Long before I joined the Walmart Moms program, I was shopping Walmart for my everyday needs and regular grocery shopping. I always found it to be generally less expensive than other local grocery stores, especially when it came to household, health, and beauty items. I also find it super convenient that I can buy multiple types of items in one stop, from my groceries to kids’ toys and gifts. Though there are some minor frustrations I occasionally encounter (depending on the store I shop), I tend to overlook them because in the end, I’m getting all my family needs in one shopping trip and at a lesser price than other stores. I realize not everyone feels this way though, which is what my friend recently relayed to me.
Given the opportunity to take a friend shopping at Walmart, I asked around and found that my friend from college doesn’t normally shop at Walmart. She told me: “I don’t particularly care for the quality of the clothing and I don’t like the long lines and crowded aisles.” I told her that until recently, I felt the same way about the clothing, but that Walmart has made some improvements in apparel I’ve not only been told about through my participation in the Walmart Moms program, but seen first-hand as well. I also related to the frustration with long lines, but admitted that it really depends on what day and time you go shopping and the store you shop at (some don’t really have this issue). She agreed to give Walmart a try and go grocery shopping with me courtesy of Walmart to see for herself how she could save time, money, and a little bit of her sanity by shopping in one place.
Armed with the gift card Walmart provided for her to go shopping and her grocery shopping list, my friend and I walked through Walmart’s aisles finding the items she needed to purchase. She bought a lot of fresh produce, including a fresh pumpkin, avocado, and lots of other fruits and vegetables. She also purchased general basics like meats, bread, milk, and items adequate for packing her kids’ lunches. Though my friend admitted that she normally doesn’t pay close attention to individual item prices, but more so to her total purchase amount, she did notice that the apple jelly she typically buys for her children cost about 50 cents less than at the supermarket she regularly shops. This happened a few more times, but the most notable price difference for my friend was in purchasing toilet paper, when she exclaimed, “This is cheaper than what I usually pay! Usually I pay about $9!” (At Walmart, the price for the same pack she normally buys was just under $7.)
On our way to check out, my friend stopped at a water bottle display saying, “$3.50 for all this water???! I can’t pass that up!” She mentioned to me that though she doesn’t often purchase bottled water, the large pack of water bottles for only $3.50 was a good deal. After adding the pack to her cart, we proceeded to check out and again my friend was surprised that she didn’t have to wait very long in line. Her grand total came to a little over $220, which considering the amount of meat and produce she purchased, my friend said was about $30-40 less than what her normal grocery shopping trip totals at another supermarket. This was without the use of coupons or Walmart’s Ad Match Guarantee, which would have saved her even more!
My friend was pleased with her shopping trip and learned more about what Walmart has to offer her as a busy mom of three. I’ll definitely be following up with her to see if she’s paying more attention to the cost of items and when she’ll be returning to Walmart!
Have you ever taken the Walmart challenge for yourself?
All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™; My Savings Story graphic courtesy of Walmart
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