Have a few minutes to read? This is a good one..I promise!
What is what worth, you may ask?
Saving money and time, what is it worth to you?
Well duh, of course we all like to save money, but here is my story/question?
Let me preface this by saying that I suck at coupon clipping and bargain shopping.
And I prefer not to shop at Walmart, hmmmm, wonder why?
The other day I swung into the Super Walmart to grab a few household items.
I went to the grocery section because I knew I needed a couple of things, so I should just grab them while I was at a store.
Meat Department- A scoured every section of the meat department in search of some organic chicken. NOTHING. I went up to the “meat counter” and asked the man, “Do you carry Organic Meat?” He looked at me like I had 2 horns growing out of my head. I actually had to repeat myself, because I think I took the poor man off guard with my bizarre question. He said, and I quote ” No, we aint got no organic meat here”. I thought to my self “we aint got no”, interesting. “Thank you Sir.” I walked away meatless.
Strike One
Deli counter- I should have know since “they aint got no” organic meat, they wouldn’t have my next needed item, but a girl can dream. I was going to make some peas and prosciutto and I needed prosciutto. I took my number from the number pully thingy and patiently waited for 38 to be called. “Thirty Eight” was shouted in an unfriendly tone. “Yes Sir, I will take 1/4 pound prosciutto, sliced thick please.” (yes, I am always polite..thanks Mom and Dad). I am answered with, “Pro, what?” Enunciating a bit better in case he did not understand my thick Florida accent,
“PRO-SCIUT-TO.”
He turned his back to me, walked away and asked a lady who was slicing meat. Not hearing their conversation, he walked back to me and said, “We have never heard of it, so we must not have it.” Now I looked at this man like HE had horns growing out of his head. “mm-k, thank you.”
Strike Two
Produce Section– It’s not looking good for me is it? Well you see the last thing I needed was chives. Just some common chives. I walked all throughout the produce section, several times looking for chives. I saw nothing that resembled them. So instead of walking away from my uneventful shopping trip, I decided to amuse myself. Dare I ask? Yes! I walked up to the lady who was arranging the potatoes. “Excuse me, I hate to bother you, but I can’t seem to find the chives, would you point me in the right direction?” She said, “you mean the green things you put on the top of a baked potato.” My eyes light up in excitement thinking I just scored some chives. I say, “YES, exactly..where would they be?” “Oh, we don’t carry chives.”
I think my neck started getting red at this point. I say, “Thank You” and walk away.
Strike Three.
So here is my question.
Do you one stop shop at the big bargain places to save money, even if they lack in quality and in selection? Or do you spend they extra money and shop in one place where you know they have everything you need?
Me? Save money..sure that would be nice..but I think I will stick with the “real” grocery store for my groceries!
Three Strikes and your out, right?
I. hate. Wal-mart. I hate it. I avoid it at all costs. I will buy certain things in bulk at Sam's Club but for the majority of groceries, I go to a very nice Kroger store that has a huge organic selection of everything.
Walmart blows, I actually refuse to shop there. Fortunately I live near a city so this is an option, my sister lives in Iowa and the only thing they have is Walmart.
I do most of my shopping at Trader Joes, although that is heavily influenced by it being walking distance from my apartment. Heh.
I spend the extra money and shop at a store that carries the quality and types of ingredients that I look for. I offset that by paying more attention to how I use those ingredients and do not waste food.
I will admit that I am a Walmart shopper, but just like you, I can't find everything that I am looking for when I go there. So instead of saving myself time, I have to shop at other stores as well. Good thing I have a child that doesn't mind grocery shopping because that is all we seem to do! LOL
I've found I get a lot more for my money when I shop at different places. My first round is always Aldis, where I get much of what we eat. It's always cheaper that anywhere else ($2.00 for milk!), but it's a box grocery store. However, they do have a good selection, some nice meat, and a good frozen section. I then make my way to the other box grocery store, Sav-a-lot, and most of what I didn't get at Aldis, I buy there. I only go to Walmart for things I can't find at either place – but Walmart's selection is terrible.
When I came back to West Virginia from Oregon, I wanted to make enchiladas. When I asked where I could find their flour tortillas, I was met with blank stares from everyone. I finally found some flour tortillas in the dairy section (of all the weird places, but whatever). In a world of Taco Bells and Mexican restaurants aplenty, how can you not know what a flour tortilla is?
I feel your pain. I may have to try Kroger, we don's have Trader Joes here, though.
walmart for paper towels, toilet paper, garbage bags, laund det., etc…
whole foods for everything else. i made a vow years ago to buy only humanely killed meats, and that's whole foods. plus organic foods aren't that expensive anymore, thank goodness.
