Why do so many think Wal Mart is cheaper than regualr Grocery store?

[peyjax]

I was just reading the thread about Grocery bills. I noticed many who seem to be budget conscience tend to lean towards Wal Mart. I do not understand. Our Wal Mart is brand new and smells horrible and is dirty. I always seemed to be tempted to shop there, however every time I come out mad and swear it off. The total bill is always more! Sure I can get v8fusion juice for a dollar cheaper than Kroger, but the formula is $4 more! Our Kroger does double coupons, so you save even more there. I guess I just don't get the whole Wal Mart thing, i think they advertise to get you in thinking your saving, but if you do your homework you can do better. I tend to get sucked in every now and then too and I am not sure why I think I will save? Just a pet peave of mine and was wondering if others thought the same?

 

[tadamom]

I used to always do my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart and it was cheaper for me to buy there than at a regular grocer store. Over 75% of the items that I bought were cheaper there than at Publix or Kroger. After I moved to Atlanta, I went shopping one time at each of those grocery stores before I went back to Wal-Mart b/c it was cheaper for me.

I have recently quit shopping at my Wal-Mart and am now going to Super Target. It's not b/c Super Target is cheaper or has a better selection but it keeps me from having to go to Wal-Mart & Target (for clothing, etc.). And, it got to be where I was standing in line for 20 minutes before I ever got to a check-out person. They would only run about 3 regular check-out lines and that is just ridiculous!!

 

[Captain_Hook]

I agree about Walmart -- I HATE shopping there. I seem to go once every couple of years (about the time it takes to forgot what a horrid trip the last one was) and then kick myself when I am there.

I will say, I buy a lot of staples at Target. Cereal is almost always $2 cheaper per box. I buy toilet paper and paper towels. Also things like toothpaste, dishsoap, detergent....

Regular foods (fruits, veggies, regular sized products) are bought at the grocery store.

It really is tough -- if you really shop around and price things, you end up going to approximately four stores to ensure you get the cheapest prices for certain things. I narrowed it down to two for sanity sake.

 

[StrollPatrolMom]

Price Comparison wise here, for the stuff I buy, its much cheaper...even the "discount" grocery store charges more for the items I normally buy. I've never bought formula so I didn't have that issue, and honestly I don't have the time or patience for coupons...so I'd rather just go to where I know the price is the lowest...

 

[tonilea]

Well, we live within 70 miles of the WalMart headquarters, so our store is usually spotless. Very clean, wide aisles. Until one of our trips to Orlando, I never realized that not all WMs are created equal.

I shop at WM because it is alot cheaper and I can use competitor ads.

 

[Darcy03231]

I don't shop at our Wal-Mart either. Its a lot more expensive that our local grocery stores. The only thing I do go in for and I can save on is when I need to buy something from the bakery.

 

[NemoMOm]

I agree I do not find Walmart cheaper. There are a few things that may be that I buy but it is by pennies. It is not worth the lines or how icky my local Walmart is Many of the the things I buy at my local grocer is cheaper or same price.

 

[deedeetoo]

I can't comment on food prices at Walmart since ours only have a very small selection (no Super Walmarts or Super Targets around here) but I can say that the cleanliness of the stores varies widely. There are 2 Walmarts that are close by. One is clean, well stocked and a pleasure to shop in. The other is a dirty, messy, can't find anything because stuff is scattered everywhere. Uggh. I don't go there anymore. Its hard to believe that these stores are in the same chain.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Our Wal-mart here is very clean(Disney clean, I kid you not), the employees are very friendly, and the prices are cheaper than the grocery stores. The Wal-mart at our old home in NY was the complete opposite other than some of their prices were a little cheaper.

