Would you shop at Walmart Neighborhood Market?

Question

I live in a very rural area and the choice of supermarkets is sad. Food Lion is the major chain around here, there is an Aldi and a more upscale store called Lowes Foods. In addition to the local Farmer's Market, I generally need to shop at all three just for the ingredients to do my basic cooking. I supplement with online shopping for spices, grains and flour for baking bread.

Now Walmart is in the process of opening two Neighborhood Markets. Both of these stores are located right next door to Food Lion stores. I visited one of the new stores yesterday and it really does blow away Food Lion in terms of quality, selection, variety and price. I truly dislike Walmart and everything it stands for. I hate the fact that they have moved in and basically shut down local competition in so many parts of the country. However, shopping there would mean I can get pretty much everything I need at one place and the prices are great. I also know that the Food Lion stores will close within a few years, because they will just not be able to compete. 

What would you do? Would you break down and shop Walmart or try to hold on and support the local stores?

Answer

Living in the Northeast,there is a large selection of options available to me, including walmart. The one I have avoid (except to explore) has been walmart.It certainly has some appealing aspects(primarily price). Unfortunately the ONLY "vote" the average person has these days is the almighty $$.So I have chosen not to aid walmart- I don't think it will hurt their bottom line one bit ,but.... And it is certainly easier to do in an area with selection already in place! Ultimately only you can decide how to spend those $'s. One additional thing to consider is how your area would be with even less competition(if walmart succeeds)

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I have no problem shopping at Walmart, or any other big box store, especially if I'm not from the area. Supporting a little guy is one thing. Supporting overpricing is another and having to make many stops to find what you need is unproductive and just adds to the expense.

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I won't shop at Walmart. Period. I just can't.

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I'm in a similar situation and yet oddly a few locals have survived and even manage to undercut Walmart quite often, esp. in produce. they don't have the breadth and depth of choices, but then W*M doesn't always have all that either. I just play it by ear. when I can I stick with the smaller ops, but I don't really worry about it too much as the damage to towns in my area was done years ago. (recently they tried to open one of these markets in a town that already has a "supercenter" and were denied zoning permits for the size they wanted - heh!)

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Aldi's isn't a "local store".
Walmart employs people who choose to work there. Their prices are good, so I shop there. I also shop at Harris Teeter, Giant , Safeway and Trader Joe's. The only "local stores" I shop at are Asian shops, and the occasional Latin market.

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avoiding WM in my area has gotten pretty easy lately -- lots of empty shelves, lots of jumbled mess where there IS inventory, wilted produce that's pretty much already over the hill, and I wouldn't touch their meat with a 10-foot pole.

Having said that -- it's hard to justify supporting small stores when they are offering a smaller selection of lesser-quality goods for more money (and you have to dork around visiting multiple stores just to complete your list).

I love shopping local, and I don't mind paying a little more for that, but when I'm paying a fair amount more for less, I tend to stop.

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Sounds like you live in eastern NC, Springhaze2, or someplace very similar. I fully get your problem. In that part of the state there is just about nothing but Food Lion and Food Lion is simply not a good market. Lowes has recently upgraded their operation and if your store is one of the upgraded ones you should find it a much better choice than what you've had previously and they are locally (NC) owned. But yes, their prices are higher than FL. 

I don't much care for Wally World either, but you may have a devil's bargain. It may depend on your financial circumstances and your available time. If you can't afford to shop at Lowes, my take is that you don't make your family suffer for your political principles. If you need to shop at Wal-Mart to get your family fed, then you do it. If it's only a matter of your personal convenience then you have to weigh your ethical concerns against the value of your time. That is entirely your decision to make and no one has the right to tell you right or wrong.

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I don't ever set foot in a Walmart to buy (although I sometimes wind up walking into one if an extended family member simply must shop there) as I'm as opposed as many are to Walmart polices and practices. If in your case your present strategy imposes a financial burden, it might warrant relenting; only you can decide if cost trumps principle.

I'm in northern NJ where I have great choices, yet I still shop in a number of different local stores, all within a 15 mile radius, so I'm fortunate that I don't have to rely on Walmart. If they opened up one of their "neighborhood markets" a mile from my house, I still wouldn't go there, even if I could save money, and I don't have $$ to throw away.

