Walmart changes

[LuvOrlando]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/WalMarts-US-sales-woes-rb-1909513686.html?x=0&.v=5

I just read this article and realized I must be about as average as apple pie because I absolutely noticed what was going on in Wal-mart and had pretty much stopped going. We don't have Mom & Pop places other than the farmers market for produce so I tend to do most of my canned goods & toiletries shopping at Walmart, all things equal why not. But in the past few months they both stopped carrying what I want &/or reduced inventory so the shelf was bare so I seemed to be walking away empty handed on something more often that not, which made me go to more expensive stores just because I'd rather pay more & get what I want then need to go to 2 stores. Funny how their losses are in the millions over 2 bad decisions.

The article says they lost people to The Dollar Store but not in my case, I went to Wegmans because I want what I want.... I think they were hemorrhaging people from all sorts of markets, I hope they don't take one mistake and turn it into another one.

Anyone else out there notice it too?

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

We noticed it too about our regular Walmart so we started going to Target. Not to mention our Walmart always looks like a tornado hit it. We do have a super Walmart about 20 mins and a bridge toll away and it's amazing but I can get to Target in half the time and no bridge toll.

 

[Shadeaux]

After they remodeled the Walmarts in this area, I was tempted to send them an email thanking them for saving me so much money. The savings weren't due to their pricing, it was because of the empty shelves & reduced inventory. Not only have they cut back on their inventory, it seems like half of the grocery items are now their own brand. There's nothing wrong with some of those things, but one of the reasons I used to shop at Walmart was due to being able to find most brand name items there. With some things, I can find more of a selection at Walgreens.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

They just renovated all of the Wal-Marts in our area. The one we frequent the most became a "Super" Wal-Mart. The only thing super about it is the size. There is so much wasted space that we don't understand why they made it bigger. There are just huge empty aisles!

We're strictly Target & BJ's now.

 

[KristaTX]

While I still prefer SuperTarget, I've really liked the less cluttered changes at Walmart over the past couple of years. To me it has been a pleasant change (except for the fact that they got rid of their fabric section which I occasionally used).

I really like having both super-stores to go to, and what I don't find at one, I often find at the other. They are both plentiful, clean, and well-kept around here. I have two very nice Super-Walmarts and two SuperTargets within 10 minutes of my house. And four Super-Targets within 20 minutes.

But if Walmart goes back to being full of more stuff and turning junky, I'll probably go less. I haven't noticed anything that I ever buy that they don't have anymore. But it's just me and my husband with no kids. I rarely if ever go into dollar stores because they just seem overwhelmingly full of stuff that will quickly become junk.

 

[lakelandgal70]

We haven't shopped in a Walmart in almost 2yrs and I have no desire to go back. I prefer SuperTarget but we don't have them in our town. So we shop at regular Target and Publix. Maybe spend a little bit more but the quality esp in the food is much better than at Walmart. What the PP said about her Walmart looking like a tornado hit is so true.

 

[momof1princess]

our super wal-mart opened about 3 years ago, and is clean and pretty well-maintained. i haven't found any empty shelves so far. ours is usually well stocked. there are times when they're out of the bread or peanut butter i want, and sometimes they don't have the type of apples or grapes i want, but that's true of most any other store-they run out of things from time-to-time. i shop there every week, because i live in a small city and our grocery store options are pretty limited. i do buy milk, chips and lettuce at aldi, because it's cheaper.

ETA: the only issue i have with our new wal-mart is the pharmacy. the workers in there are EXTREMELY rude and totally unhelpful. i was dead-dog sick one day and spent 25 minutes waiting in a line to get a box of zyrtec D (oh, and in that time, not ONE person in front of me got their prescription(s), none of them were ready), only to have the cashier shrug her shoulders and laugh at me as she told me they didn't have it. had she not made me late to pick up my daughter from ballet class with her molasses-like slowness and rotten attitude toward everyone, i would've gone to the manager to report her-an "i'm sorry, ma'am, we're out of that right now" would've sufficed, no need to laugh at me, i know i looked like crap-i felt like it too. apparently, this particular wal-mart pharmacy has lost many customers recently due to issues like mine. my in-laws used the wal-mart pharmacy for years, but they drive 25 minutes to the next town to buy meds at another wal-mart pharmacy now, because the staff at ours supercenter is so hateful.

 

[pixiewings71]

Our Wal-Mart moved and became a Super Wal-Mart a few months ago...it's HUGE and I do shop there, but I never leave with my list finished, I always have to go somewhere else for something else.....it's frustrating to say the least but at this point I'll continue to go (I only go to WM once a month) and do the rest of my shopping at Safeway or Raley's.

 

[MushyMushy]

Our small town spent years and years negotiating to get a Walmart. There was a lot of controversy, but we finally did get one. It's a scaled down version of a Super Walmart, maybe 3/4 the size of a regular one, if not smaller. I don't know if people don't shop there as much because of the smaller size or what, but it really hasn't been as busy as people expected it to be. Now the store is replacing a ton of product with the Value Time or whatever their store brand is.

