Walmart

[jn1780]

Target Canada shuts down - Jan. 15, 2015

I guess Canadians don't like Target.

[AAC2005]

The I-44/104th Street intersection is already not-so-great, with everyone in a big-ass hurry to leave wherever it is they work on the West side of I-44 (FAA?). I cross my fingers, close my eyes and hope for the best when I have to use the exit from SWB I-44, because the four-way stop rule does not exist on this plot of land...only the kindness of strangers.

[catch22]

The I-44/104th Street intersection is already not-so-great, with everyone in a big-ass hurry to leave wherever it is they work on the West side of I-44 (FAA?). I cross my fingers, close my eyes and hope for the best when I have to use the exit from SWB I-44, because the four-way stop rule does not exist on this plot of land...only the kindness of strangers.

I know exactly what you mean. No one ever waits their turn at this intersection.

[Martin]

huh... up until a couple years ago, i drove this intersection all the time and usually didn't have any problems. -M

[Zuplar]

My biggest complaint about the intersection is how crappy the road is itself. It's like a washboard.

[Plutonic Panda]

My biggest complaint about the intersection is how crappy the road is itself. It's like a washboard.

Pretty much every road in OKC is like that.

[Zuplar]

Pretty much every road in OKC is like that.

Eh, but this one is especially bad. Like you can see it from a quarter mile away.

[Pete]

Since I'm moving back to OKC and options are somewhat limited, I was all ready to give them a fair try.

In fact, on my recent visit I needed some things desperately such as an inflatable mattress, a comforter, a folding chair, etc.

I did some research on-line to make sure what I needed was at the I-40 & MacArthur location, as I needed to stop there between the airport and my new place in SoSA Heights.

What a nightmare.

First of all, they didn't have anything in stock they said they had. Secondly, I didn't like any of the alternatives at all. And third, there were long lines to check out, and this was around 3PM on a Monday.

Unless I have to, I won't be going back. In fact, I went to the Target at NW Ex and May a few times during that same trip and found lots of small items I really liked -- all in stock. I had bought a few things at West Elm but found things at Target I actually liked better for about half the price.

So, I was ready to get on board due to their overwhelming presence and convenience but even with that, there are still many good alternatives and I doubt I go in there much more than the once ever couple of years that I've done here in California.

I just don't get the draw. I didn't find their prices any cheaper than Target or any other grocery store and in every other way there are much better shopping choices.

[Tritone]

Perhaps it's the relaxed dress code [see People of Walmart website]. I'm not a fan of the ones I see in Oklahoma City, and the one near I 40 and Mac Arthur is one I avoid whenever possible. We have found "super centers" in smaller towns (e.g. Purcell, Pauls Valley) to be less nightmarish. The one in Purcell is really pretty nice.

[bchris02]

I actually think the stores themselves are a little worse here than it is in other markets where they have more legitimate competition. Nowhere else have I seen Wal-Marts so understaffed. I hate grocery shopping there and when I do go there its never for groceries. A lot of people I know in OKC complain about Wal-Mart but won't stop shopping there. Even Briana Bailey has mentioned that Wal-Mart is hurting competition here yet we all go there and can't stop. Their market saturation strategy has worked well as most places in the metro are very convenient to a Wal-Mart while a quality alternative may not be so convenient. The more people who shop elsewhere, at least for groceries, the better. I don't mind most Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market stores but dislike shopping there because when you shop Wal-Mart in OKC you are supporting their market saturation strategy. Luckily Wal-Mart doesn't (yet) have much of a stranglehold in the urban core and hopefully it stays that way.

[soonerguru]

The stores are disgusting, the merchandise unappealing, the food options marginal to bad, the service deplorable, and the overall atmosphere is depressing. I think there's a reason Wal-Mart is losing market share.

[Eddie1]

For me at least, the one thing I do like about Walmart is that they are open all night. I do a fair amount of shopping at 2-3 in the am after work.

[baralheia]

That's no longer the case, at least for some stores. The I-240 and Santa Fe Walmart, among a few others, now shuts down at midnight and reopens at 6am. That said, I pretty much only go to Walmart for hard goods or non-perishable food items now... I don't buy any of their vegetables or fruits anymore because they just don't last very long. It was not uncommon for me to buy a pack of green onions, only to find at least one bad onion in the pack - and then the rest would go bad before the printed expiration date. I also bought a pack of baby portabella mushrooms that the lower layers were already nasty and slimy, without realizing it until I tried to use them.

[Pete]

For me at least, the one thing I do like about Walmart is that they are open all night. I do a fair amount of shopping at 2-3 in the am after work.

I can understand that.

