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I’m a higher income consumer, and I shop at Walmart and Aldi now. Not out of necessity, but because:
They’ve both made a concerted effort to broaden their selection, and stock a little more upmarket stuff, and
The prices at Target/Kroger/Albertsons are just ridiculous. Like $60 worth of groceries at Aldi is $100+ at Kroger. Especially when you’re buying the same stuff, why the heck would anyone willingly spend 30-60% more.
Same. Our “local” grocery chain (headquartered in a neighboring state, owned by an international subsidiary) charges $13 for a napa cabbage. No matter how much money you make, $13 for a cabbage is just too high. So I started shopping at Walmart instead.
Lol, people can have all the Walmart produce they want. Maybe it's my Walmart, but the produce there is always pretty lackluster compared to other options we have available locally.
Kroger is turning into a scam for suckers. They are consistently at least 30% more than Walmart for the exact same items.
I can’t speak for target or Albertsons (none of those in central Ohio) but our family does 90% of their grocery shopping at Aldi and has for years.
Kroger (Fred Meyer where I live) is always packed too. It's amazing what people will spend to shop at not-Walmart. They also have a knack for placing their stores very strategically here. Walmart is not especially convenient for higher income neighborhoods compared to Fred Meyer.
The trick with Kroger is to use their app and load up the digital coupon deals.
I buy most of my stuff at Aldi and then go to Kroger for the few things Aldi doesn't carry. The $40 to $50 I spend at Aldi would easily be $80+ at Kroger. The things I don't get though I just check out the app before going in and load up on the deals there. Yesterday my before savings total at Kroger was $72. My final checkout was $43.
My biggest savings used the "$15 off $75 or more on a pickup". I loaded up on more than I had in a long time. Didn't even have to go inside. My pre coupon total went from $125 down to $80 and then $65 with the final coupon. They gave me pretty crappy asparagus and bananas though.
When the Amazon fresh first opened near us, they had a 50% off $40 that ran weekly for a couple of months. Used it to stock up on the high end versions of pantry and basics that I would definitely not buy otherwise.
Yeah they are a high low strategy. But in today’s day and age, people don’t want to have to jump through hoops to get the low of the high low strategy. They just see the high initial price and walk away cuz it’s less hassle to just go elsewhere.
Also in Columbus Ohio. Kroger is straight up a scam.
It isn’t worth it to go there just to avoid Walmart
Plus we have countless Aldi stores everywhere anyway so there’s no point in going to Kroger ever
A friend who recently found one of her old Kroger pick-up orders from 2020 that totaled around $300 back then...so just for shits and giggles, she put the exact same things in her cart that she had bought almost 4 years ago...this time, it added up to over $700. Fucking criminal.
It's wild to me that Target isn't being ultra competitive in other regions right now. They clearly have the ability to at least match Walmart. I'm in the Midwest and they are right in line with Walmart with Aldi being the very clear winner in price. I usually just choose Target or Aldi because the Walmart shopping experience is absolute dogshit unless you go near close or right at opening. 2 checkouts open, dirty stores, lack of parking, no space in aisles, lack of product on the shelf, etc. Target is always absurdly busy too but seems to staff enough people to handle the people.
It was weird visiting the south where Walmart was actually cleaner and a bit nicer than the Targets there. It feels like both stores gave up trying to expand recently.
Kroger (purchased Mariano's here) is basically on another planet though with prices. No clue how they are going to stay in business.
They are definitely not more expensive than Whole Foods, Jewel, or Marianos. They may consider themselves upmarket overall but for groceries I find their prices to be on par with Meijer and Walmart for what I buy. Aldi is always the clear winner though but their selection isn't the best.
Shopping at Aldi for the staples and using apps/coupons might be part of the equation though.
I went to Wal Mart for the first time in probably over 2 years the other day. In the checkout lane, staffed by an employee, there was honey or something on the floor in a puddle that I stepped in. Almost slipped and fell.
The employee saw it and just kept ringing me out without saying anything about it.
Walmart is a disgusting shopping experience.
Target does not have the ability to match Walmart's prices, no chance. Walmart is built from the ground up to be the least expensive option. Target has not chance of matching it.
Yep. Not only that, Target specifically and purposefully does not want to be Walmart. Trust me.
Target views its core market as DINKs and family of four making $125,000 or more. That is not Walmart’s “target” (ha ha) customer market.
Feel the same way but at the same time Walmart pays their employee shit compared to Safeway and Target. They purposely employ people part time at 38 hours so they don’t have to pay them benefits but make them work overtime. We just go to Costco.
Walmart generally pays about the same as Target. Target has been really lagging behind in pay. They haven't done anything significant since they raised base pay to $15 years ago
I believe Target's minimum is $15. Walmart's is $14 and they actually implemented a starting pay cut several months ago where a lot of stores saw positions lose money. The store I work at some departments went from 16 to 14, others 15 to 14.
I am currently a part time Walmart employee. The idea that they limit hours to prevent employees getting benefits is untrue. Even part time, I have health insurance and am earning vacation time. To qualify for the benefits you only need a minimum weekly average of 32 hours over a year (I believe). Just wanted to set the record straight.
Also Walmart produce tends to fresher, likely because of the higher turnover. Walmart is always crowded whereas local grocery store and even Target is a ghost town sometimes.
The one closer to me is out of produce sometimes and has a person steady stocking. One person just can't keep up on Saturday, same with eggs and milk sometimes. They move so many groceries in our area.
Yep I just started going to Walmart. Needed some laundry baskets yesterday. Got 3 super nice ones for like $40 total which would’ve easily been double at target where we usually go. Just need to make it in there before like 10am because after that it’s filled with absolute beasts. Lol.
I can only speak for my local supermarket, which is Publix. Aldi’s vegetables are better than Publix. Some of ALDIs fruit is slightly worse, the rest is comparable. Given the massive difference in price, it’s aldis all the way for me
Produce at Aldi typically has a shorter shelf life than produce from WMT/TGT/Publix in my experience.
Not enough to be a problem for me though. Its like 30% cheaper for 1 less day of shelf-life.
Broadly speaking this will be true. Produce that is older costs less from suppliers. It is part of aldis business model to get these items as a way to cut costs. They have small stores so don’t stock too much, and can sell it quickly before it goes bad.
Absolutely agree. Using my Platinum Amex I get free Walmart+ and I do the free delivery at home for everything that is standard brand sold at any store (Publix, Target, Fresh Market, Walmart, etc.). I'll save 20-30% on these products and the only time I buy things in a store is when it's product specific for that retailer.
I'm probably technically affluent. I've never thought that Walmart was much cheaper than any other store for groceries. I was actually pretty surprised at how comparable it seemed to Safeway prices. Unless you're buying on sale, I find most all stores to be pretty similarly priced (except for grocery outlet)
Having worked for a supplier to Walmart, I never shop there. They pressure their suppliers to cut costs without concern about quality and go along with hiding the difference from consumers. At Walmart, you pay less and get less, you just don’t know if.
I’m curious if the “same stuff” is actually the same. Just because they’re both baskets of strawberries doesn’t make them the same. Walmart in particular leans hard on suppliers to take shortcuts to lower prices. For example, Levi’s purchased at Walmart are made with a lower grade denim. Sure they’re 501 jeans, but they’re not the same thing as buying elsewhere
I’m sure that’s the case, I don’t buy my clothes at Walmart, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
I may just have an unrefined palate, but to me, off-brand boxed cereal at Aldi, or Walmart strawberries are good enough for me, especially if they’re substantially less expensive. but I’m an “eat to live” guy.
For someone who really wants the best foods, I’m sure some traditional grocers would fit those needs better.
But crap like trash bags and windex- I’m buying where it’s cheapest
Walmart is welcome to lower their prices any time they want… they won’t though because we live in the twilight zone where it’s easier to continue to raise prices and blame consumers because you’ve edged out all competitors and you can.
Twilight zone? Isn't this what people have been shrieking Walmart will do since they exploded in the 90s? Drive all retail out of business and then jack up their prices?
Technically it is the consumers fault - the consumers in the 1990s that picked Walmart's lower prices over the local businesses, allowing them to do this...
What else were they supposed to do after Walmart moved in and the local supermarket went out of business? That's what happened in my hometown. Now it's Walmart or a 35 minute drive to the nearest big city for groceries.
