Wal*Mart Shoppers!

Some of you new readers may not be aware of this but last year my husband and I decided we were no longer going to give our money to Wal*Mart.

Well after my incident with the ink cartridge I bought from Office Depot and deciding I didn't trust their product line any more, and with Wal*Mart being right next door, and having a list in pocket of groceries to grab, and after breaking a sweat just waiting for service at Office Depot, etc., etc.... I decided to venture into Wal*Mart. I also had Lil S with me who was begging for some McDonald's which is inside the Wal*Mart, and I was suckering for a Double Cheeseburger and oh so thirsty too.

So Lil S and I shop Wal*Mart and I am so exhausted and in so much pain and just trying to stick to the list, because you know that you can go to Wal*Mart for Q-tips and leave there with $800.00 worth of **** (~Rodney Carrington). Of course, Lil S is asking for this and that. She scores a few things out of me, because I'm a big sucker and she knows it. She scored a big box of Cheez-Its, a small check-out isle size package of Kit Kat bars, and some dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. I think that's it, but I could be forgetting something.

Anyhow, once again there are about a zillion lanes in the Wal*Mart store that they apparently have only installed for either holiday use only or just to tease your gullible minds. However, once again there are only 4 lanes open, well there was 5, but then they closed that one, it was time for someone's break, I suppose. Did I mention all 4 lines had more than THIRTY-FOUR people?!?! Yes, there were more than 8 people in every line! Oh, these numbers include the express lines, which were 2 out of the four open. You know that means that I was standing in ONE of only TWO lines to choose from? There were 12 people in front of me. I chose a line with slightly more people because the other lane was having problems and a manager was helping the checker and the customers had more groceries in their carts. My line actually went faster than the other.

Trying to shop at that store is always a pain, not only do the moronic shoppers get in your way, but the employees do too. And forget it if you actually need assistance with something, the employees always mumble something you can't understand and walk away. Most of them can't even speak English! The whole experience is frustrating and exhausting. The store is way too big. I tire too easy to walk a quarter mile from the laundry detergent to the bath soap. I can't do it!

Now here is the reason I decided to make this post:

Folks, if you are shopping at Wal*Mart, you ARE NOT SAVING MONEY! What you are doing is SACRIFICING QUALITY!

I have been shopping other grocery stores and department stores exclusively of Wal*Mart for the last 4-5 months or so and I can tell you this is true, from personal experience.

For example, I bought the exact same brands at Wal*Mart that I have been buying from Kroger (Smith's specifically). One particular is my regular turkey and ham. The meat is the same brand, but the quality is crap! If you don't believe me, please purchase the same item from Wal*Mart, label it before you buy from another store, try Kroger or whatever, label that, try the products. I could tell by LOOKING at the meat the quality sucked, and I definitely noticed eating it.

Was it worth saving $0.50? NO WAY! You know why? Because I didn't save $0.50. I went into Wal*Mart and got suckered into buying things that weren't on my list, I bought thing I didn't want or need. I made impulse purchases because the prices weren't bad, they add up though! My list probably consisted of about $75 worth of groceries. My bill at checkout was just under $200.00. And you know what else? I was so flustered and tired by the time I got to the checkout that I forgot all about my coupons, I could have saved quite a bit of money with my coupons that I completely forgot about. My fault, not Wal*Mart's, but DANG!

Also, the darn store was out of at least 3 of the products on my list. I couldn't even finish my grocery shopping in one trip.

I'm disappointed, but I'm not surprised.

I thought I would share. Seriously, because I care about my readers. You're not saving money shopping at Wal*Mart. We've had FAR more money left for other spending since not shopping at Wal*Mart.

Much less impulse buys, much less temptation.

As for clothing, hit up Saver's. I also have some "impulse" buy issues there, but you know what, at least it's cheaper than Wal*Mart and it's going to charity! I got Big S a nice bike there for only $12.99. Beat that! She's still thanking me everyday for it! And to be honest, the clothing at Saver's is usually nicer than WalMart, and the quality, as far as I'm concerned, overall, is equal. Saver's has name brand clothing slightly cheaper than Wal*Mart. They also have some sort of special going on everyday.

If you can't handle second-hand (which would be shocking of a Wal*Mart patron), there is always Kmart, which in my opinion has a much nicer selection and usually better deals than Wal*Mart on their clothes and their shoes, it's true!

Seriously, heed my warning. Do my taste or sight product test, or take my word for it. You'll be thanking me if you do.

Oh and if you do make the switch, sign up for Kmart, Saver's, and Kroger online because you get excellent deals, sales, coupons, rewards, whatever sent to your email. Totally worth it!

Good Luck!