RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods

RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Casual Banter] >> Off the Grid

Message

Aylee -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/20/2010 8:36:45 AM)
I do not typically shop for food at Wal-Mart, although I do pick up other things there at times. Mostly I go to Target though and I buy my groceries at locally owned grocery store (Checkers). Something that I do like about Wal-Mart is that you can find them everywhere, so when traveling for work I know where in the store to find snck crackers and a little bit of chocolate. I have found that for several items, Target is actually cheaper. Especially their diapers and pull-ups. We could not use Pampers or Huggies and so I started pricing store brands to find the best deal. As far as the clothes that they have go, Wal-Mart and Targets baby and toddler clothes seem to hold up just fine, however in their adult ladies clothes I have a difficult time finding my size in anything that I would want to wear. Now my nicer clothes (suits and such) I do not even bother looking for at Wal-Mart. I am just refering to jeans and tops. However, I will note that the last pair of shoes I bought for work (a pair of boots) have been really good and I have been rather impressed. So over all, I think that you just really need to pay attention to where you are shopping for what you want and how long you expect it to last. My work jeans have about a six month life span before they are too stained to be suitable, my dress clothes have typically a ten years or more life span. So while they are more expensive initially, once you take their yearly cost into account, it is really not that bad. A box of Wheat Thins is a box of Wheat Thins. All of it comes down to budgeting and planning.

perfectflaw00 -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/20/2010 10:19:04 AM)
Trader Joes ftw, the only problem is that sometimes I will become attached to a particular item and they suddenly discontinue it (cashew-macadamia nut butter) but other than that I usually go two or three times a week.

slaveluci -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/21/2010 5:44:07 PM)
quote: quote: Buy my food at Walmart? No thanks. Until recently, I had been to exactly one Walmart in my life, at the insistence of a friend I was visiting in Natchez, Mississippi, about 10 years ago. It was one of the sights, she said. Up and down the aisles we went, properly impressed by the endless rows and endless abundance. Not the produce section. I saw rows of prepackaged, plastic-trapped fruits and vegetables. I would never think of shopping there. Not even if I could get environmentally correct food. Look down your nose much? Must be nice to live in that Wal-Mart free ivory tower. If only I were cash strapped like the author of that article[8\|] luci

couldbemage -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/21/2010 9:34:41 PM)
TJs also seems to treat their workers well, which is another bonus. They always seem happy and friendly. Or maybe just high... Either way get's props from me.

winterlight -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/21/2010 9:42:16 PM)
Trader Joe's is absolutely my favorites. Henry's is ok too. I don't go to Wally World. It is too far and Whole Foods is too expensive I think. Jimbo's (if still around) I have only been to one time. Harvest Ranch is for the Upper class Yuppies. I would get lunch meat there and anything else I was asked to pick up..

LafayetteLady -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/21/2010 9:50:34 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: slaveluci quote: quote: Buy my food at Walmart? No thanks. Until recently, I had been to exactly one Walmart in my life, at the insistence of a friend I was visiting in Natchez, Mississippi, about 10 years ago. It was one of the sights, she said. Up and down the aisles we went, properly impressed by the endless rows and endless abundance. Not the produce section. I saw rows of prepackaged, plastic-trapped fruits and vegetables. I would never think of shopping there. Not even if I could get environmentally correct food. Look down your nose much? Must be nice to live in that Wal-Mart free ivory tower. If only I were cash strapped like the author of that article[8\|] luci I'm right there with ya luci. As I said, I don't food shop at Walmart, but that is only because in NJ, the amount of food they carry is very limited. I will typically go to Shop Rite, but I also buy 99% of my meats and basic foods from an organization called the Angel Food Ministries. There are 25 host sites near you luci (by the way). They have mostly restaurant quality food and the prices are extremely less than the supermarket. Any one who buys food "qualifies" to purchase from them. Honestly, if I could afford to do it, I would buy the majority of my clothes at Kohl's or Dress Barn. As it is, that isn't something I can do, so Walmart and Target it is. Personally, if I ever got to be that much of a snob, I would hope that someone would knock me off my perch back into reality.