I try to avoid Wal Mart at all costs. I would rather pay a little extra get the quality and the ingredients that I am looking for-
I love to shop at Costco 🙂
Actually the terrorists are targeting the wrong people and places. Hit all the Wal Marts when they are full on lifetime welfare day. Really. Do us a favor. I am ready to deck someone when I do go there. I am amazed at how trashy and rude our country is. You must have looked obviously out of place.
Leslie my dear. You could have purchased generic mac n cheese (although cheese is really a lie), or beans and wienies. Super Wal Mart does not mean Super as in better. Your story is hilarious.
In a perfect world, I would shop organic, biodegradable, fair trade, cruelty free. But we ain't got much of that here. Ha ha.
And to the nice people who shop there, I don't want you there when the terrorists hit okay? You know the ones I mean.
Glad to know I am not the only one who hates Walmart! I organic shop too but try to avoid the expensive co-ops also unless I nees something so I tend to shop around a bit. Everytime I do have to go into Walmart for our car oil….I walk in with culture shock….
Funnily enough, my ND Walmart has all of those things;P I must admit, I do shop at Walmart, mostly just for canned goods/household items.
I must say, Sam's club is wonderful and that is where I get pretty much all of my meat.
For my produce, I go to a local grocery store that I really love.
agreed. I go to Target or Wal-Mart to get household items and whatever food I happen to be able to find (not much). Then, I head to Shop-Rite, because there's no way I can get everything I need at Target/Wal-Mart. And I, like you, like fresh (and organic, as much as possible) ingredients.
I have a three tiered strategy:
Big Box Store: Every two weeks, we go to Sam's Club and buy our staples and large cuts of meat (whole pork loins, ribeyes, chickens). That night, I break the meat down into cuts and Alexis vacuum seals them.
Stupidmarket: We go 2 times a week to get fresh produce, seafood, and any particulars.
Fresh Market/Earth Fare: Once or twice a month, my splurge trip.
Leslie, it depends on what I'm buying. Non-organic canned goods, some produce and some dairy are fabulous buys at the warehouse stores. I can't count on them for much else. Most of our supermarkets now carry organic vegetables and dairy products, but do not carry meats. I pick and choose where I'm going to shop depending on what I need. Love your blog. Will be back often to see what you're up to.
I despise WalMart. When the economy smacked us up side the head a few years ago I stopped shopping at my beloved Publix and started shopping at WalMart. It took me HOURS to gather everything with the crowds and screaming children. It was an absolutely miserable experience and I always left feeling homicidal. I decided that I needed to find a way to be able to shop at Publix again so I googled "how to save money at Publix" and up popped http://www.southernsavers.com I have been following her advice and shopping lists (free I might add… some people charge she doesn't) ever since. I get to shop at my beloved Publix and I am spending LESS than I spent at WalMart for much higher quality products. I buy all name brand- no generics! I can't even believe it!!!
In Florida, you probably can't turn around without running smack dab into a Publix so I know her tricks would work for you too! That way you can have your quality groceries at prices anyone could afford!
Just in case you aren't near a Publix, there is a website that lists the websites that have deal match-ups for every area in the United States. Here's the site: http://thefrugalmap.bargainbriana.com/
I don't like to buy my groceries somewhere just because it's one-stop. I would rather make sure I am getting the things I need, good quality, and at a reasonable price. I am one to clip coupons and shop the sales ads tho 🙂 I don't go out without a plan!
I would never grocery shop in a Walmart, or shop there at all if I could avoid it.
I have no idea why you don't hear about my posts, I mean I am rather famous. I haven't done anything different tech wise, have they done something I don't know about?
And you have no idea how honest I can be, I actually re read what I write and edit it. I don't want to offend people because I really am nice, just opinionated.
We don't have Walmart here but same thing happened to me when I visited Carrefour.
Walmart is just plain hell, to put it nicely. I don't mind paying a bit more to go to another store, household items included.
we've had to resort back to 2 store shoppin- walmart for basics and grocery store for the 'real' stuff-as walmart manager told us that the new walmart concept is to carry more of only certain items, and reduce 'floor space' for speciality items. Thus, why you can no longer find the items you actually want! how this si working for their bottom line is beyond me, as most people we know are doing the same as us, thus they are loosing money…
walmart. ugh. i do admit i go there……sometimes. only if i 'have' to…..i just busted out laughing, out loud about the man in the meat department. nice. amazing there are people in the world who still do not know or understand the whole organic thing. oh well….this is what makes the world go round, my friend! we are all 'special' in our own way!
try super target……i know it those ingredients…i love it!!!
Walmart sucks ass. If I need to stock up on cereal or cleaning products or chips, I'll shop at SuperTarget. They aren't as bad as Walmart, but their produce and meat still aren't very good.
Laughing at the stellar customer service you received.