Answer

I tried one once, I was buying food for another family in need so I wanted to get a good bang for my buck. It did have very good prices for a few things and was well stocked (when the other local stores aren't so much sometimes). I didn't think their produce was all that great. Also the lazy customers left a cart in the lot that ended up scraping up my car. 

Most people think it's easy to say "I'd never shop at Wal-Mart" but most of those people have never lived in a place where Wal-Mart is one of the few options. My BF is from Rock Springs, Wyoming, and Wal-Mart is one of the few options there. They have a Smith's (Kroger) and an Albertson's. The selection at the Smith's is pretty dismal (I had to buy jarred garlic because they literally had no fresh) and the Albertsons is more expensive. So that leaves Wal-Mart. 

So sure, if you live in an area where there's lots of choices, there's no reason to shop there. But if it's the best option available, then go for it.

Answer

I already have... They opened one in Pompano Beach, in an area that was a long way from other grocery stores (and a LONG way from the closest 'full' Walmart), and we went up there to check it out. It's just the same as any other grocery store.... I don't like Walmart's ethics either so I NEVER used to go there at all, but where we live now I don't have as many shopping options available, so I can't afford to be fussy. I have a choice of Publix (where I do most of my shopping but can't afford to buy meat), Winn Dixie (which has by far the lowest prices on fresh meat as long as you stick to what's on sale), and Walmart (which has lower 'everyday' prices for cleaning supplies and certain other items we use regularly) so I split my shopping between them.

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I have and never will again. It was dingy and depressing, poorly lit and decorated. We don't have a lot of choices in my neighborhood so I thought I'd check it out just in case I would want to shop there in the future. 

It serves a purpose as there are a lot of families that rely on low prices and don't have the time to shop the sales at competitors. I am not sure how WM food center is going to do since there is a WM about 1 mile away and you can buy everything you need one trip. It seems like they are competing with themselves.

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I do my best to support local businesses and smaller chains. Having said that, i REALLY have to watch my pennies [and i KNOW i'm not alone]. I'd probably do as much of my shopping at food lion, and hit the extra-special sales at Walmart if something i use is never available at that price at food lion. 

I think it's important to consider what will happen when food lion is forced to close - Walmart will be the only game in town, and will be able to charge anything they want. I hope food lion is considering offering non-Walmart items - even if it means offering take out service, or premade meals. good luck to your town

Answer

I do my best not to shop at Wal-mart. Their products are second rate and frankly I have never ever seen a happy Wal-mart employee or for that matter a happy Wal-mart shopper. I'd rather pay more, get organic and know that my money is getting good things while at the same time supporting the community.

nima zahadat

Answer

It seems like the recurring theme of those who declare they will not shop at Wal-Mart due to their policies or practices,....If I held the same standards to those Mom & Pops, or independents accountable....then i could easily disqualify half of them for their beliefs if their views differed from mine... or if they paid minimum wage to their employees.

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we are a pro labor family. we wouldn't shop there.

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The OP asks, "Would you break down and shop Walmart or try to hold on and support the local stores?"

My question - and I'm not trying to be snarky here - is: How are Food Lion and Aldi local stores? They are chains too. Granted, they not nearly as big as Walmart, but they are chains nonetheless. Walmart is nonunion; I know Aldi is nonunion, and I assume Food Lion is too. And all of the stores higher local workers. I guess I don't understand the difference.

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If you need more reasons
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/business/walmart-memo-orders-stores-to-improve-grocery-performance.html?_r=0

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This article in today's NY Times provides one more reason to NOT do food shopping at Walmart. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/business/walmart-memo-orders-stores-to-improve-grocery-performance.html?ref=business&_r=0

Answer

Eastern NC resident here also. I share an intense dislike of Wal-Mart and do not find the pro Wal-Mart arguments convincing, particularly the notion that Wal-Mart labor's policies are acceptable because people choose to work there. In many rural areas, Wal-Mart amounts to a labor market monopsony, so any choice the workers have is illusory.

On the other hand, it's doubtful that you have any better options when considering this aspect. The norm in the corporate world is brutal, Dickensian treatment of low-skilled workers. Amazon is even worse than Wal-Mart.

I have noticed here that as Wal-Mart has thrown up the Neighborhood Markets-we're getting three of them where I live-that Food Lion has been improving its stores. You may benefit from this soon.