slaveluci -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/22/2010 5:34:02 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LafayetteLady I'm right there with ya luci. As I said, I don't food shop at Walmart, but that is only because in NJ, the amount of food they carry is very limited. I will typically go to Shop Rite, but I also buy 99% of my meats and basic foods from an organization called the Angel Food Ministries. There are 25 host sites near you luci (by the way). They have mostly restaurant quality food and the prices are extremely less than the supermarket. Any one who buys food "qualifies" to purchase from them. I am actually familiar with Angel Food Ministries from when I lived in WV. Several people at the library where I worked took advantage of it and I agree it was usually quite a deal with good quality food. quote: Honestly, if I could afford to do it, I would buy the majority of my clothes at Kohl's or Dress Barn. As it is, that isn't something I can do, so Walmart and Target it is. Personally, if I ever got to be that much of a snob, I would hope that someone would knock me off my perch back into reality. Very much agreed. It would be nice if none of us ever had to patronize places like Wal-Mart (and seriously, let's stop kidding ourselves, it's not the ONLY place one shouldn't drop money if we're going on "morality" here). But, some of us working stiffs do have to cut corners. People who brag about never entering a Wal-Mart are like people who brag about not owning/never watching TV. Soooo, that makes you an above-reproach saint or intellectual who's superior to the rest of us TV-watching, Wal-Mart shopping slobs? Hardly. Makes you somebody who's paying way too much for the same things I'm getting. Now who's the smart one? It's also kind of like the holier-than-thou vegetarians who wear leather. Just because you think you're saving the world by boycotting Wal-Mart doesn't mean you are. What else are you doing? No one is above reproach........luci

sblady -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/22/2010 12:55:18 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: thornhappy I won't buy my meat from Walmart, Kroger, or Meijer's because it's all got the magic solution in it. I go to Dorothy Lane Market or the local farmer's market instead. Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods? Um, no. Magic solution in Kroger's meat? Say it ain't so!!! [sm=frown.gif]

LaTigresse -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/22/2010 1:04:18 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Aylee I do not typically shop for food at Wal-Mart, although I do pick up other things there at times. Mostly I go to Target though and I buy my groceries at locally owned grocery store (Checkers). Something that I do like about Wal-Mart is that you can find them everywhere, so when traveling for work I know where in the store to find snck crackers and a little bit of chocolate. I have found that for several items, Target is actually cheaper. Especially their diapers and pull-ups. We could not use Pampers or Huggies and so I started pricing store brands to find the best deal. As far as the clothes that they have go, Wal-Mart and Targets baby and toddler clothes seem to hold up just fine, however in their adult ladies clothes I have a difficult time finding my size in anything that I would want to wear. Now my nicer clothes (suits and such) I do not even bother looking for at Wal-Mart. I am just refering to jeans and tops. However, I will note that the last pair of shoes I bought for work (a pair of boots) have been really good and I have been rather impressed. So over all, I think that you just really need to pay attention to where you are shopping for what you want and how long you expect it to last. My work jeans have about a six month life span before they are too stained to be suitable, my dress clothes have typically a ten years or more life span. So while they are more expensive initially, once you take their yearly cost into account, it is really not that bad. A box of Wheat Thins is a box of Wheat Thins. All of it comes down to budgeting and planning. This is my mindset. We don't have a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or any of the other grocery companies listed. I shop at Hy-Vee for fresh stuff like fruit and salad goodies. Wal-Mart for canned and boxed items. Buy most of my meat from farmers.

Jeffff -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/22/2010 1:20:05 PM)
I have a butcher.... His name is Joe. Joe is My meat guy. He can be trusted and it's not really that much more money. The quality is usually much better. I don't eat veggies. I get My fruit from Pete's Fresh Produce. I hate Walmart. Jeff

