I know Wal-Mart is supposed to be evil, but

[phathui5]

On Saturday, I found pears there for .50 a pound!!! The kids were so happy. We got six pounds of pears for $3. At our grocery store, they run $2-$2.50 a pound. Even Annie's macaroni was only 1.14 a box. And we got five loaves of what bread for what we pay for two at the grocery store, which is good because we easily go through a loaf of bread at lunch.

[Norasmomma]

I know I go there about once every couple months:. There are certain things that I cannot get at my local store and they are just way cheaper there. I also do get out of there with just buying my stuff on a list. Last time I went there were Crayola crayons for .22 a pack, I stocked up on them. I also like Earth's best Og cookies for DD to have as a treat every now and then and they are like 1.58 a box, I can't even get them at our store. They never have Annie's mac at the Walmart by us, maybe they do now. I don't go there all that often, maybe 6x's a year. I'm alright with it.

[angelcollector1]

I wish I could find pears here for that price, along with every other kind of produce. I can't buy fresh fruit or veggies here in FL that are in my budget range.. not at a grocery store or a fruit stand/farmer's market. It's awful!

I hear people talking about potatoes being a cheap frugal option for meals, they're $4 a lb. for the cheapest potatoes you can find. That's not cheap in my opinion and that's the going rate in all the stores and farmer's markets don't have them... and after paying $4 a lb, 1/2 are usually no good.
Sorry, but I work way too hard to pay that much for potatoes.

PS.. I live in the Tampa Bay area.... there are no Aldi's here, and I"ve checked out the prices at Save-a-lot as well as Sam's Club, BJ's and Costco... no thanks.. I live without potatoes.

[_betsy_]

I would assume that fresh produce is actually a "loss-leader" for them - meaning they lose money if that's all you buy there, they want you to get that good price so you keep coming back AND buy other, non-produce items where they make a decent profit margin.

[Jilian]

Originally Posted by angelcollector1

I hear people talking about potatoes being a cheap frugal option for meals, they're $4 a lb. for the cheapest potatoes you can find. That's not cheap in my opinion and that's the going rate in all the stores and farmer's markets don't have them... and after paying $4 a lb, 1/2 are usually no good.
Sorry, but I work way too hard to pay that much for potatoes.

PS.. I live in the Tampa Bay area.

I'm about 60 mins south of Tampa and @ Publix organic potatoes go on sale every month or so for $4.99 for a 5 lb bag. I buy when they are on sale.

I know the prices at Wal-Mart are awesome but I cannot bring myself to shop there. Its been 3 years since I've been there. I coupon like a madwoman to get good prices at other stores. I've had some bad experiences @ Walmart combined with their horrid business practices and it makes me never want to give them my business again.

[AnalogWife]

Our Super Walmart is too far to consider, which is just as well because my DH just won't tolerate them. He said that when he was on the road (he used to travel with a band, he did their sound) the bus driver would only stop at WalMart so he begrudgingly had to go there, and got a good look at Walmarts across the country---he said that the meat looked like it had weird watery injections in it. I don't eat meat so that's not really a concern to me, but I did go there once on a poverty-jag back before I met DH. The Walmart brand (can't rmemeber what it's called, Good-something?) macaroni has gone from my old bachelorette apartment, to the apt I shacked up with DH in, and now to the house we bought 4 years ago. I must have bought it over 8 years ago...I just can't bring myself to eat the Walmart macaroni!

However, I sort of do have a bit of jealousy over those who shop there because I believe what I hear about it being cheaper. We do the Grocery Game, that's how we manage.

[velochic]

I admit that I get some things from them that I cannot get at my local grocery store or that is ridiculously much less. Our only other grocery is a big-box grocery, so I feel like it's 6 of one and 1/2 dozen of the other because I do 90% of my shopping at the grocery. I buy the Horizon Organic Low-fat UHT milk in individual cartons for dd's lunch. It's the only place I can find them. Used to get them at Costco, but they don't carry them anymore. I also buy my generic allergy medicine from them. It is half the price of the grocery store and I take allergy medicine daily. I also buy my facial cleaning supplies there. I have rosacea, so I have to be extremely careful about what I use on my face and WM is the only place in town to buy the products. I don't have a problem spending a little money there. I don't feel comfortable doing all of my shopping there, though.

[Mom2Adam]

Well I really dislike Walmart too...but in my area it is the only store that takes WIC. We are rural but have Kroger, a Local GS and Food Lion - and none of them near us take WIC. Only Walmart. So...say what you want about it being evil...but it is supporting women, infants and children and the other stores are not (They do elsewhere in the state - just not at any stores within a 45 min radius of us).

So I went this weekend and was shocked at the prices. Organic bread for 2.39 a loaf, pineapples for 2.98, 1 lb dried chickpeas for 1.00 (as opposed to Kroger which now has them for 2.00).

My plans are to only go 1 a month and get all my wic stuff at that time...and also to go during a weekday morning to avoid the gushes and gushes and gushes of people that go to the "evil empire!" : I guess you could say I am on a "poverty jag".

[PJJ]

I boycotted WalMart for several years...

and then a few months ago, it was the ONLY place that had an item that I needed immediately and then I realized that I was just hurting myself since WAL-MART will always be around.