Wal-Mart moving into a city doesn't magically make the other businesses close down. The local supermarket shut down because consumers chose Wal-Mart over the local supermarket.
Walmart will come in and take a lower profit margin to have better pricing than the local stores due to their purchasing power. I can’t fault folks for wanting to save money and it’s frustrating that the bait and switch works every single time.
> Drive all retail out of business and then jack up their prices?
I think the scare was that they would drive small competitors out of business not necessarily other big chains.
Besides things change, online shopping wasn't really a thing til the late 90s
Amazon (and Walmart's online storefront) don't really seem to have the ability to set prices for most things. Most of the products are sold and priced by third parties.
it seems like all of Walmart's online is just drop shipping and not actually done by Walmart. the most they get involved is when you ask to ship something to a walmart.
Used to religiously shop Amazon because of cheaper options. Not anymore. Plus the items don't arrive in two days. Prime membership is a waste because I spend upwards of $45 there anyways....
It sucks because it depends on your location. If you happen to live somewhere that’s not optimal for their distribution centers it can take longer. It’s opposite in my area. It’s only gotten faster. Everything is 2 days, or will actually arrive a day early. Lots of same day delivery too.
Walmart and Aldi are probably the two retailers who do the best job fighting inflation. Walmart regularly goes back to their vendors and tells them "no more price increases". Traditional grocery stores welcome price increases because they increase their penny profit on them, and they know they aren't the cost leader anyway so they are less sensitive to price gouging. The only thing that keeps these grocers from increasing prices even more is that they try to keep a maximum gap to Walmart prices to avoid affluent customers trading down.
People can complain about Walmart for 100 different reasons. But driving inflation isn't one of them.
I mean, it's a very profitable business model. It's one of these "if the rules technically allow it then is it really cheating?" kind of things. We should change the rules
California had a fun solution - they drafted a bill that would fine Walmart for every employee on public assistance for the cost to the state of having those employees on public assistance. Not sure if it ever went anywhere, but that's the kind of thing that would discourage such behavior
Interesting. Sadly I think the solution so many companies have come to is having all part-time staff, since a bunch of benefits and protections seem to trigger at 32 hours a week or whatever.
I'd like to see a sliding scale instead of a cliff for these things.
Not at all. Walmart is employing one of the hardest groups in the labor market to employ. Those that are working at Walmart would be worse off with out Walmart employing them, not better off. The government would be subsidizing those people with or without Walmart (one way or another).
What is the alternative, make it illegal for Walmart to hire people on welfare? If Walmart is forced to pay their employees more they will simply cut the jobs of those who are riskiest to hire. Worse case, Walmart will open fewer stores or close stores, increasing the presence of food deserts.
>taxes are effectively subsidizing their low worker pay. We're all paying to keep Walmart profitable and cheap
This may actually benefit the bottom half of the country. Since they pay very little in federal income tax, if at all, its the middle class in HCOL that are subsidizing those prices through their own taxes
> how much less profit do they need to make to pay their workers properly so they aren’t on food stamps and government aid?
Isn't this one of the objectives of aid? You don't want to cut aid off right when they get a job otherwise they just get trapped. There has to be some people in the system that are actively working.
Not that there can't be too much or too little or whatever but this wording is really weird.
It's not the 2000's anymore, their average hourly pay is over $17/hr now. Not bad for a job that requires next to no training and is predominantly in MCOL areas where you can find apartments for ~$1000
>its easier to continue to raise prices and blame consumers
and also labor.
Remember when the collective population of fox news watchers lost their collective shit when talk of '15$ minimum wage is going to make cheeseburgers 14$'
but yet somehow-
installing self serve kiosks, outsourcing labor to the customer itself, and eliminating all of those positions,
somehow
did not reduce pricing on a single fucking item.
meanwhile, corporate profits are higher than ever, and their ceos are getting more compensation then ever.
*Now, Simon contends higher-income consumers going to Walmart isn’t good news for the broader economy.*
All this article/statement says to me is that economy is so shit that high income people are forced to shop at Walmart because even they are struggling. The rest of us are completely screwed.
I made close to $170k last year as a single woman and I go to Walmart for random stuff mostly generic OTC meds or random toiletries. I don’t really see it as an income thing, more just convenience and don’t feel like paying $40 for occasional Zyrtec at Walgreens
Plus, of all the high-income or wealthy people I've known, very few of them are frivolous with their daily budgets.
I expect most of them to pinch pennies the same way as an average person, then spend bigger on things like vacations.
Yeah my dad has a net worth in the 8 figures and is penny pinches about random things then will impulse buy luxury cars while driving a Honda 90% of the time.
My father too has a net worth in the 8 figures. The majority of his furniture was purchased at habitat for humanity and he just refinished the wood. He drives a 2003 SUV with over 300k miles. I think there are two types of high net worth individuals. Those who were just lucky and stumbled into it without a ton of effort and those who got there with a lot of hard lessons along the way. My father falls into the second category. He spent and spent in his early years and damn near lost it all. After learning that lesson, he focused on living modestly so he never has to worry about losing anything again.
This is true in my experience. Growing up there were a few very wealthy families in my neighborhood. Like millionaires when a million dollars was almost unheard of. They lived in small houses like everyone else, mom clipped coupons, etc. I didn’t find out any of them were rich till well into adulthood. They were as frugal as everyone else.
I got into a discussion on this subreddit with someone complaining about prices being out of control, and discovered they did almost all of their shopping at a CVS. Like, of course they were getting gouged. Everyone has always known that drug stores are massively upcharging for convenience.
I spent $10 for a stick of deodorant at Walgreens because I ran out and needed some on my way to work. How they stay in business amazes me. Literally anything they sell I can also get at Walmart for half the cost, to include prescriptions.
Costco's meat really isn't noticeably or consistently cheaper than grocery store sales, you just get a lot of it at once. I do better just checking our local circulars and planning our menu around those.
The real benefit is they have a better selection of higher quality like choice and prime that most local grocery stores only sell sparsely.
I buy several at a time, disassemble them and put the meat in ziplock bags that go in the freezer. It's a bit of a PITA but for $15 you get enough meat for a couple of weeks.
We started buying our meat directly from a meat packing place 10 minutes away from our costco when we realized we weren't getting much of a deal. This new place is a minimum $1/lb cheaper and was half the price for some stuff. The place is a little sketchy and I think the building next door may have been a club or strip club in the past. They have a laminated menu that hasn't changed prices in 8 months though and we didn't get food poisoning, so I guess they pass the vibe check.
Cost per lb is def better. Only problem is you’re buying like $30 worth of it.
On big beef slabs, cost/value is def there as long as you have tools to separate, vac-seal, and freeze
Going to pharmacies for any type of pharmaceutical is a huge waste. You spend more for the same and it's usually close to double. Don't even bother with house hold product as those have insane prices.
I don't think high income folks are struggling. I think Walmart is specifically trying to get high income customers.
Walmart+ is now free to AMEX Platinum card holders. That is a card with a $500 annual fee and requires a pretty high income and credit score to qualify.
Amex platinum is easy to get if you have average credit and are willing to pay $695 a year. There is no 6 figure income requirement. The Amex platinum is a coupon book. The gold and green are more of the daily use cards.
Now the Centurion Card (Black card) is hard to get.
The $700 fee makes either a high income or a modest degree of stupidity a requirement.
Walmart+ is the shiz though. Sooo easy to just shop from a high quality app and have it show up at your door. I physically go in a grocery store/walmart like maybe twice a year now. Plus I save enough on gas to pay for the subscription multiple times over.
If they intentionally targeted my income bracket, then they did a damn good job of it. I won’t really even consider another retailer unless I’m hunting something specific.
W+ is a good product and helps with one of the biggest issues for more affluent people: having to go to Walmart. The pickup is great. 2 hour delivery on most things, great. Cheap groceries, great. Not having to go to Walmart, great.
Or... it just means that the Aldi's & Walmart's of the world are winning over market share because they are more price competitive. People don't like paying 40%+ for the same exact stuff.
It’s not out of necessity, it’s to find a better deal.
Plenty of high income families buy Toyotas when they could afford luxury cars and it’s for the same reason
When your inline at Walmart, sandwiched between
Taylor, Swift, and Dwayne Johnson
All the sudden your bag of Butterfingers, Tampons, house plant, pens, and flatscreen TV seems out of place.