heartcream -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/22/2010 1:38:22 PM)
I cant stand the foundation Walmart is built on. I see someone posted some dirt on Whole Foods too. The thing is why dont we all stop poisoning our planet, our crops, our animals, our food? What the heck is wrong with these people. Stop poisoning to make a freaking lousy ill-gained greedy-ass, tacky shit buying dollar. Stop manipulating people in a toxic way, stop exploiting anyone at all, get rid of all the crappy ugly bad fabric uniforms, stop, stop stop! Why is this so hard? Stop the madness and the bullshit. It is 2010, people, people get it together. I am actually talking to the lizards anyway, any lizards lurking? Stop the bullshit to line your dickless pockets, k? Thaaaaanks. My options for shopping are pretty narrow, I do go to Walmart for some stuff, Whole Foods when I can get there. Here it is the chi chi part of town and it is like a giant freaking boutique. In Manhattan it was right around the corner and just better than the other grocery stores. You look at what happens to produce in South/Central America where the no-name stores get pretty much all of their fruits and vegetables it is not worth eating them. I cannot bring myself to eat veg and fruit gunked in bad chemicals and give money to eat poison. Even with so-called organic stuff I still wonder what crap is really there. I rarely eat meat but when I do I get it from the organic butcher mostly but sometimes succumb to the local grocery store chicken etc. I grow lots of stuff in the summer and I love that. We could do so much better than we are for ourselves, eachother and for the planet. Corporate food and restaurants are pretty creepy places and yet they are rampant.

juliaoceania -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/22/2010 1:41:12 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: sunshinemiss quote: ORIGINAL: juliaoceania I shop at Trader Joes. I do not shop at Walmart or Whole Paycheck Here is one reason I do not shop at Whole Paycheck http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=8322658&page=1 I am for healthcare reform... even if I dislike the current package being passed, the CEO of Whole Paycheck thumbed his nose at "liberals"... I say "fuck him and his company" Julia - I LOVE LOVE LOVE TRADER JOE'S. I used to go up to Boston and load up the trunk of my car with TJ's goods at least once a year. Then TJ's came to Philly just as I was leaving. sigh And you can't beat a place that has their employees dressed in hawaiian shirts! TJs ... has pretty good meat, hormone free milk, etc... What I really like is their prepared food. It is possible to find stuff in a box there that has no corn syrup in it. I can't eat that stuff so it is nice to have an alternative

Vendaval -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/22/2010 2:23:55 PM)
Fast Reply - I rarely shop at a Wal Mart in except in cases of being on the road in an unfamiliar place with no other options. The produce and meat quality is very low. I object to many of the company's business practices regarding their employees, insurance, hiring undocumented workers, most products coming from China, etc. We have a Trader Joe's here, an upscale health food store and a natural foods coop. There are numerous farmers markets and the university offers organic produce. So there are plenty of opportunities to shop within a budget and purchase better quality, locally produced groceries.

LafayetteLady -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/22/2010 3:39:13 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Vendaval Fast Reply - I rarely shop at a Wal Mart in except in cases of being on the road in an unfamiliar place with no other options. The produce and meat quality is very low. I object to many of the company's business practices regarding their employees, insurance, hiring undocumented workers, most products coming from China, etc. We have a Trader Joe's here, an upscale health food store and a natural foods coop. There are numerous farmers markets and the university offers organic produce. So there are plenty of opportunities to shop within a budget and purchase better quality, locally produced groceries. Not for people who use food stamps there aren't. While Trader Joe's will accept them, those "upscale" health food or natural food stores don't. Neither do the little farm stands. So for people whose primary food "budget" consists of food stamps (which is growing daily in this country given the economy), no there aren't "plenty of opportunities" to shop within a budget and go to the places you suggest. Better that they are able to purchase meat and fresh vegetables at all than to worry about the people who are going to condemn them for shopping at politically incorrect stores or ruining the planet. As it is most families who live on food stamps eat so much pasta, it would make your head spin. Pasta is NOT a healthy diet, yet no one thinks of that when calling them lazy as the reason for being overweight when it is actually because of all the carbs that add to their weight and a myriad of other health problems.

LaTigresse -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/23/2010 6:35:48 AM)
It is however, possible to purchase healthy and affordable items, even at a discount grocer. Food stamps are NOT an excuse for eating shit and being overweight.