Oh, that's such a tough one for me. I get so annoyed at Walmart, yet I still go there all the time. It IS convenient where I live AND where our new house in Utah is. I really dislike their produce though. I was even annoyed last week while we were in Utah that they didn't even have body pillows. I'm to my wits end about even going there. There is a huge quality difference in their meat and produce and I rarely buy either there. So I do find it annoying that I still go there because their pb, tp, etc. IS always cheaper. Big Sigh! 😉
Walmart is the devil for many reasons. I won't get on my soapbox here, but just take a look at any documentary on their way of business, and the way they treat employees. "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" is a good one to start with.
People seriously need to educate themselves on why and HOW Walmart's prices are so incredibly low. You're digging your own holes, America!
I won't set foot in a Walmart or Sam's Club – and their food choices stink.
But I love the post. WHO doesn't know what Prosciutto is, especially when you slice MEAT!
I shop at Super Target and once in a while still have to go to a gourmet market but not often. The one in my neighborhood has organic chicken, nice meat, deli, bakery, wine and produce. I refuse to go in any type of Wal-Mart.
My Walmart has all of those things… It must just be your area. And, going against the grain, I'm very thankful for my husband's 20 years of steady employment at Walmart. They have been VERY good to us. I'm also thankful for the others who work there and have steady employment and benefits. I'm very sorry for your bad experience.
I hate going into Walmart or Cosco or Sam's or Price Club; it makes shopping for food such a depressing chore. I like to go to the smaller ethnic markets, the Asian markets, the middle-eastern market that make fresh pita bread daily and where I don't feel like a number out of a crowd of millions.
Walmart sucks ass. It is yucky and dirty and is not as cheap as other places. I have comparison shopped a LOT, and I find I get the most bang for my buck at Super Target! THey have a large line of organics and a GREAT deli and meat selection. For what I buy, it is cheaper than Walmart and you don't get the "I need to bathe" after leaving like you do Wally World. Of course, Trader Joe's is a close second and I would probably do all my shopping there if they carried everything I need. BUT, my weekly grocery shopping spree starts with Costco (for milk, bread, eggs) then to Trader Joes, then finish up at SUper Target.
for me i guess it just depends on what i need and how important quality is on that particular item. i'll go to walmart for really basic items, but then whole foods, and trader joes for things like meat, produce etc. it's more expensive, but very worth it to me!
We get most of our groceries from Costco and Trader Joe's – high quality but not too expensive. Walmart scares me a bit, to be honest, and I haven't been in one since it was the only option in the small town my college was in.
I tell my husband when we go into Wal mart to keep this mantra in his head "low expectations". That way he's never disappointed 🙂
The nearest Walmart is about an hour drive and I can't say that breaks my heart. It creeps me out to buy food at the same store as clothing, boots, and God knows what else. How do you keep it all separate in the cart?
I actually get queasy in any super-sized stores, so I only shop at a very small local store. Their variety isn't fabulous, but they have great specials and I've learned to cook according to what's on sale. Best of all, the owners and every employee knows me.
Friendly smiling faces make grocery shopping fun, rather than a chore and the butcher gave me a great deal this weekend when I asked him for some lollipop lamb chops because he only had one rack left from the whole lamb he butchered himself.
Great post, Leslie! I say, three strikes, they're OUT.
Walmart is a pain in the backside. There customer service stinks at least at the one in my world.
There is no way to shop at just one place as some stores carry different things.
Most of the fresher groceries come from Trader joes and the bulk and or household items are from either Ralphs or Costco.
I would rather spend a little more to get good quality / fresh or organic items
I don't do walmart at all nor will I shop at winn dixie. It's Publix or The Fresh Market. If neither has what I need then I don't need it.
~ingrid
I've never commented but I thought I could chip in on this topic. I always go for quality and best price: so I do end up shopping at multiple places but I try to split them up by weeks.
We go to the farmer's market every weekend. We get most produce and our farmer's market also has a butcher, spice shop, and bakery. So I pick up any needed items from there and for the most part they have the absolute best prices and quality.
Then I usually will go to another actual grocery store like Whole Foods, the asian market, mexican supermakret, or Trader Joe's and buy other items. Each place has particular items that are the best deals and I just stock up on those.
I only hit up Walmart when I'm out of something and everything else is closed. I'm in the midwest and I admit that Walmart does have organic food here – including meat and other items but I very rarely buy them there. I stick to M&M's, baking soda and vinegar for cleaning, and Diet Coke for Walmart purchases.
I don't use the word "hate" often. But in the case of Wal-mart I make an exception. It is honestly the worst store in the world. I make a weekly 30 minute trip to Publix to do our grocery shopping. At least they have fresh produce, good meats, and everything on my list!