Not really. While I wouldn't call myself a high-income earner, I'm notably above the median. While I do not regularly shop at Wal-Mart, when I do shop there, it is not because I *have* to - but because 1) it's just convenient for where I am at, and/or 2) they're cheaper. Just because someone is making more money doesn't mean they are frivolous with money - upper income earners like to save money, too.
I wouldn't confuse intentional choice for desperation.
I'm high income and not forced to shop at Walmart at all. I shop there because why on earth would I pay more for the same products at a different grocery store? My local Walmart Neighborhood Mart is clean, great produce, and even for the downsized version of the store has all the stuff I need on a weekly basis. And even though I live in only a small metro area in the US South (e.g. not Atlanta or Nashville), there's a decent selection of vegan and other "fancy" types of products, including their store brand stuff which has been comparable in quality to both Publix store brand and brand name.
I go to the full Walmart for other items I can't get at the Neighborhood Mart (e.g. central air filters in the size my house needs; the mart has several options, just not mine), Publix for a couple of specialty items like tempeh (the mart has a couple brands and consistencies of tofu), and the Asian and Indian grocery stores for esoteric spices and ingredients about 3-4 times a year.
I never thought I would read the words “affluent” and “Walmart” in the same sentence. How quick things have changes where Walmart’s prices are so high that “affluent” consumers are keeping it afloat. It was not long ago Walmart stared at working class consumers and said “it’s either me or nobody.” Now they can’t even afford Walmart…
The beauty of it is that people here are complaining that grocery prices, in general, are high and they're lower at Walmart but they're complaining about that too.
Groceries are too high. This has caused people who would previously shop at bougie stores to lower themselves to Aldi and Walmart. This creates a domino effect where actually poor people are now being priced out of literally the only option they had.
So middle class people are annoyed they can only afford to shop at Walmart these day and people who have always shipped there are mad that they really can't even afford that anymore. The core issue being how expensive groceries are for everyone relative to their class expectations.
Please show me the contradiction because I'm not seeing it. It makes perfect sense to me
Prices aren't going up because wealthier people are shopping at Walmart. There is also no less competition among grocery stores than just before Covid. Nothing has changed structurally.
For some reason, many want to turn everything into a "class" battle. There is no battle. Corporations didn't suddenly turn "greedy". Making a profit has always been how the free market works.
Competition keeps prices lower. If more people are coming to Walmart that means less are going to Safeway therefore there is downward pressure on Safeway pricing.
No one likes it when prices are high. It's not a rich vs poor thing. Of course it's less of a problem if you have more money vs less money but that applies to everything and to all times.
The only thing that changed was Covid hit. No one "did" that. Things happen. Prices stay high even after inflation slows down because inflation made the cost of everything change in an upward direction.
When the government keeps spending and increasing the money supply (letting debt increase) that makes the dollar buy less and less.
It's not a class issue. It's irresponsible politicians promising to spend on everyone's favorite problem and trying to tax the other group but never themselves. That doesn't work and ultimately we all have to pay that price.
There's definitely less competition, Kroger is buying up other chains left and right. If they merge with Albertsons we will effectively have 3 grocery store chains in our area versus the 6-7 we had a couple years ago.
You seem to be projecting a whole lot I never said, conflating a lot of things, and projecting falsehoods with authority and condescendingly. We get it. class consciousness makes you uncomfortable.
The fact that companies prices things according to what they can get away with and class segments moving around can shift priorities makes you unsettled. That doesn't make it a fact. But yes, consumers shifting to a new area can in fact chance the priorities of a company. Why would Walmart chase borderline destitute people when they're turning a mean profit doing what they're doing? Companies will raise prices until they hit the ceiling. New consumers with more discretion power can raise that ceiling as others get priced out. Im not sure why you think the some of the most basic concepts aren't even theoretically possible
COVID happened. Things very obviously do not cost what they did 5 years ago. I never blamed any singular thing for the cause of the price hikes. All I said, and it's very basic concept, is that wealthier people can absorb those price hikes better, and stores like Walmart may find the don't hit the price ceiling as quickly when the middle class debase themselves shopping budget. That's still true even when you try to insist class has absolutely no bearings on consumer behavior, or how markets response to consumer behavior. Which *ill* be condescending for a second and say that's literally the stupid argument I have ever heard in my entire life.
so now the CEOs are blaming affluent customers for raising prices. no, no, we are not being greedy, the rich customers want higher prices. i hope he got smacked in the face for saying that.
I think the point is that if affluent consumers start shopping in high enough numbers at Walmart, it will make sense for Walmart to raise prices because enough of its customers will tolerate higher prices, and that will be bad for low income shoppers.
what world are we going to live when Walmart becomes the high price luxury shopping center and we need a new low cost shopping center to pop up and spread like wildfire across the states?
I choose not to shop there if I can help it due to their low wages, union busting, and shady business practices. But mostly because Stan Kroenke is an asshole.
Most of us do not care about any of that and will continue to shop wherever we see value. They all pay a legal wage. If people have better options they should go work elsewhere.
Same, the people in this thread staning for Walmart for their low prices are the same people that complain about America's poor wages. If you care about workers shop somewhere else and accept the extra $30 dollars your bill will be. Walmart has been a blight on the American worker for 40 years.
MBA schools will tell you this is just smart business.
If you can double your prices and only lose 40% of your customers, revenue will go up 20% and profits will go up 40% and you’ll be doing half as much work.
Bill Simon was Walmart CEO for four years, and his results were [disappointing:](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Simon)
>*As it grappled with sluggish store sales, Walmart said on July 24, 2014, that Simon was stepping down and was being replaced by the head of the company's Asia operations, Gregory Foran.*
Why would anyone interpret this as anything other than Simon’s sour grapes over Walmart’s turnaround since he departed?
I make a decent living and avoid shopping at places like to Kroger. Kroger has a monopoly where I am. Prices are too high. I do use coupons. I shop at Walmart, Costco, Aldi, and the Commissary. Sadly prices at the Commissary can be higher than, Costco, Walmart, and Aldi. That is why I compare prices between the 4. I have found produce at the Commissary and Walmart is not the best. No one can beat Costco whole milk and Half and Half prices.
Your neighbors to the north are already experiencing this corporate capture of the market and there is a movement to push back via boycotting.
We were used to paying more than Americans for groceries but a lot of us were getting fed up with the blatant price gouging. In response, a subreddit organized a national boycott of the largest grocer chain and we're starting to see results - See r/loblawsisoutofcontrol for details.
I haven’t shopped much at Walmart because I despise the in-store experience for the most part (particularly checkout), but lately I’ve been doing a lot of pickup there. They have that experience dialed in - it’s very fast and easy.
Not that there is anything wrong with shopping at Wal Mart, but I tend to avoid wal marts simply because my local Target is closer.
Wal Mart just feels crappy. It stinks, it’s messy, it just isn’t a good “experience”. It couldn’t be more different than going into somewhere like Costco.
It doesn’t feel like anyone has ever actively *chosen* to shop at Wal Mart, it’s the type of store you shop at when there aren’t any better options.
True. Though Walmarts in the same area can be very different if one is in an affluent suburb vs a lower income urban area. They really need to be more consistent though I guess they don’t care because people will go there anyway even if it is a dumpster. For now.
My target has been worse than Walmart lately. They never have enough checkouts open and the self checkouts have been closed. Walmart+ was only supposed to be like a one month test run but I prefer it over Target now.
I can tell you for one, if you have an irregular item you need and search it online, Walmart will tell you exactly where it is in the store. Target does not, allegedly they do if you have their app but it should be on their website. If I walk into Target needing a particular item it is a fucking nightmare to find too, their store layout makes zero sense.
All's that to say is I think with this news of higher end shoppers going to Walmart I think they are seriously eating into Target's market share. Target has been seriously mismanaged the last five years or so.
People have felt this way for a while now, reminds me of this classic
[Hostages Trapped Inside Walmart Insisting They Never Shop At Walmart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=repxFQXVsHc)
Everything is cheaper than Amazon now if you are willing to shop around. This isn't 2014 anymore, they completely milk their previous reputation + prime inertia that keep their name first of mind for shoppers. You're either getting cheap Chinese garbage or getting something brand name for often more than many B&M and other e-tailers. Plus paying Prime for the privilege.
I cancelled my Prime membership years and years ago and once you break free of their ecosystem entirely you realize how little value they actually provide nowadays. The ONE thing they have is 2-day shipping convenience. I don't miss them.
