Wal-Mart tells Record Companies "Slash your prices by 1/3rd or we drop you"

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Honolulu Blue

I have no opinion on the original subject, but some comments on the Wal-Marts in our area. They've all been built in the last 5 years, so they're relatively new and seem well maintained. I noticed a lot more NASCAR shirts and, um, crimson throats among the customers than at similar places when I bother to go. The last time I went was about 6 months ago, and I'm not in a hurry to go back. I have lots of shopping options and Wal-Mart isn't at the top for any of them.

Sorry Sam.

Eh, you don't count -- you're in Meijer country!

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Eh, you don't count -- you're in Meijers country!

Fixed!

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Fixed!

?

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

I think our Wal-Marts around here must be like something out of Star Trek to you guys. They are really pretty nice and well-maintained. Of course I live 5 minutes from the largest Wal-Mart in the universe apparently and 10 minutes from Wal-Mart corporate HQ so I guess that shouldn't be a surprise. But that is what I am used to when I think of Wal-Mart, so I'm always a little surprised by others' perceptions of it.

Seriously, though. Ours are pretty immaculate and I would certainly not say it has a lower class of people that shop there. Now if I drive about 25 minutes to the 6th street Wal-Mart in Fayetteville, I can see what you are saying entirely.

My guess is that when you're running a Wal-Mart that someone from Corporate can drop by at any time, you probably tend to spend a bit more time keeping the place neat!

I haven't noticed Wal-Mart being different from other chain stores in this respect...the newer stores, or the ones in nicer, more affluent areas, are well-kept, and the older stores, or the ones in lower income areas, are not as nice. I haven't been to them in a couple of years since I moved, but if you visit the older Wal-Mart on the east side of Tallahassee, and then the newer one up where I lived on the NE side of town, it was like night and day difference in appearance and clientele. They even put hardwood floors in the clothing sections of the one up by us. It was very nice.

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

i don't like Wal-Mart. the Wal-Marts in NY have that "this is where poor people shop" vibe. i don't feel happy being in Wal-Mart (and i've found myself in one roughly 5 or 6 times). i like the vibe of Target a litte better. everything just feels cheap and discounted and for people in a lower class than i'm in. it sounds pompous, but i don't think i'm the market that Wal-Mart is catering to. they want soccer moms and families on budgets in there. which is good for those people.

"

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

i'm not rich, but still, if i'm going to shop i'm going to make it worth it and i'm going to wait till i can afford a better buying experience.

So now I'm curious about something: Where do you buy the mundane crap in life? Stuff like bathroom cleanser, toothpaste, light bulbs, cotton balls, etc.

That sort of thing -- non-food staples if you will -- are a pretty good trigger for a lot of people's Wal-Mart trips in my experience, so I'm curious where you get those. I mean, there are quite a few other options, I'm just wondering which one of them you exercise.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

So now I'm curious about something: Where do you buy the mundane crap in life? Stuff like bathroom cleanser, toothpaste, light bulbs, cotton balls, etc.

That sort of thing -- non-food staples if you will -- are a pretty good trigger for a lot of people's Wal-Mart trips in my experience, so I'm curious where you get those. I mean, there are quite a few other options, I'm just wondering which one of them you exercise.

Target has all that.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

Target has all that.

So does our Bloom (Food Lion, less than a mile from our house). And CVS (same deal). Though if they're the fancy light bulbs, we might get them at Lowe's or Home Depot.

My wife tries to avoid Wal-mart as much as possible. It's just a mess with parking etc - always crowded. She does like the more "shiny" Target. I don't care much (I'm pretty cheap at heart), but do generally think the Target is a touch more upscale.

[Kodos]

I prefer Target. In Illinois, we had a nice Super Target just down the road. Here in CT, we are pretty much stuck with Walmart.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

So now I'm curious about something: Where do you buy the mundane crap in life? Stuff like bathroom cleanser, toothpaste, light bulbs, cotton balls, etc.

That sort of thing -- non-food staples if you will -- are a pretty good trigger for a lot of people's Wal-Mart trips in my experience, so I'm curious where you get those. I mean, there are quite a few other options, I'm just wondering which one of them you exercise.

for household items, i prefer, as does my wife, to shop at Target or the grocery store (we have a Super Stop and Shop, not sure if that's a local thing or if it's nationally known).

for electronics i would shop at Best Buy or Circuit City or PC Richard.

for clothing, that's more difficult. since my tastes are more expensive than what my everyday wallet can afford, i hold off on making clothes purchases until i can afford something i really like. i mostly make due with the clothes i get as gifts everyyear. i would rather not shop at what i deem to be a lesser store. on the once or twice a year i do buy myself clothes, it's either at my suburban mall or i go to an outlet mall in far eastern long island.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

i mostly make due

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/makedue.html

For anyone inclined to care.

[MikeVic]

I don't much care for brands as long at it looks nice and is good quality. But then that usually means some decent brands. The one huge exception so far I've found though, is that the t-shirts I bought at Gap were pieces of shit compared to the Old Navy ones. Which is weird, considering Gap is supposed to be a higher-end Old Navy?

