Walmart and other cheap stuff…

Yes, I shop at Walmart… And I am not talking just about the casual once a month trip when you need some cleaning supplies, or some car mats, or some other “cheap” stuff that “looks” expensive but on which you care not spend the buck! I mean, I am a very loyal customer of the controversial joint; I go there weekly if not twice or three times a week. Yes, I am one of those disappearing breeds that “runs into Walmart real quick” (trying to fake the accent here), just for ONE thing at times (like chap stick, or the occasional loaf of bread I am running out of, or even a bag of salad, before dinner).
My motivation is very simply economical: I have one income, and I don’t make enough to spend $2 for a loaf of bread, and I prefer the $1.25 loaf at Walmart, for instance… Not make enough to spend $2.50 for a box of strawberries, when Walmart sells them for $1.50 a box (same box size!). Well, think, just in those two, I am saving $ 1.75 a week! Times 52, that’s $91.00!!! That’s one month of Home Owners’ Fees, or a tank full of gas to drive to the beach one weekend! (or further!). That’s a LOT of “specials” for lunch, at the Thai place (where I pay $5.00, $6 with the tip), and at least THREE individual sushi dinners! I also love to travel, and I would not afford trips to Europe yearly, and outings every month, if it were not for Walmart…
Yes, I know, now you’re disgusted and appalled, that “OMG, she’s buying FOOD at Walmart! Holy Jesus! She’s dying!!!!”… Well, I am not! And yes, I buy “food” there; because when I need the brands, they’re on the shelf for at least 3 quarters of the prices you see at Lowes Foods, and half of what they are at Harris Teeter! And the store brands in some products are actually better than Harris Teeter’s! And to me, a single-income-low-paid-immigrant of this country, it’s immoral to pay more! It truly is! I buy not only food there, but everything else: socks, cd’s, dvd’s, blankets, party supplies, cleaning supplies, plants, even computer accessories, and electronics, car accessories, I buy my paint there, and the paint supplies! The only thing I don’t buy at Walmart are prints from my digital camera. Why?! You guessed it: because someone else (SamsClub) … has those for cheaper! :-) But other than that, I live by the mantra one of my friends gave me a long time ago: “If Walmart don’t have it, you don’t really need it, hon!”. Yes, she was very Southern, so…?!?
I love the place, and that doesn’t mean I fit ANY stereotypes I have heard about since I moved to the US. I am not a redneck, nor am I missing any teeth; I don’t come from West Virginia, and I don’t drive a pickup! I am just a budget shopper. And Walmart fits that bill …- cliché?! OK! I can live with that, too…
In marketing class they taught us that Walmart is hurting the other retailers, because they offer everything the others offer, at half the price. And I understand that! They spend less on customer service, and cleanliness than the other retailers, and afford to save more for the customer… As I have said: I go there for the money savings! Nothing else!
People ask me all the time how I can live with the lack of customer service, and the dirty aisles, and most definitely the infected bathrooms, and the messy floor displays ! Well, I simply go into the store with different expectations than that! I put on my horses’ glasses and walk right through with my shopping list in hand and pretend I don’t notice the “inconveniences”. I am armed with patience and endurance, and move right along… And when my cartful comes up to $50 at the end I smile big! It’s all in the expectations… And I try not to build them up before I go to Walmart …
There is, however, one thing I will never do at Walmart (I am sorry, my friend who should remain nameless, who suggested this!): I will not go there to hook up with men! Even I, a single-income-low-paid-immigrant, am more picky that that! And that is not because of the stereotypes, either: I would not chase men in Harris Teeter either…There is something about men in pajama pants buying cases of beer that I find repulsing at a grocery store…
And one more thing, for those of you cringing: have you tasted the cheesecake in their bakery?! Let me know what you think when you do!