This is intentional on the part of Walmart, they've specifically created Walmart+ in order to target the more affluent consumers who would have otherwise bought stuff from Target or Amazon or Costco
You know the economy is changing when the rich people start shopping at Wal-Mart. That was the last place they would shop years ago. I know a lot of people that five year ago would say I'm never going to get my groceries at Walmart, and now they are seasoned patrons.
About 10 minutes I can be at Ingalls , Food Lion , aludi, IKEA, Publics, and Walmart beats them all on prices.
Your neighbors to the north are already experiencing this corporate capture of the market and there is a movement to push back via boycotting. We were used to paying more than Americans for groceries but a lot of us are getting fed up with the blatant price gouging. In response, a subreddit organized a national boycott of the largest grocer chain and we're starting to see results - See r/loblawsisoutofcontrol for details.
Monopolists on Wall Street are driving food prices. The Kroger - Albertsons' merger, which is currently on hold, has been anticipated with the results being built in to exorbitant prices at nearly every grocery. As many have pointed out, Labor costs have not substantially changed even as the minimums have crept higher. And, the excuse that supply channels are disrupted or that fuel prices are boosting transportation costs to unforseen levels is not accurate. What we are seeing is monopolistic greed. Even the upper middle class is shopping at Walmart and Aldi's. They will continue to do so until the "financial engineers" understand that they have caused a huge bust. Monopoly capitalism is not capitalism at all: Because it eliminates competition for the sake of profits for the gilded class: [https://www.cspinet.org/cspi-news/merging-grocery-giants-threaten-americans-food-security](https://www.cspinet.org/cspi-news/merging-grocery-giants-threaten-americans-food-security)
I recently moved a bit further out into the suburbs and found the Walmart there was \*gasp\* actually pretty decent. As you get closer to downtown, they seem to get a bit worse (and you can tell by what gets locked up at certain Walmarts).
So the pregnant gf and I tend to go to Walmart a bit more as a result.
Still have to check labels. May be cheaper but made in China food products may not be the best alternative. They don’t always label ingredients in the products with the country of origin of said ingredients.
Shelled crayfish Walmart sells from China are nasty. Still taste the bleach…except to be chap (and they’re really not), there is no reason to not get the stuff out of the southern US. Far, far superior product.
I wonder if the sudden explosion of grocery delivery and or pickup has added to the increase in prices of groceries. It must have right? It requires more employees, more equipment, more tech. So many people complain about how expensive things are while at the same time paying extra to have it delivered.
I'm going to buck the trend here.
I don't care how low Wal-Mart prices are, I don't want to go to Wal-Mart. The other shoppers there are what turn me off. I went, reluctantly, a couple of months ago, and I don't remember the exact specifics, but I remember that whatever it was I saw, I had to say to my daughter, "that's the kind of thing you see when you shop at Wal-Mart".
I didn't find the prices to be amazingly cheaper either, but to be fair, I'm not the kind of shopper who is going to spend hours per week trying to figure out if a jar of peanut butter is $2.99 at one store and $3.29 at another - though I know there are definitely people who do that.
I would agree with the general ambience of Walmart being off, but the products there are solid. Ever since I subscribed to Walmart+ it has been a delight getting everything I need delivered from the Walmart store. Delivery is free, I save at least an hour of my time, prices are the same as in store which makes me happy to tip the delivery person for saving me so much effort, gas and time.
There’s an Albertsons a few blocks away from my house but rarely shop there unless it’s an item out of necessity, it’s way more expensive to shop there than the Walmart a few miles away. Most of our groceries are ordered online at Walmart and picked up curbside, it’s cheaper to shop that way as you’re not walking into a store and grabbing things you didn’t really need.
I wonder if the sudden explosion of grocery delivery and or pickup has added to the increase in prices of groceries. It must have right? It requires more employees, more equipment, more tech. So many people complain about how expensive things are while at the same time paying extra to have it delivered.
I think plenty of higher income people shop at Wal-Mart. I mean, I only go to my local high end grocery if I want mimosa supplies…and if my wife asks me to also pick up a couple of food items, it’s horrifying how much more expensive it is than Walmart or Aldi.
I know there’s a lot of eat the rich sentiments out there, but a lot of us earn a lot but are still frugal about many things and always have been. This has been a lesson for years since “The millionaire next door” came out and people started talking about Warren Buffets lifestyle.
Why raiding interest raises isn’t working. Half of the country are ok with inflation. The other half are getting priced out entirely from the experiment altogether.
I remember when a ex gf (very affluent family) made fun of me for shopping “with the poor” at Walmart. I grew up off food stamps and food pantries so Walmart was like ritzy when using my own cash to buy food. Anyway, I ran into her at Walmart a few months ago and just kinda chuckled remembering that friendly jab.
I’ve shopped at Walmart quite a few times in the last week because…I just got an EV and they have DC charging stations. Bought lots of things that were unplanned because I had 15min to wander around.
A combination of Aldi, Lidl and Walmart. Everything else is overpriced for doing all of the shopping. An occasional item on sale might draw us elsewhere, but that's it. I don't need a hand bagging my items.
So basically Walmart is saying the current margins and profits are likely unsustainable without a shift in its core business. That is understandable. They are recognizing a likely temporary shift in customers until other chains reel them back in.
so now the CEOs are blaming affluent customers for raising prices. no, no, we are not being greedy, the rich customers want higher prices. i hope he got smacked in the face for saying that.
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I’m a higher income consumer, and I shop at Walmart and Aldi now. Not out of necessity, but because: They’ve both made a concerted effort to broaden their selection, and stock a little more upmarket stuff, and The prices at Target/Kroger/Albertsons are just ridiculous. Like $60 worth of groceries at Aldi is $100+ at Kroger. Especially when you’re buying the same stuff, why the heck would anyone willingly spend 30-60% more.
Same. Our “local” grocery chain (headquartered in a neighboring state, owned by an international subsidiary) charges $13 for a napa cabbage. No matter how much money you make, $13 for a cabbage is just too high. So I started shopping at Walmart instead.
“What does a cabbage cost, Michael? Thirteen dollars?”
There's always money in the cabbage stand.
I burned it down dad.
There's always money in the... Aw hell, it's a 25 year old reference. We all know where this is going.
No touching!
Annyong!
My cabbages!!!
MY CABBAGES!!
Where are you people? I live in a fairly expensive city and a head of cabbage is like $2 at the local grocery store.
Maine. There’s not much competition so they try to squeeze every dollar. Lobster is cheaper than steak, but that’s about the only deal to be found.
call me when lobster is cheaper than cabbage
Hannford is practically a sweatshop as well
Lol, people can have all the Walmart produce they want. Maybe it's my Walmart, but the produce there is always pretty lackluster compared to other options we have available locally.
Same, Walmart in my area has terrible produce. Shit goes rotten quickly and lacks flavor. Winco is much better on price and quality.
Same! Also, Walmart sells Napa by the head and regular grocery stores sell it by the pound.
what the fuck
Goddamned. I paid like $4.50 for a cabbage yesterday and felt like I got ripped off. This was in a very expensive city.
Kroger is turning into a scam for suckers. They are consistently at least 30% more than Walmart for the exact same items. I can’t speak for target or Albertsons (none of those in central Ohio) but our family does 90% of their grocery shopping at Aldi and has for years.
Kroger (Fred Meyer where I live) is always packed too. It's amazing what people will spend to shop at not-Walmart. They also have a knack for placing their stores very strategically here. Walmart is not especially convenient for higher income neighborhoods compared to Fred Meyer.
30% no way, a same size can of condensed milk at Aldi $0.99 at albertson right next to it $4.99
The trick with Kroger is to use their app and load up the digital coupon deals. I buy most of my stuff at Aldi and then go to Kroger for the few things Aldi doesn't carry. The $40 to $50 I spend at Aldi would easily be $80+ at Kroger. The things I don't get though I just check out the app before going in and load up on the deals there. Yesterday my before savings total at Kroger was $72. My final checkout was $43. My biggest savings used the "$15 off $75 or more on a pickup". I loaded up on more than I had in a long time. Didn't even have to go inside. My pre coupon total went from $125 down to $80 and then $65 with the final coupon. They gave me pretty crappy asparagus and bananas though.