[rkmsuf]

make doo

[Anthony]

another case in point. we have a Walbaum's grocery store (and again, i'm always hesitant to rattle off store name because i don't know if something is a regional thing or well-known across the country), which is closeby to us. decent place, certainly looks like its been in the neighborhood for quite a few years. then there's the Super Stop and Shop that i prefer. the presentation is better, the store itself is bigger and it doesn't have that layer of being as worn down as Walbaum's does. i like the aura of Stop and Shop. for the random "honey can you run out and pick up some...." i go to Walbaum's, but for the more in-depth stocking up of food for the week, i go to Stop and Shop.

put another way, a bottle of Tropicana OJ is going to be the same product at a WM that it's going to be at a Target, for instance. the only difference is the presentation and experience you get. i rather forego any deep discounts, get a more pleasurable overall shopping experience. if you tell me i can get a fresh gallon of milk for 50 cents, the only catch is i need to go to into a run down shack on the side of the road to purchase it, i'm going to pass. that's what i'm getting at. to others, it may not be worth paying an extra 10% or giving up a great discount just to shop in a more pleasurable to the eye environment or rub elbows/bump carts with a higher calibre of people.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/makedue.html

For anyone inclined to care.

thank you, i appreciate that. momentary brain hiccup there, i'm normally very good with everything other than capitilization.:o

[Subby]

Wal-mart trips are good for esteem building.

[oliegirl]

We have a huge Wal Mart Super Center as well as a "regular" Target and a Target Super Store all within about 5 miles from us. We grocery shop on a regular basis at the Target Super Store, driving past Wal Mart to get there. On a day to day basis, for assorted household things, it's Target. They just remodeled the one closest to us and added a grocery section, they have most things I'd need during the week, they don't have a produce or meat dept, but there is a Publix across the street if I need that.

I avoid Wal Mart at all costs. In my experience, it's a lesser quality of product (for clothes/accessories/shoes and their name brand household stuff). I buy a lot of my son's clothes at Target, he's 10 so he is very hard on clothes and I'm not going to spend a lot of $ on something he's only going to be wearing for 3 - 6 months. I've found Target to be on par with Old Navy, which is where most of his other clothes come from.

The Wal Mart near us is pretty new also, but the clientele it attracts is definitely different than the Target. There a lot of cashiers/associates there that don't speak English very well, and communicating with them when there is a question or something can be difficult. There are also a lot of non English speaking customers, as well as a large population of very low income, low class people who leave the store a mess and it's just not a pleasant experience for me.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

thank you, i appreciate that. momentary brain hiccup there, i'm normally very good with everything other than capitilization.:o

np, it's a fairly common and easy-to-make slip-up.

[Anthony]

WakeUp Wal-Mart

ok, i have my reservations about WM and don't like the store in general, but yeesh, this site *really* doesn't like Wal-Mart. lots of WM facts and whatnot, all generally negative. was trying to google a pic of a standard urban WM with dishevelled isles and products messily laying around.

[MJ4H]

Most "facts" about Wal-Mart are just myths.


(edit: buckle-up)

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

to others, it may not be worth paying an extra 10% or giving up a great discount just to shop in a more pleasurable to the eye environment or rub elbows/bump carts with a higher calibre of people.

I appreciate your viewpoint, but to me, it's definitely not worth paying more. It's what, 60-90 minutes out of my life? It's not like I'm being spit on at Wal-Mart and escorted around Target while people fan me and feed me grapes. The extra cost of shopping at a regular grocery store (here it is Kroger, back in Florida it was the most expensive grocery store of all time, Publix) or at Target is nowhere near made up for by the surroundings. I don't interact with people while shopping anyway.

The only time I let the level of clientele affect my shopping habits was when I was in law school. There was a Publix near FSU where nearly all the coeds shopped. That place was like heaven on earth. Otherwise, all I care about is that I can save a large amount of money. I just can't stand the thought of paying $4.49 for something I know I can buy at Wal-Mart for $3.58.

[JonInMiddleGA]

HA - thanks for answering the non-food staples question, I was genuinely curious for some odd reason.

And before anybody gets the wrong idea, I get as frustrated by WM as anyone, especially now that I'm back in something that resembles civilization & it isn't a 30-45 ride to get to any of the big box stores, both WM & Target as well as three national grocery chains (2 Krogers & 1 Publix) are all less than 10 minutes from my door.

Now, that said, my habits may be influenced by the circumstances at "my" locations. After initially snubbing our closest WM for Target when we first moved here, I came to realize that there wasn't much difference in the clientele in these particular stores, nor was there much difference in the parking hassle (a notorious Wal Mart gripe for me). For food I can come out cheaper at Kroger than any, I can get better quality at a higher price at Publix, and on the other stuff WM comes out cheaper than Target with pretty much the same shopping experience which makes them my preferred choice for a major cleaning supplies/paper goods/light bulbs run. WM also gets our prescription drug business lately, with the lowest price and the best service in the pharmacy (our drug stores here are pretty awful, easily the most questionable clientele of the whole bunch).

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I just can't stand the thought of paying $4.49 for something I know I can buy at Wal-Mart for $3.58.

And with all else relatively equal here, that's pretty much what drives me.

[Synovia]

I HATE walmart....


But thats only because every Walmart I've ever been in has 65 registers and 2 people working them. I don't think I've ever been in a Walmart and seen more than 10% of the registers lit up, even around Xmas.