If Wal-Mart's prices are that low, how come so many people save money there by bringing in ads from other stores and requesting the same price? Matching competitors' prices is actually company policy, but for obvious reasons they don't advertise it. I'll start w/ employees bitching about it on
the Wal-Mart Sucks employee forum (which got me started on this angle):
Of all the things as a walmart cashier. I wonder what is the biggest annoyance. I'm going with f**ing price matching. We have some cheap motherf**ers who will not be satisfied unless they get their 10 items from a store down the road for 15 cents off. My lord. What can 15 cents buy you. You can't even buy a pack of gum for that.
Here's a smart Wal-Mart cashier:
I find out all these things that are on sale at other stores. I can do my shopping on the clock without actually going and looking through sales papers.
Some silly blog I found using Google [Normally, I would refuse to link to anything called "It's All About Me," but this is for a higher purpose]:
OMG... we went to Walmart.... no biggy. Well this guy was in front of us, a lady in front of him. The lady price matched from at least 5 different stores EVERYTHING in her friggen cart.... she had over $300 of stuff when all was said and done.
EVERYTHING I saw was a price match from a different store. Every one had to be adjusted. A lot of yogurt and cat food as well as other stuff... each one they would scan each product once and the lady would go look in one of the 5 sets of ads from other stores, show the cashier and then go on to the next item.
And from a Philadelphia TV station consumer report:
Stores like Wal-Mart, Staples, and Rite-Aid will honor lower sale prices from other stores.
"For example, this glue was on sale for 20 cents at Wal-Mart. But it was 10 cents at another store so I just circled that ad and brought it in."
Each small savings adds up in a big way. Price matching saved Stephanie 26-dollars on one trip to Wal-Mart.
Say it with me again: Wal-Mart's prices aren't that low!!! Good, now tell all your Wal-Mart shopping friends and relatives.
You might find a few high-profile deals (and that's assuming it won't break on you in about a month), but the more you shop there, the more likely it is that you will be paying far too much.
JR