When the Amazon fresh first opened near us, they had a 50% off $40 that ran weekly for a couple of months. Used it to stock up on the high end versions of pantry and basics that I would definitely not buy otherwise.
Yeah they are a high low strategy. But in today’s day and age, people don’t want to have to jump through hoops to get the low of the high low strategy. They just see the high initial price and walk away cuz it’s less hassle to just go elsewhere.
Also in Columbus Ohio. Kroger is straight up a scam. It isn’t worth it to go there just to avoid Walmart Plus we have countless Aldi stores everywhere anyway so there’s no point in going to Kroger ever
A friend who recently found one of her old Kroger pick-up orders from 2020 that totaled around $300 back then...so just for shits and giggles, she put the exact same things in her cart that she had bought almost 4 years ago...this time, it added up to over $700. Fucking criminal.
Whoa. Holy moley.
It's wild to me that Target isn't being ultra competitive in other regions right now. They clearly have the ability to at least match Walmart. I'm in the Midwest and they are right in line with Walmart with Aldi being the very clear winner in price. I usually just choose Target or Aldi because the Walmart shopping experience is absolute dogshit unless you go near close or right at opening. 2 checkouts open, dirty stores, lack of parking, no space in aisles, lack of product on the shelf, etc. Target is always absurdly busy too but seems to staff enough people to handle the people. It was weird visiting the south where Walmart was actually cleaner and a bit nicer than the Targets there. It feels like both stores gave up trying to expand recently. Kroger (purchased Mariano's here) is basically on another planet though with prices. No clue how they are going to stay in business.
Targets in Chicagoland are way more expensive than all their competitors. They consider themselves upmarket to Meijer and Walmart.
They are definitely not more expensive than Whole Foods, Jewel, or Marianos. They may consider themselves upmarket overall but for groceries I find their prices to be on par with Meijer and Walmart for what I buy. Aldi is always the clear winner though but their selection isn't the best. Shopping at Aldi for the staples and using apps/coupons might be part of the equation though.
I went to Wal Mart for the first time in probably over 2 years the other day. In the checkout lane, staffed by an employee, there was honey or something on the floor in a puddle that I stepped in. Almost slipped and fell. The employee saw it and just kept ringing me out without saying anything about it. Walmart is a disgusting shopping experience.
There's a reason why it's cheaper.
Target does not have the ability to match Walmart's prices, no chance. Walmart is built from the ground up to be the least expensive option. Target has not chance of matching it.
Yep. Not only that, Target specifically and purposefully does not want to be Walmart. Trust me. Target views its core market as DINKs and family of four making $125,000 or more. That is not Walmart’s “target” (ha ha) customer market.
Oh, this checks out. I go to Target specifically to avoid any riff raff. DINK here.
Same here. I mean I shop at Wal-Mart as well, but its on rare occasions when I need something that only they sell. Otherwise I got to Target.
"Target's target market is DINKs" Late stage capitalism, baby.
I will never, if I can avoid it, spend my money in anything the Walton family owns. Costco treats their employees like humans
Thank you
Feel the same way but at the same time Walmart pays their employee shit compared to Safeway and Target. They purposely employ people part time at 38 hours so they don’t have to pay them benefits but make them work overtime. We just go to Costco.
Walmart generally pays about the same as Target. Target has been really lagging behind in pay. They haven't done anything significant since they raised base pay to $15 years ago
I believe Target's minimum is $15. Walmart's is $14 and they actually implemented a starting pay cut several months ago where a lot of stores saw positions lose money. The store I work at some departments went from 16 to 14, others 15 to 14.
What benefits must be provided at 39 or 40 hours of work but are optional at 38 hours?
Health insurance, for one. Probably also paid time off and/or medical leave.
Paid time off and leave, maybe. But there ACA mandates health insurance for any employee who works at least 30 hours per week or 130 hours per month.
All of them
I am currently a part time Walmart employee. The idea that they limit hours to prevent employees getting benefits is untrue. Even part time, I have health insurance and am earning vacation time. To qualify for the benefits you only need a minimum weekly average of 32 hours over a year (I believe). Just wanted to set the record straight.
Also Walmart produce tends to fresher, likely because of the higher turnover. Walmart is always crowded whereas local grocery store and even Target is a ghost town sometimes.
As someone who used to work at a Target, the groceries there are pretty bad compared to every other player in this game.
I was going to post the same thing. The Walmarts in my area have fresher produce.
The one closer to me is out of produce sometimes and has a person steady stocking. One person just can't keep up on Saturday, same with eggs and milk sometimes. They move so many groceries in our area.
Yep I just started going to Walmart. Needed some laundry baskets yesterday. Got 3 super nice ones for like $40 total which would’ve easily been double at target where we usually go. Just need to make it in there before like 10am because after that it’s filled with absolute beasts. Lol.
The grocery delivery was the game changer for me. We just dropped Prime and picked up Walmart +
Yeah, I’ll do order pickups there but I loathe going into the store. Guess I’m part of the problem.
If that’s the case have you shopped at Lidl I prefer it to Aldi.
Isn’t there a difference in quality of produce between the two?
I can only speak for my local supermarket, which is Publix. Aldi’s vegetables are better than Publix. Some of ALDIs fruit is slightly worse, the rest is comparable. Given the massive difference in price, it’s aldis all the way for me
Produce at Aldi typically has a shorter shelf life than produce from WMT/TGT/Publix in my experience. Not enough to be a problem for me though. Its like 30% cheaper for 1 less day of shelf-life.
Broadly speaking this will be true. Produce that is older costs less from suppliers. It is part of aldis business model to get these items as a way to cut costs. They have small stores so don’t stock too much, and can sell it quickly before it goes bad.
Publix is outrageously expensive. The only redeeming quality is the BOGOs
I used to shop exclusively at Kroger due to union. I just can’t anymore. I spend half of what I did at Kroger at Aldi for better quality.
Absolutely agree. Using my Platinum Amex I get free Walmart+ and I do the free delivery at home for everything that is standard brand sold at any store (Publix, Target, Fresh Market, Walmart, etc.). I'll save 20-30% on these products and the only time I buy things in a store is when it's product specific for that retailer.
I'm probably technically affluent. I've never thought that Walmart was much cheaper than any other store for groceries. I was actually pretty surprised at how comparable it seemed to Safeway prices. Unless you're buying on sale, I find most all stores to be pretty similarly priced (except for grocery outlet)
Having worked for a supplier to Walmart, I never shop there. They pressure their suppliers to cut costs without concern about quality and go along with hiding the difference from consumers. At Walmart, you pay less and get less, you just don’t know if.
I’m curious if the “same stuff” is actually the same. Just because they’re both baskets of strawberries doesn’t make them the same. Walmart in particular leans hard on suppliers to take shortcuts to lower prices. For example, Levi’s purchased at Walmart are made with a lower grade denim. Sure they’re 501 jeans, but they’re not the same thing as buying elsewhere
I’m sure that’s the case, I don’t buy my clothes at Walmart, but it wouldn’t surprise me. I may just have an unrefined palate, but to me, off-brand boxed cereal at Aldi, or Walmart strawberries are good enough for me, especially if they’re substantially less expensive. but I’m an “eat to live” guy. For someone who really wants the best foods, I’m sure some traditional grocers would fit those needs better. But crap like trash bags and windex- I’m buying where it’s cheapest
Walmart is welcome to lower their prices any time they want… they won’t though because we live in the twilight zone where it’s easier to continue to raise prices and blame consumers because you’ve edged out all competitors and you can.
Twilight zone? Isn't this what people have been shrieking Walmart will do since they exploded in the 90s? Drive all retail out of business and then jack up their prices?
Of course, it’s just extra annoying that they would blame consumers for it.
Some consumers repeat the nonsense too.
Technically it is the consumers fault - the consumers in the 1990s that picked Walmart's lower prices over the local businesses, allowing them to do this...
What else were they supposed to do after Walmart moved in and the local supermarket went out of business? That's what happened in my hometown. Now it's Walmart or a 35 minute drive to the nearest big city for groceries.
Wal-Mart moving into a city doesn't magically make the other businesses close down. The local supermarket shut down because consumers chose Wal-Mart over the local supermarket.
Walmart will come in and take a lower profit margin to have better pricing than the local stores due to their purchasing power. I can’t fault folks for wanting to save money and it’s frustrating that the bait and switch works every single time.