So, I am a sell out.

Sorry

[Magpie1972]

Originally Posted by angelcollector1

I wish I could find pears here for that price, along with every other kind of produce. I can't buy fresh fruit or veggies here in FL that are in my budget range.. not at a grocery store or a fruit stand/farmer's market. It's awful!

I hear people talking about potatoes being a cheap frugal option for meals, they're $4 a lb. for the cheapest potatoes you can find. That's not cheap in my opinion and that's the going rate in all the stores and farmer's markets don't have them... and after paying $4 a lb, 1/2 are usually no good.
Sorry, but I work way too hard to pay that much for potatoes.

PS.. I live in the Tampa Bay area.... there are no Aldi's here, and I"ve checked out the prices at Save-a-lot as well as Sam's Club, BJ's and Costco... no thanks.. I live without potatoes.

I live in Tampa and SAL will have them a 10 lb bag for 2.49 quite often. Their 5 lb bag is always 1.99 as far as I know. We don't eat potatoes, really, though, so I only buy them a few times a year - like Thansgiving and around picnic holidays for potato salad.

Even Publix has them normally a 5 lb bag for 3.99 - that seems really high to me though.

[Herausgeber]

The food is cheaper, but the produce often doesn't taste right to me. In particular, I remember my mom buying a bag of avocados at Wal-Mart for 50 cents each, and they had absolutely no flavor whatsoever.

[Porcelain Interior]

It is evil and I've not shopped there in ages, but I'm going there for school supplies today. That's how bad my economy is.

[CameronsMama]

I kind of miss having a walmart nearby. I used to get some awesome deals there, but we moved and now the nearest one is about 45 minutes away. They're talking about building one in our town, and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I would probably end going there and taking advantage of the deals, on the other hand, I know I'm going to hate all the traffic that it will bring to our relatively small town.

[Mom2Adam]

I've been able to avoid them mostly...but really what it comes down to is that I do what I can to support local farms/businesses, I limit spending in general (in a uber frugal sort of way!) but I still find that Wal-Mart saves me money and if that is the case in this economy...if that is going to let me pay the electric bill, or buy groceries etc...then let it be. It is only evil to an extent....I mean it is providing jobs...and money flow to the economy....

[allborntogrow]

After weeks of scouring thrift stores unsuccessfully, we finally hit up the mall to get the little boy some school clothes. Besides not having anything nice, the department stores were all overpriced . . . we went to the nearby Walmart, where we found shirts for 3 dollars and pants for 8 or 9. We stocked up!

I have to say it was a success.

[angelcollector1]

I don't visit Save-A-Lot unless I'm in the neighborhood because it's more than 1/2 hour from where I live and I won't pay $3.99 for a 5# bag of potatoes at Publix or any other store, that's not cheap in my opinion.

Seems they all have creamer red potatoes on sale this week though- 5# for 3.99 or buy 1 bag, get one free at $4.49. That's not a cheap staple and unfortunately my SO eats potatoes as a main meal item.. he doesn't eat any pasta or beans or rice or anything else except meats for that matter.

[AutumnMom07]

Hey, I'm in Tampa too and I just had a freak out over potatoes at publix this weekend. I usually get red potatoes and they have never been $5 a bag until now! There used to be at least one type for 2.99. Guess there's a potatoe shortage in FL!

I admit that I used to do alot of grocery shopping at Walmart because I could get more and it allowed me to feed my dd organic. HOwever, in the last few times I had gone I found a lot of items were rotten or spoiled when I got home. I "splurged" on real maple syrup but when I tasted it, it litterally tasted like someone poured out half the syrup and added rubbing alcohol to it. I had moldy tortillas, moldy bread, produce that look ripe in the store but was rotten the next day, sour cream with a big finger swipe in it....and much more. Nothing was expired so I think that they don't handle food properly in the back or something. I can no longer trust anything parishable. I still get oragnic dry goods, my big jugs or vinegar and my giant box of baking soda there. These issues could just be in my store but I can't judge anyone for shopping there if it helps provide for their family.

[angelcollector1]

I don't judge anyone for shopping at Walmart either, I've been known to shop there.. I live just outside Tampa, in Brandon and the area Walmarts have given me the same experience with their foods as well so unless I buy something completely closed and packaged, crackers or soda or something I avoid the remainder of it. I won't buy produce there at all or anything that's supposed to be made in the store. Yucky!!!

The price of potatoes in Albertson's, Sweetbay, Winn-Dixie and Publix are all the same price, outrageous! I can find them at the fruit/veg stand near me for $3 for a 5# bag, but they're not the best quality and I have to toss a few out of each.

I know it's not potato season, another month or so but geez!!!

I can commiserate with those in this area... and friends up north think our costs for produce should be cheap..yeah, right!

[fanniefarkle]

I shop at WM from time to time, but their produce is sub-par, IMO.

[Norasmomma]

I won't buy Walmart produce either, it always just looks bad, oh I guess I did buy some avocados and lemons, but they actually looked really good.

Potatoes ARE expensive right now, 2x's the price they were a few months ago, all the flooding in the mid-west screwed up the potato crops and the others(like here in WA and ID) won't be ready for a few more weeks. I saw this on the news recently. So potatoes are going to cost more $$ for awhile.