Everything You Need To Know Before Buying Your Groceries At Walmart
Walmart is one of those giant one-stop superstores where you can pop in and pick up a TV, some new socks, new curtains for your living room, a new pair of glasses and a gallon of milk in one trip. With the thousands of options across its many departments-along with rollbacks and other deals-it's clear why Wally World's become such a behemoth. But before you buy your groceries there, check out these must-know tips and insights to really get to know the superstore and get the most bang for your buck.
1. It hasn't been around that long.
Inspired by the success of his dime store, Sam Walton opened the first Walmart in 1962 in Arkansas. So it despite its world domination, Walmart actually hasn't been around as long as you would think.
2. It also hasn't always been super.
The first Walmart Supercenter, which is the giant you're probably used to, opened in 1988 in Washington, MO. It combined general merchandise with a large supermarket to provide everything consumers could want.
3. The founder had a sense of humor.
In 1984, Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, did the hula on Wall Street-in full Hula girl regalia, making good on his promise to associates after they achieved a pre-tax profit of 8 percent before taxes during the previous fiscal year.
4. The Walmart logo has had major makeovers.
Walmart didn't have an official logo when it first launched, it wasn't until 1964 that it chose the western-inspired font below. The logo then went through four makeovers until it got to the streamlined design we have today.
5.There's a Walmart Museum.
Walton's original five-and-dime in Bentonville, Arkansas, that inspired his chain of Walmarts is now the Walmart Museum. It has an exhibit, a 5&10 with cool retro finds, and an old-fashioned soda fountain.
6. You can get your organic products for not-organic prices.
Walmart may not be the first place you think of when you think organic, but the chain actually has a wide selection of organic products that are cheaper than at other grocery stores. For example, GoBankingRates.com found that organic ketchup at Wally World for $2.58, compared to $3.69 at the grocery store.
7.You should definitely be buying your grocery staples here.
Many savings sites and bloggers agree: You can get grocery staples on the cheap at Walmart. However, if you really want to save, you should skip brand-name items and opt for Great Value or Equate, the Walmart brands, to save serious cash.
8. It's possible to save on brand-name coffee and tea.
Yes, that's right, you can actually save a little money on your Sbux at Walmart. Though many brand names rarely discount their coffee and tea selections, you can usually snag them at lower prices here. Even better, Walmart often has coupons on these items so you can really score.
9. Seasonal produce gets heavily discounted.
Let's be honest: Walmart produce has a reputation for not exactly being the best. But you have to admit, a deal's a deal, and Walmart often has pretty good ones on fruits and veggies. For example, Laurie from Passionate Penny Pincher has found grapes for as low as 88 cents per pound and pints of strawberries for $1.
10. Some things are actually not cheaper at Walmart.
Though the general trend is that things are cheaper at the chain, there are a few items you should avoid if you don't want to overpay, including cereals, soda, meat*, nuts & seeds. You're generally better off getting these items elsewhere.
*There is a way you can get meat for less. More below.
11. You might want to start drinking Walmart wine.
You read that right, we're recommending Walmart wine (well, one bottle specifically).Walmart actually has an award-winning red that beat out 16,000 other entries in a blind taste test. Best part? it's only $6.96.
12.The bakery will really customize your cakes for you.
The Walmart bakery is definitely willing to customize your cake, so much so that it has actually gotten in trouble for some questionable customization.
13. Do yourself a favor and check clearance.
There are many clearance sections at the endcaps of aisles, so it's worth doing a perimeter scan of the store to see what's hidden among the fringes of the place.
14. Take advantage of their price match and price adjustments.
The policy on price match varies by store, but most often, it's this: They'll match literally any published price. So if you have the time, it's worth it to look at ads and even online retailers, like Amazon, to get even lower prices. Also, Walmart will adjust the price of an item, so if something you bought goes on sale, you can go to customer service and get the difference back. There are a few exceptions though, which you can find outlined here.
15. Set your alarm a little bit earlier.
This may be the hardest one to do but also the most rewarding. Walmart restocks its shelves overnight, so getting in a little early means getting first pick of everything. Not only that, but because of the shift change there'll be a lot of staff on the floor, making it way easier to find help if you need it.
Bonus: The meat department often marks down meats that are close to their sell-by date in the morning and the bakery also marks down day old bread for a quick sell so waking up early means you get first dibs on those deals.
16. Download the Savings Catcher app. Stat.
The Savings Catcher App not only lets you in on good deals, it does price matching for you. After you shop, you enter your receipt, and the app will calculate if other stores had lower price
s. If they did, you'll score a Walmart gift card loaded with the amount of the price difference.
17. Go old school and clip coupons.
Clipping coupons is sooooo time consuming, we know. But they're a sure way to save, and given that Walmart takes so many coupons, it'll all be worth it when you get your already low-priced groceries for even less.
18. Check the savings showcase online.
It's a little hard to find, but if you go to Walmart.com and click on all departments, you'll see a tab called "savings showcase" where you'll find a bunch of deals, including rollbacks and clearance items.
19. Also check out local deals online before you shop.
You can see what's currently on sale at your local Walmart by going online and clicking on "my local store." That way you can plan out what's worth buying without spending hours in the store.
20. Order your groceries online for in-store pickup.
Walmart is getting with the times, and now you can order your groceries online and pick them up in store (there's even talk of having them delivered by Uber or uh, drone). Once you order online, a Walmart employee will pick up your items and help take them to your car when you stop by to pick them up. Also, it's free.
21. If anything, go to Walmart for the exclusive items.
There's a lot of reasons to go (and also a lot of reasons to not go) to Walmart, but if nothing else, you need to go for their exclusive offerings. Walmart is often partnering with some of your fave companies (like Oreo and M&Ms) to exclusively offer snacks and candies that you can't get anywhere else. Recent offerings have been Hostess' deep-fried Twinkies, strawberry shortcake Oreos, and erm, Peeps milk.
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