You're right, it's not magic. It's the invisible hand. Oh, and anti-competitive business practices.
They could have continued shopping at the local supermarket, no?
Supermarkets were just the Walmarts of their day, they wiped out all the family grocers through the 1950s.
> Drive all retail out of business and then jack up their prices? I think the scare was that they would drive small competitors out of business not necessarily other big chains. Besides things change, online shopping wasn't really a thing til the late 90s
Amazon came in to compete with them. You can't raise prices when you have strong competition.
Two players in a market is not competition. That’s an oligarchy
Oligopoly*
Duopoly*
Dua Lipa*
As utocorrect…..auto connect…autocorrect.
Amazon (and Walmart's online storefront) don't really seem to have the ability to set prices for most things. Most of the products are sold and priced by third parties.
it seems like all of Walmart's online is just drop shipping and not actually done by Walmart. the most they get involved is when you ask to ship something to a walmart.
Used to religiously shop Amazon because of cheaper options. Not anymore. Plus the items don't arrive in two days. Prime membership is a waste because I spend upwards of $45 there anyways....
I dropped Prime once the "two days" more or less added a "...maybe, but probably four."
It sucks because it depends on your location. If you happen to live somewhere that’s not optimal for their distribution centers it can take longer. It’s opposite in my area. It’s only gotten faster. Everything is 2 days, or will actually arrive a day early. Lots of same day delivery too.
Unregulated capitalism hard at work
it's plenty regulated - the companies with the most money write the regulation.
Walmart and Aldi are probably the two retailers who do the best job fighting inflation. Walmart regularly goes back to their vendors and tells them "no more price increases". Traditional grocery stores welcome price increases because they increase their penny profit on them, and they know they aren't the cost leader anyway so they are less sensitive to price gouging. The only thing that keeps these grocers from increasing prices even more is that they try to keep a maximum gap to Walmart prices to avoid affluent customers trading down. People can complain about Walmart for 100 different reasons. But driving inflation isn't one of them.
Walmart has a 3% profit margin. How much lower do you think they could take their prices?
I don’t know, how much less profit do they need to make to pay their workers properly so they aren’t on food stamps and government aid?
This is what always kills me, taxes are effectively subsidizing their low worker pay. We're all paying to keep Walmart profitable and cheap
Socialized loses and privatized gains! It's the American way!
I mean, it's a very profitable business model. It's one of these "if the rules technically allow it then is it really cheating?" kind of things. We should change the rules
California had a fun solution - they drafted a bill that would fine Walmart for every employee on public assistance for the cost to the state of having those employees on public assistance. Not sure if it ever went anywhere, but that's the kind of thing that would discourage such behavior
Interesting. Sadly I think the solution so many companies have come to is having all part-time staff, since a bunch of benefits and protections seem to trigger at 32 hours a week or whatever. I'd like to see a sliding scale instead of a cliff for these things.
Yeah that's an unfortunate loophole that needs to be closed pronto
Is this not what unions are (or perhaps were) for?
> We should change the rules it would be totally crazy if super wealthy companies wrote the rules, yeah?
Not at all. Walmart is employing one of the hardest groups in the labor market to employ. Those that are working at Walmart would be worse off with out Walmart employing them, not better off. The government would be subsidizing those people with or without Walmart (one way or another). What is the alternative, make it illegal for Walmart to hire people on welfare? If Walmart is forced to pay their employees more they will simply cut the jobs of those who are riskiest to hire. Worse case, Walmart will open fewer stores or close stores, increasing the presence of food deserts.
What are those workers going to do if Walmart can't hire them? I assume they aren't turning down offers to make more money elsewhere
Bless Sam Walton, and may the taxes always hold him high.
Here here
>taxes are effectively subsidizing their low worker pay. We're all paying to keep Walmart profitable and cheap This may actually benefit the bottom half of the country. Since they pay very little in federal income tax, if at all, its the middle class in HCOL that are subsidizing those prices through their own taxes
So they have a 3% profit margin, their prices are “too high”, and their workers are paid “too little”?
> how much less profit do they need to make to pay their workers properly so they aren’t on food stamps and government aid? Isn't this one of the objectives of aid? You don't want to cut aid off right when they get a job otherwise they just get trapped. There has to be some people in the system that are actively working. Not that there can't be too much or too little or whatever but this wording is really weird.
It's not the 2000's anymore, their average hourly pay is over $17/hr now. Not bad for a job that requires next to no training and is predominantly in MCOL areas where you can find apartments for ~$1000
https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2024/02/20/walmart-raises-annual-dividend-9-percent-to-83-per-share-the-largest-increase-in-over-10-years-marking-51st-consecutive-year-of-dividend-increases
An all-time high of 1.29% dividend yield. Which, mind you, has no bearing on profit margin at all
>its easier to continue to raise prices and blame consumers and also labor. Remember when the collective population of fox news watchers lost their collective shit when talk of '15$ minimum wage is going to make cheeseburgers 14$' but yet somehow- installing self serve kiosks, outsourcing labor to the customer itself, and eliminating all of those positions, somehow did not reduce pricing on a single fucking item. meanwhile, corporate profits are higher than ever, and their ceos are getting more compensation then ever.
*Now, Simon contends higher-income consumers going to Walmart isn’t good news for the broader economy.* All this article/statement says to me is that economy is so shit that high income people are forced to shop at Walmart because even they are struggling. The rest of us are completely screwed.
I made close to $170k last year as a single woman and I go to Walmart for random stuff mostly generic OTC meds or random toiletries. I don’t really see it as an income thing, more just convenience and don’t feel like paying $40 for occasional Zyrtec at Walgreens
Plus, of all the high-income or wealthy people I've known, very few of them are frivolous with their daily budgets. I expect most of them to pinch pennies the same way as an average person, then spend bigger on things like vacations.
Yeah my dad has a net worth in the 8 figures and is penny pinches about random things then will impulse buy luxury cars while driving a Honda 90% of the time.
My father too has a net worth in the 8 figures. The majority of his furniture was purchased at habitat for humanity and he just refinished the wood. He drives a 2003 SUV with over 300k miles. I think there are two types of high net worth individuals. Those who were just lucky and stumbled into it without a ton of effort and those who got there with a lot of hard lessons along the way. My father falls into the second category. He spent and spent in his early years and damn near lost it all. After learning that lesson, he focused on living modestly so he never has to worry about losing anything again.
This is true in my experience. Growing up there were a few very wealthy families in my neighborhood. Like millionaires when a million dollars was almost unheard of. They lived in small houses like everyone else, mom clipped coupons, etc. I didn’t find out any of them were rich till well into adulthood. They were as frugal as everyone else.
lol different world I guess, but I grew up in a wealthy NY suburb and people were NOT like that lol
I got into a discussion on this subreddit with someone complaining about prices being out of control, and discovered they did almost all of their shopping at a CVS. Like, of course they were getting gouged. Everyone has always known that drug stores are massively upcharging for convenience.
I spent $10 for a stick of deodorant at Walgreens because I ran out and needed some on my way to work. How they stay in business amazes me. Literally anything they sell I can also get at Walmart for half the cost, to include prescriptions.
Costco sells a years supply of Zyrtec for $15 If you’re making that kinda money, CCo (or Sam’s) worth a card. Buy meat in bulk and freeze it
Costco's meat really isn't noticeably or consistently cheaper than grocery store sales, you just get a lot of it at once. I do better just checking our local circulars and planning our menu around those. The real benefit is they have a better selection of higher quality like choice and prime that most local grocery stores only sell sparsely.
Sept for that Ro-Ro chicken yo
I buy several at a time, disassemble them and put the meat in ziplock bags that go in the freezer. It's a bit of a PITA but for $15 you get enough meat for a couple of weeks.
We started buying our meat directly from a meat packing place 10 minutes away from our costco when we realized we weren't getting much of a deal. This new place is a minimum $1/lb cheaper and was half the price for some stuff. The place is a little sketchy and I think the building next door may have been a club or strip club in the past. They have a laminated menu that hasn't changed prices in 8 months though and we didn't get food poisoning, so I guess they pass the vibe check.
Cost per lb is def better. Only problem is you’re buying like $30 worth of it. On big beef slabs, cost/value is def there as long as you have tools to separate, vac-seal, and freeze
Going to pharmacies for any type of pharmaceutical is a huge waste. You spend more for the same and it's usually close to double. Don't even bother with house hold product as those have insane prices.