But it doesn't explain why most their stores are packed during the day when there are plenty of other options.

[Urbanized]

Pete, a huge portion of the OKC market is low-end and not very discriminating. Many Wal-Mart shoppers are the same people who make dollar stores so successful here. Wal-Mart has the aura of cut-rate, and that is all those shoppers care about, some out of economic necessity, of course. I know that sounds judgmental, but it's not meant to be. It's just a fact of life; demographics.

[Urbanized]

Of course, I could have just said one word; hillbillies.

Now that WAS judgmental.

[jerrywall]

I fight with my wife about wal-mart, where I want her to support local options like Crest, and she believes and insists that wal-mart saves her so much money. I don't agree but I seem unable to convince her.

[bchris02]

Pete, a huge portion of the OKC market is low-end and not very discriminating. Many Wal-Mart shoppers are the same people who make dollar stores so successful here. Wal-Mart has the aura of cut-rate, and that is all those shoppers care about, some out of economic necessity, of course. I know that sounds judgmental, but it's not meant to be. It's just a fact of life; demographics.

I am sure this plays a part, as it does everywhere. However, I think in OKC the issue is that quality alternatives to Wal-Mart are few and far between. Their market saturation strategy has enabled them to completely dominate the market and difficult to avoid. Sprawl and easy access to large chunks of land to build Supercenters have made them unstoppable. I think if stores like Crest Fresh Market were as easily accessible to most OKC residents as Wal-Mart, you would see a lot less Wal-Mart shoppers. If H-E-B ever enters the market, My guess is they will take quite a few customers away from Wal-Mart.

[trousers]

For my grocery shopping needs Wal-Mart is actually noticeably more expensive than when I go to Buy For Less and Sprout.

[Richard at Remax]

I can understand that.

But it doesn't explain why most their stores are packed during the day when there are plenty of other options.

I think a lot of times its conviencence. I work near the Walmart on 15th and I35. I can go there on the way home or during my lunch. Its a nightmare to go down 2nd ST to the Target there. It's like running the gauntlet during lunch and after work. I tend to only need basic stuff so walmart works for me.

[Pete]

^

That makes sense.

And I'm certainly not dogging people who shop there, just trying to understand the popularity.

[stick47]

I really believe a lot of items WM sells they get for next to nothing due to some glitch in the design of the product. Hard to explain exactly but on many occasions I've bought a product they had that ended up taking back or it went on the top shelf of the closet b/c it wasn't user friendly (for lack of a better word). Wish I could recall an example right now but I used to encounter this at least half a dozen times a year. I'm much more selective when I buy from there any more.

[Pete]

^

I watched a fascinating documentary on Walmart and they buy almost all their product in China and have purchasing agents employed over there to run reverse auctions, where they pit many manufacturers against each other to bid down the prices.

They do so much volume that getting a purchase contract can make or break a manufacturer. The buyer power is a huge shift to where the big retailers actually have all the power now.

I know Walmart is not the only retailer to do business this way but this is their primary strategy and they are by far the biggest entity doing it.

I suspect this practice also drastically affects item quality, as the manufacturers are working with razor thin margins and massive quantities.

[Anonymous.]

I am a Walmart shopper, as well.

I have found in my frugality that GreatValue branded products are the cheapest you can find and are of close-to or identical to their name brand counterparts. I am not kidding, I buy GreatValue bread, milk, cereal, granola/fiber bars, toilet paper, cleaning products, etc. The only exemption is deli meat (have sliced @ Walmart deli) and ground beef.

I have a very routine diet and it is a boring one, so virtually every single shopping trip is the same. I have tried getting the same product equivalents at Target under their Market Pantry brand, and found that not only was it more expensive, it was lower in quality than GreatValue (packaging mostly, but in some cases taste).

So not only is Walmart more convenient in location to me currently, but it is cheaper and of better quality in terms of my own needs.

[kelroy55]

I am a Walmart shopper, as well.

I have found in my frugality that GreatValue branded products are the cheapest you can find and are of close-to or identical to their name brand counterparts. I am not kidding, I buy GreatValue bread, milk, cereal, granola/fiber bars, toilet paper, cleaning products, etc. The only exemption is deli meat (have sliced @ Walmart deli) and ground beef.

I have a very routine diet and it is a boring one, so virtually every single shopping trip is the same. I have tried getting the same product equivalents at Target under their Market Pantry brand, and found that not only was it more expensive, it was lower in quality than GreatValue (packaging mostly, but in some cases taste).

So not only is Walmart more convenient in location to me currently, but it is cheaper and of better quality in terms of my own needs.

I don't mind buying the off brand but I draw the line at toilet paper... none of that cheap paper thin stuff for me.