 

[TxRabbit]

I have to agree that all WalMarts aren't created equal in terms of cleanliness, atmosphere, etc. Also, what they carry can vary. My WalMart carrys many, many healthy, organic options. WalMart and Kroger are virtually across the street from each other. Our WalMart is decent and for many of the things I buy it is significantly cheaper...like pantry and freezer items. My organic, granola cereal is $2.72 at WalMart and $4.29 at Kroger! Ice cream is $3.79 at WalMart and over $5 at Kroger. I could go on and on. So, I tend to stock up on nonperishables at WalMart and then go to Kroger for produce and meat. It isn't out of my way to do this.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I hate shopping at Walmart! Our's is clean and the employees have always been pleasant, but I hate the layout and the high ceilings. I much prefer to shop at Kroger. That said, Walmart is cheaper here, for the most part, but it doesn't carry some of my favorite things that Kroger does.

 

[Allison]

Don't assume just because it isn't cheaper where you live that applies everywhere. Walmart is much cheaper than the other grocery stores in my area and I have definitely done my homework.

 

[Doc CW]

Price Comparison wise here, for the stuff I buy, its much cheaper...even the "discount" grocery store charges more for the items I normally buy. I don't have the time or patience for coupons...so I'd rather just go to where I know the price is the lowest...

Your right, thats exactly why we shop at Wal-Mart.

 

[peyjax]

I guess some of you are right. It does depend on where you live. We have like 4 grocery stores to choose from all within 5 minutes of each other and it just happens that Wally World is the most expensive and their quality is the worst. I guess I get irritated with thier ads and everyone assuming it is the cheapest. Here it is not. To each his own

 

[budbeerlady]

Our Walmart came in cheaper, they stayed that way for less than a year. Now their Yoplait Whip Yogurt costs $.78, Meijer it is $.50 or often on sale for $.40. They get you to start to shop there and then raise their prices.

Our Walmart is a dump, I avoid it like the plague but it is also the closest to my house.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

I guess it probably depends on where you live and such. Where I live, Kroger is much more expensive than Wal-mart on many, many staples.

 

[MSSANDRA]

we have a super wal-mart and it is much cheaper on many items but I have learned that I only come out better if I am well disciplined in my sticking to my list there. They have a lot of new and neat items that our local grocery store does not and i have to be very careful not to do impulse buying. Today I went to wal-mart, Sams, Aldi, and my local (Food Lion) grocery store. Watching specials and knowing prices I come out best that way but during the school year that is just not possible and I often end up just doing our local food lion.

 

[Yensid_MD]

It is very simple. Wal-Mart works off an everyday low price strategy. They request that the money (ad fees, fees for being on the shelf, etc) that you would normally spend with a regular chain (Food Lion, Vons, Kroger, Stop and Shop etc) that you put it all toward everyday units. Most grocery chains work off a high-low strategy which involves periodic ads on products which involve ad fees and discounted product.

Sometimes you can cherry pick a store ad and do better on those items, than you would at Wal-Mart, but not always.

Additionally Wal-Mart has an extremely well developed inventory system that allows them to save money on logistics. Other savings come from their logistics for moving inventory from their warehouses to their stores. They also provide to suppliers access to their sales data on a daily basis, which is amazing.

In the end however their main goal is to get you to the middle of the store, where they make all their money off softlines (the clothes). Did you ever notice that cleaning supplies etc are on the other side of the store and not in with the groceries? This is a strategy.

There are other cost savings such as no unions, which can be costly to chains.

There are positive and negatives to the mega chains such as Wal-Mart, and as long as we as a society want stuff cheaper and cheaper, there will be a need for these mega chains.

 

[bluejaygirl]

Many things are cheaper at my WalMart and it is clean and nice. Canned foods, lunch meats and cheese, frozen veggies all seem to be cheaper there.

However, the meat and produce section is not so great. Not fresh, and poor quality. I buy meat and produce elsewhere...

 

[Goofydiane]

About once a year one of the local news channels does one of those 'which is really the best priced store' stories and compare Super Target, Super Wal-Mart, Cub and Rainbow on the staples (Milk, eggs, diapers, etc...) and the Super Target's around town always come out with the best price and then usually Cub is next.

I shop at Super Target for a few reasons. It's closest to my house, it is clean and I can get everything I want in 1 stop and since I hate shopping for anything that is a big perk! It's also across the street from another favorite store - Home Depot!