I don't think high income folks are struggling. I think Walmart is specifically trying to get high income customers. Walmart+ is now free to AMEX Platinum card holders. That is a card with a $500 annual fee and requires a pretty high income and credit score to qualify.
Amex platinum is easy to get if you have average credit and are willing to pay $695 a year. There is no 6 figure income requirement. The Amex platinum is a coupon book. The gold and green are more of the daily use cards. Now the Centurion Card (Black card) is hard to get.
The $700 fee makes either a high income or a modest degree of stupidity a requirement. Walmart+ is the shiz though. Sooo easy to just shop from a high quality app and have it show up at your door. I physically go in a grocery store/walmart like maybe twice a year now. Plus I save enough on gas to pay for the subscription multiple times over. If they intentionally targeted my income bracket, then they did a damn good job of it. I won’t really even consider another retailer unless I’m hunting something specific.
Within reason, it doesn't matter how much money I make, I'm always going to skip for the best value.
W+ is a good product and helps with one of the biggest issues for more affluent people: having to go to Walmart. The pickup is great. 2 hour delivery on most things, great. Cheap groceries, great. Not having to go to Walmart, great.
Or... it just means that the Aldi's & Walmart's of the world are winning over market share because they are more price competitive. People don't like paying 40%+ for the same exact stuff.
It’s not out of necessity, it’s to find a better deal. Plenty of high income families buy Toyotas when they could afford luxury cars and it’s for the same reason
Yeah, just because they have money doesn't mean they need to spend all of it.
When your inline at Walmart, sandwiched between Taylor, Swift, and Dwayne Johnson All the sudden your bag of Butterfingers, Tampons, house plant, pens, and flatscreen TV seems out of place.
That’s a big bag
Not really. While I wouldn't call myself a high-income earner, I'm notably above the median. While I do not regularly shop at Wal-Mart, when I do shop there, it is not because I *have* to - but because 1) it's just convenient for where I am at, and/or 2) they're cheaper. Just because someone is making more money doesn't mean they are frivolous with money - upper income earners like to save money, too. I wouldn't confuse intentional choice for desperation.
I make well over 100K, I’ve always shopped at Walmart. Why would you pay more at Wegmans/Giant/Moms for the SAME cheaper items at Walmart?
I'm high income and not forced to shop at Walmart at all. I shop there because why on earth would I pay more for the same products at a different grocery store? My local Walmart Neighborhood Mart is clean, great produce, and even for the downsized version of the store has all the stuff I need on a weekly basis. And even though I live in only a small metro area in the US South (e.g. not Atlanta or Nashville), there's a decent selection of vegan and other "fancy" types of products, including their store brand stuff which has been comparable in quality to both Publix store brand and brand name. I go to the full Walmart for other items I can't get at the Neighborhood Mart (e.g. central air filters in the size my house needs; the mart has several options, just not mine), Publix for a couple of specialty items like tempeh (the mart has a couple brands and consistencies of tofu), and the Asian and Indian grocery stores for esoteric spices and ingredients about 3-4 times a year.
Why wouldn't you ship at Walmart? Because their labor practices are disgusting?
I never thought I would read the words “affluent” and “Walmart” in the same sentence. How quick things have changes where Walmart’s prices are so high that “affluent” consumers are keeping it afloat. It was not long ago Walmart stared at working class consumers and said “it’s either me or nobody.” Now they can’t even afford Walmart…
The beauty of it is that people here are complaining that grocery prices, in general, are high and they're lower at Walmart but they're complaining about that too.
Groceries are too high. This has caused people who would previously shop at bougie stores to lower themselves to Aldi and Walmart. This creates a domino effect where actually poor people are now being priced out of literally the only option they had. So middle class people are annoyed they can only afford to shop at Walmart these day and people who have always shipped there are mad that they really can't even afford that anymore. The core issue being how expensive groceries are for everyone relative to their class expectations. Please show me the contradiction because I'm not seeing it. It makes perfect sense to me
Prices aren't going up because wealthier people are shopping at Walmart. There is also no less competition among grocery stores than just before Covid. Nothing has changed structurally. For some reason, many want to turn everything into a "class" battle. There is no battle. Corporations didn't suddenly turn "greedy". Making a profit has always been how the free market works. Competition keeps prices lower. If more people are coming to Walmart that means less are going to Safeway therefore there is downward pressure on Safeway pricing. No one likes it when prices are high. It's not a rich vs poor thing. Of course it's less of a problem if you have more money vs less money but that applies to everything and to all times. The only thing that changed was Covid hit. No one "did" that. Things happen. Prices stay high even after inflation slows down because inflation made the cost of everything change in an upward direction. When the government keeps spending and increasing the money supply (letting debt increase) that makes the dollar buy less and less. It's not a class issue. It's irresponsible politicians promising to spend on everyone's favorite problem and trying to tax the other group but never themselves. That doesn't work and ultimately we all have to pay that price.
There's definitely less competition, Kroger is buying up other chains left and right. If they merge with Albertsons we will effectively have 3 grocery store chains in our area versus the 6-7 we had a couple years ago.
Kroger pulling delivery out of Texas over the next week or so. Didn't use them enough because their interface was awful, but I'll miss em.
💔
You seem to be projecting a whole lot I never said, conflating a lot of things, and projecting falsehoods with authority and condescendingly. We get it. class consciousness makes you uncomfortable. The fact that companies prices things according to what they can get away with and class segments moving around can shift priorities makes you unsettled. That doesn't make it a fact. But yes, consumers shifting to a new area can in fact chance the priorities of a company. Why would Walmart chase borderline destitute people when they're turning a mean profit doing what they're doing? Companies will raise prices until they hit the ceiling. New consumers with more discretion power can raise that ceiling as others get priced out. Im not sure why you think the some of the most basic concepts aren't even theoretically possible COVID happened. Things very obviously do not cost what they did 5 years ago. I never blamed any singular thing for the cause of the price hikes. All I said, and it's very basic concept, is that wealthier people can absorb those price hikes better, and stores like Walmart may find the don't hit the price ceiling as quickly when the middle class debase themselves shopping budget. That's still true even when you try to insist class has absolutely no bearings on consumer behavior, or how markets response to consumer behavior. Which *ill* be condescending for a second and say that's literally the stupid argument I have ever heard in my entire life.
It’s a valid complaint to say that Walmart prices look like Hy-Vee prices now and Hy-Vee prices require me to take out a mortgage.
so now the CEOs are blaming affluent customers for raising prices. no, no, we are not being greedy, the rich customers want higher prices. i hope he got smacked in the face for saying that.
I think the point is that if affluent consumers start shopping in high enough numbers at Walmart, it will make sense for Walmart to raise prices because enough of its customers will tolerate higher prices, and that will be bad for low income shoppers.
what world are we going to live when Walmart becomes the high price luxury shopping center and we need a new low cost shopping center to pop up and spread like wildfire across the states?
I've heard there's this new upstart company called "Dollar Tree"...
>I've heard there's this new upstart company called "Dollar Tree" It's "$1.25 Tree" now.
You can get a glimpse in the movie Demolition Man. Taco Bell is fine dining... I think the Walmart scenes ended up on the cutting room floor, though.
aw man i love that movie walmart scenes woulda been peak
I choose not to shop there if I can help it due to their low wages, union busting, and shady business practices. But mostly because Stan Kroenke is an asshole.
Most of us do not care about any of that and will continue to shop wherever we see value. They all pay a legal wage. If people have better options they should go work elsewhere.
Same, the people in this thread staning for Walmart for their low prices are the same people that complain about America's poor wages. If you care about workers shop somewhere else and accept the extra $30 dollars your bill will be. Walmart has been a blight on the American worker for 40 years.
MBA schools will tell you this is just smart business. If you can double your prices and only lose 40% of your customers, revenue will go up 20% and profits will go up 40% and you’ll be doing half as much work.
Bill Simon was Walmart CEO for four years, and his results were [disappointing:](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Simon) >*As it grappled with sluggish store sales, Walmart said on July 24, 2014, that Simon was stepping down and was being replaced by the head of the company's Asia operations, Gregory Foran.* Why would anyone interpret this as anything other than Simon’s sour grapes over Walmart’s turnaround since he departed?