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I haven't been in a WM in over 10 years and hope to never step thru their door.
& I would not trust their food or the sources of their food. I do have the luxury of many independent shops & markets to choose from but even if I did not I would avoid WM food.

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As other posters have commented, most others stores are no longer "local", rather they are a part of a larger chained owned by a US or foreign company. A Neighborhood Market opened near us a few years ago. I visit the store about once every two months only because it is the most convenient for picking up last minute grocery items for dinner. I've never seen the store remotely busy. I assume that is because there is a lot of competition nearby, and their selection of items is horrible. They have a very small produce section, limited dry goods and their prices aren't necessarily the best.

As far as supporting the "local stores", I shop regularly at Fred Meyer. They have headquarters in Portland, so I can tell myself I'm shopping locally, but in reality they are a small part of the Kroger world. If I want to truly shop locally, I have to drive to New Seasons, which is in the same price range as Whole Foods. I wish I could afford to shop there regularly, but I stick with Fred Meyer because it is close, affordable, they have a good mix of regular and higher end items, and I can get my gas and reward points.

Answer

I don't frequent our nearby Walmart, but for mixed reasons. Part of it is that I am not obliged to be price-driven in the extreme. Another part is that I simply don't like going to big stores with generally a middling level product (not just food, but cookware, etc.). 

I do have to give them some credit for their more recent efforts to work with local foods in their various locations and to use their clout to make more eco-friendly packaging. 

I haven't watched the video link that someone put up here, but I'll try.

If Walmart has a tactic of underpricing local competition until they're starved to death and then jacking up prices, that would seem reprehensible to me.

Answer

I shop for a balance between quality & pricing (value). Except for perhaps paper goods, household cleaning supplies and a few (very few) can goods, that excludes Walmart from the bulk of our shopping. 

Aldi, Trader Joe, a local fruit / vegetable stand, a local grocer (Dave's) & Ocean State Job Lots share the bulk of our business. We find little need to stop by a Walmart more than 3-4 x /yr - primarily for paper good and household chemical staples. Then again, if Food Lion was my primary alternative, I'd likely be at Walmart a lot more often.

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I'll answer a question with more questions: "Do you shop at Lowe's or Home Depot?" One could argue that both of those big boxes put the local hardware stores out of business. Are you reading this with the aid of Time Warner or Comcast internet? What did they do to all the small local providers back in the '90s? Do you shop online? How's that affecting your local suppliers?

I bemoan the loss of the little guy, but to continually dump on Walmart and neglect the rest of corporate America seems unfair to Walmart. I guess they're the biggest target, so they get the most negative press/documentaries, etc. I occasionally shop at Walmart for groceries, though the bulk of my shopping is still at a small local chain market that has much better produce and meat and I also frequent a local Asian market and I don't think Walmart will be stepping on their toes in the near future and if they did, I'd still go to the local Asian market because they're like family.

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Never.

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Worked there for a short time. Check expiration dates and be sure to examine your meat carefully! Have never been back and will not shop there for anything.

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Does this affect anyone's thoughts:

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/walmart-hourly-wage-employees-115315.html?hp=b1_c2

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But like it or not, Walmart represents capitalism in its truest form. Buy low, sell high (or, in WM's case, just high enough to undercut the competition). I tend not to buy generic products from them since the low pricing often represents low quality, but if the same jar of Victoria pasta sauce is $4 vs $9 (as I recently noted at a Pathmark in Manhattan), I'm not going to make a $5 "donation" to Pathmark. While I'm sure there are more ethical corporations in America (In 'n Out comes to mind), I'm also cynical enough to think that most corporations will offer as little pay and as little benefits to its employees as they can get away with. That's not always the best strategy since WM employee turnover must be very high as people leave for better $$$ and better benefits and it costs $$$ to train new employees; nonetheless, WM has made a decision (foolishly perhaps) to continue with that strategy and is breaking no laws in doing so.

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Hopefully the improving job market will force them to offer better employment packages, though they might instead choose to lower their hiring standards.

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Just read the article regarding raising workers' pay and at least they acknowledge that training new employees is costly. Apparently some of the stores are pretty grungy and profits have decreased over the past 8 quarters. Again, capitalism at work. While I'd like to think WM was being munificent, this is about increasing the bottom line.

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Would you shop at Walmart Neighborhood Market?

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