad as before. What I lack in Target in store spending I make up for online!

 

[sailorstitch]

 

[SaintsManiac]

My wife and I were talking about the lack of impulse buying and how that might be effecting grocery stores profits in particular.

I’ll go out on a limb and say they make up for in people hoarding other items.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I’ll go out on a limb and say they make up for in people hoarding other items.

If items are in the 'hoarding' category, online shopping places limits on the numbers that can be ordered, or, simply make the item not available for online ordering.

 

[mom2rtk]

I do rope drop my local Wal-mart when I grocery shop.

 

[SaintsManiac]

If items are in the 'hoarding' category, online shopping places limits on the numbers that can be ordered, or, simply make the item not available for online ordering.

Multiple orders takes care of that.

ok I’m just bored lol

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I do online ordering and in car pickup. I never go in the store. Works wonderfully. And no impulse buying.

It doesn't seem like it's as bad as spring but walmart grocery pick up is starting to see a delay in my area and limited slot pick up times though something I noticed that I may not have noticed before is if the time slot isn't available at the walmart location we've selected but it's available at a nearby one it will show us that.

If I were to do a pick up order right now the first available AND only available time slot of the day is for Monday from 7-8pm. Another location has Monday 4-7pm. When we did a pick up order earlier this week it was the same 2 day delay though we were able to get a 5-6pm slot.

Under normal times we would be able to get one the next day and even after things calmed down over the summer we were able to do this.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think that those posters just mean that WDW is very forceful about people wearing masks and Walmart isn’t for the most part.
if you are walking the Walmart aisles with your mask under your nose, chances are that no employee will say a word to you but at Disney, they will.

This is usually the reason I see. When they compare to their home base they see that xyz isn't as good and from what I've read from people having trips back is largely the people going to WDW are rule followers for the most part. It can be much more of a mixed bag/uncertainty in ones own area. Not really an excuse just an explanation.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Walmart has always been considered essential, which has made it the most popular argument for people who didn't think the things they wanted to do should be prohibited. "Why can I go to Walmart, but not the gym?" "Why can I go to Walmart, but not get my hair cut?" "Why can I go to Walmart, but not eat in a restaurant?" "Why can I go to Walmart, but not a concert or indoor sporting event?" Why can I go to Walmart, but not WDW?" They've also used the grocery store to a lesser extent. The comparisons have never made sense, because we need groceries to live. None of the other stuff is essential to life. It's simply an attempt to justify what people want to do.

I have done two WDW trips since the reopening and have one booked for this month as well. The main difference I noticed between going to Disney and going grocery shopping is that at Disney people seemed to actively be trying to comply with all the guidelines, especially spacing and masks, and at the grocery, they don’t. Of course, this will vary depending on where you live and what restrictions are in place at your location. I think the travel industry is really trying to go above and beyond because they know what is at stake if they get it wrong. I doubt there would be as much news coverage if there is a superspreader event at Walmart as there would be if it occurs at Disney or Universal.

We'll never know, if there is a superspreader event at WDW or UO. There is no contact tracing. The few cases I've heard of haven't been shared with the general public. To be fair, one could say the same about a superspreader event at Walmart in Florida. Without contact tracing, it's impossible to determine where ground zero was.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Walmart also has a pharmacy department.

 

[Colleen27]

I'd second two points that others have already made:

First and most important, to me, is that Disney is one of few businesses seriously enforcing mask rules. Most places, at least around me, either don't address unmasked customers (or those wearing their masks under their noses) at all or they have someone checking masks at the door but then ignore people who immediately take them off or pull them down. We haven't been to WDW during the pandemic but from friends who have, I understand that they're being quite proactive in enforcing masks, to the point where even taking them off for a quick photo will attract cast member attention. We are rapidly reaching a point where I'm uncomfortable doing even the most essential shopping in my area because mask compliance is so poor, but I've had terrible luck with curbside so I'm not entirely sure what the best alternative is through this wave.

Second, the vast majority of Disney World is outdoors. Yes, some rides and shows are indoors, but of the 10 hours we would typically spend in the parks, 7+ are likely to be outside. I could even increase that number further, if we were to go right now, by eating fewer table service meals than we ordinarily do. And we know now that outdoor conditions are far less conducive to spread than indoors. If we go down there this winter, that will be part of the reason why; if we stay in Michigan, we'll be indoors from now until March, but if we go down south, we can prioritize outdoor activities and stay more active with lower risks.