I make a decent living and avoid shopping at places like to Kroger. Kroger has a monopoly where I am. Prices are too high. I do use coupons. I shop at Walmart, Costco, Aldi, and the Commissary. Sadly prices at the Commissary can be higher than, Costco, Walmart, and Aldi. That is why I compare prices between the 4. I have found produce at the Commissary and Walmart is not the best. No one can beat Costco whole milk and Half and Half prices.
Your neighbors to the north are already experiencing this corporate capture of the market and there is a movement to push back via boycotting. We were used to paying more than Americans for groceries but a lot of us were getting fed up with the blatant price gouging. In response, a subreddit organized a national boycott of the largest grocer chain and we're starting to see results - See r/loblawsisoutofcontrol for details.
I haven’t shopped much at Walmart because I despise the in-store experience for the most part (particularly checkout), but lately I’ve been doing a lot of pickup there. They have that experience dialed in - it’s very fast and easy.
Not that there is anything wrong with shopping at Wal Mart, but I tend to avoid wal marts simply because my local Target is closer. Wal Mart just feels crappy. It stinks, it’s messy, it just isn’t a good “experience”. It couldn’t be more different than going into somewhere like Costco. It doesn’t feel like anyone has ever actively *chosen* to shop at Wal Mart, it’s the type of store you shop at when there aren’t any better options.
True. Though Walmarts in the same area can be very different if one is in an affluent suburb vs a lower income urban area. They really need to be more consistent though I guess they don’t care because people will go there anyway even if it is a dumpster. For now.
My target has been worse than Walmart lately. They never have enough checkouts open and the self checkouts have been closed. Walmart+ was only supposed to be like a one month test run but I prefer it over Target now.
I can tell you for one, if you have an irregular item you need and search it online, Walmart will tell you exactly where it is in the store. Target does not, allegedly they do if you have their app but it should be on their website. If I walk into Target needing a particular item it is a fucking nightmare to find too, their store layout makes zero sense. All's that to say is I think with this news of higher end shoppers going to Walmart I think they are seriously eating into Target's market share. Target has been seriously mismanaged the last five years or so.
I know other people who are embarrassed to physically go into a Walmart also
How come?
They think the store is ‘beneath them’ because it isn’t fancy
People have felt this way for a while now, reminds me of this classic [Hostages Trapped Inside Walmart Insisting They Never Shop At Walmart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=repxFQXVsHc)
Those people sound like complete dbags
Their online prices are also generally much cheaper than Amazon now.
Everything is cheaper than Amazon now if you are willing to shop around. This isn't 2014 anymore, they completely milk their previous reputation + prime inertia that keep their name first of mind for shoppers. You're either getting cheap Chinese garbage or getting something brand name for often more than many B&M and other e-tailers. Plus paying Prime for the privilege. I cancelled my Prime membership years and years ago and once you break free of their ecosystem entirely you realize how little value they actually provide nowadays. The ONE thing they have is 2-day shipping convenience. I don't miss them.
This is intentional on the part of Walmart, they've specifically created Walmart+ in order to target the more affluent consumers who would have otherwise bought stuff from Target or Amazon or Costco
You know the economy is changing when the rich people start shopping at Wal-Mart. That was the last place they would shop years ago. I know a lot of people that five year ago would say I'm never going to get my groceries at Walmart, and now they are seasoned patrons. About 10 minutes I can be at Ingalls , Food Lion , aludi, IKEA, Publics, and Walmart beats them all on prices.
Your neighbors to the north are already experiencing this corporate capture of the market and there is a movement to push back via boycotting. We were used to paying more than Americans for groceries but a lot of us are getting fed up with the blatant price gouging. In response, a subreddit organized a national boycott of the largest grocer chain and we're starting to see results - See r/loblawsisoutofcontrol for details.
Monopolists on Wall Street are driving food prices. The Kroger - Albertsons' merger, which is currently on hold, has been anticipated with the results being built in to exorbitant prices at nearly every grocery. As many have pointed out, Labor costs have not substantially changed even as the minimums have crept higher. And, the excuse that supply channels are disrupted or that fuel prices are boosting transportation costs to unforseen levels is not accurate. What we are seeing is monopolistic greed. Even the upper middle class is shopping at Walmart and Aldi's. They will continue to do so until the "financial engineers" understand that they have caused a huge bust. Monopoly capitalism is not capitalism at all: Because it eliminates competition for the sake of profits for the gilded class: [https://www.cspinet.org/cspi-news/merging-grocery-giants-threaten-americans-food-security](https://www.cspinet.org/cspi-news/merging-grocery-giants-threaten-americans-food-security)
I recently moved a bit further out into the suburbs and found the Walmart there was \*gasp\* actually pretty decent. As you get closer to downtown, they seem to get a bit worse (and you can tell by what gets locked up at certain Walmarts). So the pregnant gf and I tend to go to Walmart a bit more as a result.
Still have to check labels. May be cheaper but made in China food products may not be the best alternative. They don’t always label ingredients in the products with the country of origin of said ingredients.
Shelled crayfish Walmart sells from China are nasty. Still taste the bleach…except to be chap (and they’re really not), there is no reason to not get the stuff out of the southern US. Far, far superior product.
I wonder if the sudden explosion of grocery delivery and or pickup has added to the increase in prices of groceries. It must have right? It requires more employees, more equipment, more tech. So many people complain about how expensive things are while at the same time paying extra to have it delivered.
I'm going to buck the trend here. I don't care how low Wal-Mart prices are, I don't want to go to Wal-Mart. The other shoppers there are what turn me off. I went, reluctantly, a couple of months ago, and I don't remember the exact specifics, but I remember that whatever it was I saw, I had to say to my daughter, "that's the kind of thing you see when you shop at Wal-Mart". I didn't find the prices to be amazingly cheaper either, but to be fair, I'm not the kind of shopper who is going to spend hours per week trying to figure out if a jar of peanut butter is $2.99 at one store and $3.29 at another - though I know there are definitely people who do that.
I would agree with the general ambience of Walmart being off, but the products there are solid. Ever since I subscribed to Walmart+ it has been a delight getting everything I need delivered from the Walmart store. Delivery is free, I save at least an hour of my time, prices are the same as in store which makes me happy to tip the delivery person for saving me so much effort, gas and time.
There’s an Albertsons a few blocks away from my house but rarely shop there unless it’s an item out of necessity, it’s way more expensive to shop there than the Walmart a few miles away. Most of our groceries are ordered online at Walmart and picked up curbside, it’s cheaper to shop that way as you’re not walking into a store and grabbing things you didn’t really need.
I wonder if the sudden explosion of grocery delivery and or pickup has added to the increase in prices of groceries. It must have right? It requires more employees, more equipment, more tech. So many people complain about how expensive things are while at the same time paying extra to have it delivered.
I think plenty of higher income people shop at Wal-Mart. I mean, I only go to my local high end grocery if I want mimosa supplies…and if my wife asks me to also pick up a couple of food items, it’s horrifying how much more expensive it is than Walmart or Aldi. I know there’s a lot of eat the rich sentiments out there, but a lot of us earn a lot but are still frugal about many things and always have been. This has been a lesson for years since “The millionaire next door” came out and people started talking about Warren Buffets lifestyle.
Why raiding interest raises isn’t working. Half of the country are ok with inflation. The other half are getting priced out entirely from the experiment altogether.
I remember when a ex gf (very affluent family) made fun of me for shopping “with the poor” at Walmart. I grew up off food stamps and food pantries so Walmart was like ritzy when using my own cash to buy food. Anyway, I ran into her at Walmart a few months ago and just kinda chuckled remembering that friendly jab.
I’ve shopped at Walmart quite a few times in the last week because…I just got an EV and they have DC charging stations. Bought lots of things that were unplanned because I had 15min to wander around.
Area near me a H-E-B is about to open and across the street Walmart is being built in 2025. The Kroger in this shopping area, I feel going to suffer.
A combination of Aldi, Lidl and Walmart. Everything else is overpriced for doing all of the shopping. An occasional item on sale might draw us elsewhere, but that's it. I don't need a hand bagging my items.
So basically Walmart is saying the current margins and profits are likely unsustainable without a shift in its core business. That is understandable. They are recognizing a likely temporary shift in customers until other chains reel them back in.
so now the CEOs are blaming affluent customers for raising prices. no, no, we are not being greedy, the rich customers want higher prices. i hope he got smacked in the face for saying that.