Walmart was not in the grocery business prior to 1988, which is crazy because Walmart dominates the grocery industry. The chain has sales of $341 billion in 2020 and a 26% market share. Walmart controls some geographical areas, which is deceptive about the market share. Walmart accounts for most of the grocery sales in some places. Walmart has changed how we buy our food, and the reason is simple: Walmart offers high-quality grocery items at really great prices. It's no mystery that the store is popular because of the convenience of being able to buy your groceries where you buy pretty much all your other stuff.
There is nothing perfect in this world. Walmart is a great place to buy most of your groceries, but there are a few things you should consider buying elsewhere for a variety of reasons. If you have the option, here are the things you should not buy at Walmart.
In recent years, almost every major grocery store chain has a store brand. These brands are often terrific options, as they are cheaper than national brands, and often offer the same quality. Walmart has a private label called Great Value. Great Value items are definitely cheaper than brand name items, and get the job done, quality-wise, for the most part.
That doesn't mean they're the best option. Great Value tends to get less reviews from shoppers than other store brands. Unless the low prices are your only motivating factor, you should buy name brands or generics elsewhere.
It's always difficult to produce produce. Selecting produce that is fresh, plump, and delicious isn't easy, even when it's in-season, and getting fruits and veggies from one part of the world to another is a logistical challenge. It's a job that most large supermarkets don't do well, but Walmart Supercenters do a terrible job of it. They are ranked at the bottom of all reviews of supermarket produce. Even though Walmart has a reputation for low prices, their produce is often more expensive than at other stores, meaning you will pay more for mediocre fruits and vegetables. The convenience factor is powerful, but you should consider buying produce elsewhere.
There are two types of people in the world, those who think something vaguely maple flavoured and loaded with high fructose corn syrup is maple syrup and those who know the difference between golden and very dark varieties. If you are among the latter group, you know there are few things more expensive by volume than maple syrup, and that is especially true at Walmart, where real maple syrup will be nearly twice as expensive as some other retailers. Unless you have warm pancakes on a plate at home waiting for an emergency syrup delivery, get them at Walmart.
Walmart isn't the place to buy produce or organic milk. It is more expensive at Walmart for organic food than it is at other stores. It's possible to find organic food elsewhere for less money. Walmart's competitors beat its prices by more than a dollar per half gallon.
It's never a good idea to go to a grocery store for prepared foods. You don't pick up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store because it's the best, you pick it up because it's warm, it smells good, and you have a hungry family waiting to pounce on you. When you're about to die from exhaustion, buying your chicken at Walmart should be your only option. Walmart's chickens are tiny compared to other store offerings, they are also ranked at the bottom in terms of taste and customer satisfaction.
If you don't bake a lot, you probably don't think about it. That should be how it should be. If you bake, you know that it's expensive. If you take your baking seriously, you don't want to deal with vanillin or anything like that. You want the real deal made in Africa and shipped to your store via expensive, laborious routes. It will be close to twice as expensive as other places if you buy the pure vanilla extract at Walmart.
If you don't buy chips at Walmart, you can get them for a lot less money than if you do.
There are chips. This is one item you can buy anywhere and get the exact same product no matter the price, which means that a bag of Doritos from a dollar store offers the same experience as one purchased at Walmart, with the only difference being the extra money riding on your hip after the purchase.
Walmart uses its market share to lower prices on almost everything in the store. Almost everything is read again. Meat is one category where its prices aren't the best. The price of ground beef and other butcher options is higher at Walmart. Walmart doesn't get high grades for its quality, as several beef recalls over the last few years attest, and you can find meat of similar (or better) quality at many of Walmart's competitors.
Walmart struggles in the fish department with high prices and low reported quality being the consistent theme. They get poor grades for sustainable practices and aren't too picky about the policies and practices of the suppliers they use. If you want a nice salmon fillet for dinner, buy it at Walmart.
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