We used to do all of our heavy shopping at a Walmart 30 miles away and had hoped to be able to do the same with the one in our town, but with all the cutbacks and changes, we just haven't. We go there for non-food items, but when we go shopping for groceries, we go to our more expensive local store. LIke the OP said, we want what we want, so we'll pay more to get it.

 

[Swalphin]

My Walmart is always very clean, helpful sales people and I find pretty much everything I need. Their produce is from the same places that Kroeger sells and is usually much less expensive. My DH likes their sporting good section, he goes to the shooting range a few times a month and they have the best prices on ammo.locally.

 

[Lassie Lynne]

We don't have a walmart that carries lots of groceries - there is one 30 mins away and when I am in that town, I do like to head over to it because it is nice, clean and has some items I can find in our locals.

As for regular Walmarts, we have two close by, but one I can't stand (it is messy, cosmetic items I shop for are locked up and harder to get to), and the other is further away, but nicer. Most times, I just go to Target, since I am in usually in that shopping center anyway.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Walmart lost us to Target too. I love Target quality, selection, and their clearance prices. Walmart's quality is poop on a lot of things-- esp childrens' clothes. DH actually looked at a pair of kids' PJ's and said, "they look like they could set on fire." Target is the same price or sometimes cheaper on clearance, why would I bother paying the same price for lesser quality?
Their groceries are a joke... their prices are higher than the grocery store we frequent.

And I'm soooo not a dollar store fan, except for when I was TTC and they had cheapo pregnancy tests. LOL.

I don't even like walking into Walmart. Their clientele are pretty bottom of the barrel where we live... they'll trample you in a second. Ugh!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

It's rare that I go to Walmart anymore, and I don't think I ever brought groceries there. The entire concept just seems weird to me.

 

[Buckalew11]

Our sister towns have 2 Super Walmarts. Both are clean, nice stores.
However, I have been doing almost all my shopping at Kroger for a year now because with coupons, double coupons, internet coupons, and sales, Kroger is much cheaper for me than our Walmart. You just have to know how to shop to save $ and I'm slwly learning

 

[minniebeth]

I stopped shopping at Walmart when the manager told me that there were no longer comment cards because they no longer want/need the feedback of the customers.

 

[Dax]

I cannot always afford to shop at a more expensive place just for the sake of hating Walmart. I do loathe going in there, but being on a tight budget means making the sacrifice. I have noticed the decline in the quantity of the items offered though..

 

[ilovejack02]

I rarely shop at Walmart anymore. I started having trouble finding the brands I like, everything replaced with their store brands. I shop at Target and my local privately owned grocery .

 

[LisaR]

I hate shopping at our Walmart but I don't really have a choice because our Super Target is just as bad, if not worse than our Walmart. Target is ten times cleaner and friendlier but they can not seem to keep their shelves stocked for the life of them.

I have talked to multiple managers at my Target and I have been told the same story from all of them. Local Target stores do not get to order their own inventory. All inventory is decided upon by corporate. So, if my store is out of something, they can't just call up and order it. They have to wait for corporate to decide that they need it. That is the most ridiculous way to order that I have ever heard of.

Unfortunately, their lack of inventory keeps customers away. The Walmart parking lot that is directly across the street from Target is always three times busier. I long for the day that my Target gets it together so I can shop there exclusively but I don't think that will ever happen.

 

[Swalphin]

There are so many people who do not seem to like Walmart, their own Walmart. I admit I just started shopping there 2 years ago, it was after black friday and I had gotten a great deal on a Flat Screen. I had gone in before I made the purchase to take a look at what the everyday prices were. This is a new Walmart and a Super One. The pharmacy people always remember me, and I just pick somethimg up every few months. The dairy people always aks if I am finding what I need. The garden center is half the price of Loews. I have lots of stores to choose from in my area. And I choose to go to Walmart. Not for odds and ins but for a big shopping day, I go to Walmart. Maybe because I am in an urban area and there is so much more competition, they have to be customer friendly. It is a diverse group of people who shop there, I don't like to judge people by their looks. But nobody I would consider "undesirable", I hate to even say that word about people.

 

[Cindy B]

My post went away.. .it was a lovely post extolling the virtues of much cheaper Wegmans...

My last straw at Walmart happened this summer. I bought a pair of sunglasses in an Orlando Walmart (had them for a few days). I didn't abuse them or whatever, they just crushed in my head after I didn't wear them one day.. got them ready to put on and both eye temple things snapped. We were going to catch a plane, so I secured my now broken glasses and the receipt and hit the Walmart near our home.

First they said they wouldn't take them. Then the CSR stated that I need to go back to Florida (1100 miles away) to return them. Then she said since the receipt wasnt her region they wouldn't take them. It was a mess. I just wanted to show them the crappy merchandise and what to do with it.

I tried to call the district manager onsite at the store (the wall at the CSR desk) and the phone was disconnected.

I would so much rather not deal with unhelpful ignorant people so I go to Wegmans, with their true double coupons, nicely arranged store and self checkouts that aren't broken.