Fake Holiday's and Consumerism

A

angelburst29

The Living Force
It's after the Holiday's and into a New Year, my food pantry is mostly bare, due to family gatherings and visiting, so I went out to get some essentials. I have a habit of comparing prices and tend to visit several grocery stores, all within close range.

While in Walmart, I turned the cart into the Seasonal section and came upon an amazing sight. Next to the condensed display of 50% - 75% off Christmas candy - was Valentine candy - Big Red Hearts and all. I just stood there like a deer in head lights. It just wasn't registering on the normal scale. Walmart wasn't alone, the three other grocery stores I visited, also had Big Valentine candy dispalys.

I don't know if it's post-holiday depression, Ba-Hum-Bug mood or whatever but Holiday's have seem to have lost their true meaning behind the celebration, for me anyways.

Has anything retained it's true meaning in our distorted environment?

Why don't they lump all the Holidays together on the Calender - condensed into a long weekend, say Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday - so the Big White Easter Bunny can finally meet Rudolf and Santa can take a Big Red Chocolate Heart home to Mrs. Clause or whatever combination you're fantasy puts together. Call it something like "Homeland Variety on Steroids" and let you choose which one you want to celebrate. This way, they can put all the "crap" on display, all at once - so we can all get over it - at the same time.

Better yet, plan it between Xmas and New Year's Eve so we can start off the New Year - minus the Royal Bull-Commerialism and fake Holidays.
 
I use Walmart, basically, to compare prices with other local stores. For the most part, Walmart "low-balls" it's competitors. It doesn't cost anything to windowshop, other than time.

Prior to my accident and the injuries that have pulled me out of a working schedule, I had a full time position in a large chain grocery store, only 10 minutes away from this Walmart. When Walmart set up shop and opened it's doors, our store noticed a decent drop in revenue and a hand full of employees got pink slips. Within a year, 3 small grocery store chains in the immediate area had closed their doors. The loss was felt in the community. One store was a combination "old fashioned butcher and specialty shop." It also had a license to make it's own seasonal apple cider. None of which, you'll find in Walmart nor the quality.

When you know store codes and the way store displays are set up for the weekly specials and you go into Walmart and notice how they do things, it's pure "Consumerism." It's not quality that matters but how bulk wooden crates sell overseas produce and trinkets lining every aisle. It's a trip into Alice in Wonderland. Problem is, once Walmart succeeds in eliminating the competition, their prices go through the roof, because now it has replaced a dozen or more local stores.

On name brands that I have been pricing for over two years, Walmart tends to be anywhere from 11 cents to 58 cents below the other stores, in effect, low-balling. During the Summer, I only noticed a slight increase of a few cents on some products. But from December 31 to the first week of January 2013, I have noticed an sharp increase across the board, so to speak, of the products I have been monitoring in Walmart. Their Great Value brands automatically went up ten cents or more, across the board. Brand name products, anywhere from 22 -79 cents. Just in one week. I have a feeling, the trend will continue upward.

There have been steady increases, throughout the Summer and Fall of last year in the other three grocery stores but it has been gradual including the first week of the New Year.
 
angelburst29 said:
I use Walmart, basically, to compare prices with other local stores. For the most part, Walmart "low-balls" it's competitors. It doesn't cost anything to windowshop, other than time.
Click to expand...


I have not shopped in Wal Mart in years. I am assuming that you are comparing groceries, as you mentioned other grocery stores. If you are looking for the best prices, after deals and coupons, they are never it, as they do not double coupons or take competitor coupons, so the final price is never the lowest if you learn to shop in cycles and stock up. I do not know what part of the country you are in, but if all regions have really nice match ups and comparisons. There are tutorials on both sites to learn how to shop and stock. Mostly all I do with it now is for toiletries and gifts since I eat keto.


But at any rate, the trick is to buy everything at its lowest price point during the cycle and stock up. Many things you end up getting for free or almost free. It can be enticing to hoard a little for this reason since it is so easy once you get the hang of it, but I get a big kick out of donating to shelters and food pantries, and to school kids in need when those supplies are almost nothing.


For example, in the south, I use - -www.southernsavers.com


For the drug store deals nationally, and also Walmart and Target -www.hip2save.com


Mod: quote size fixed.
 
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