juliaoceania -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/23/2010 8:31:27 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LafayetteLady quote: ORIGINAL: Vendaval Fast Reply - I rarely shop at a Wal Mart in except in cases of being on the road in an unfamiliar place with no other options. The produce and meat quality is very low. I object to many of the company's business practices regarding their employees, insurance, hiring undocumented workers, most products coming from China, etc. We have a Trader Joe's here, an upscale health food store and a natural foods coop. There are numerous farmers markets and the university offers organic produce. So there are plenty of opportunities to shop within a budget and purchase better quality, locally produced groceries. Not for people who use food stamps there aren't. While Trader Joe's will accept them, those "upscale" health food or natural food stores don't. Neither do the little farm stands. So for people whose primary food "budget" consists of food stamps (which is growing daily in this country given the economy), no there aren't "plenty of opportunities" to shop within a budget and go to the places you suggest. Better that they are able to purchase meat and fresh vegetables at all than to worry about the people who are going to condemn them for shopping at politically incorrect stores or ruining the planet. As it is most families who live on food stamps eat so much pasta, it would make your head spin. Pasta is NOT a healthy diet, yet no one thinks of that when calling them lazy as the reason for being overweight when it is actually because of all the carbs that add to their weight and a myriad of other health problems. There is a move for Farmer's Markets to be able to accept food stamps... some in my area do. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/us/20market.html

juliaoceania -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/23/2010 8:42:51 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LaTigresse It is however, possible to purchase healthy and affordable items, even at a discount grocer. Food stamps are NOT an excuse for eating shit and being overweight. If the only resource one has is food stamps then they cannot afford healthful food in quantities that would aid them in good nutrition. When a person is nutritionally deprived of some nutrients their body has trouble converting food into energy. Combine this fact with canned fruit and veggies not only being unpalatable (leading to a lifetime of children disliking them), but they lack the nutrition of fresh food. High fruitose corn syrup is added to canned and bottled foods in order to make them edible. This also impacts brain chemistry and may lead to food addictions, cravings for sugar, etc... this leads to obesity. Since the largest portion of the population on food stamps is kids under 18, this can lead to a lifetime of unhealthy habits. In large urban centers corner markets do not carry any fresh meat or veggies... and the few that do are so expensive it is ridiculous. I take the bus around everywhere. I get a free bus pass as a student. It isn't free to take the bus to places that have good food. I spend an hour on the bus to go to and from TJs. I spend about the same amount of time to go to Costco. I see it as my time to catch up on my reading for classes. I cannot imagine how I would feel about spending that much time on a bus several times a week and work a full time job. I tried the neighborhood market. Their meat dept literally stinks (the store smells bad), it is really expensive, and most of the bottled and canned stuff (BBQ sauce, etc) has high fructose corn syrup... I've read the labels. I posted such a long reply because equal access to food commodities is a huge, yet largely undiscussed, issue in this country. We live in a world of suburban strip malls and cars that take us every where. Not everyone has a car, drives, and many urban poor have little access to quality food, and their children suffer for it, which can have life long negative health impacts, and intellectual deficits as well...

LaTigresse -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/23/2010 10:56:26 AM)
I beg to differ. When my children where small and I left my ex, I was on food stamps and welfare for approximately six months and was quite able to purchase all the healthy foods we needed. That did not include any chips, soda, Koolaide, frozen pizza or any other empty calories. We ate 3 meals a day with all food groups represented and had snacks. Granted, a person has to plan, shop sales, and actually cook, but it can be done. I will concede that my small town Iowa experience, may be very different from someone living in a bad neighbourhood, in a large city.

HisSweetElysium -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/23/2010 10:59:37 AM)
I refuse to shop at Walmart, I'm SO happy to live in Boston, there isn't even a single one in the city limits! I do love whole foods, and the quality of their food is better, especially meat, but I can't afford to shop there as much as I'd like. So it's stop and shop, for the most part, and if they don't have what I want, I skip it that week...

juliaoceania -> RE: Wal-Mart vs Whole Foods (3/23/2010 11:24:49 AM)
quote: I will concede that my small town Iowa experience, may be very different from someone living in a bad neighbourhood, in a large city. Not even a "bad" neighborhood... I live in an upscale neighborhood with pricey restaurants... but a few blocks over are very poor neighborhoods (common in a downtown locale). There are grocery stores, but they are pricey. There is a Walmart... I have been in this store, they have no fresh food, none. They have whole milk, and nothing else in the dairy case here... it is one of the most pitiful walmart food sections I have ever seen, and what makes it all the worse is that there are no other reasonably priced stores. Outside of the farmer's market, once a week, but not everyone can come during the market hours... leaving them with walmart or a pricey albertsons... we are talking very poor people with no transportation. I used food stamps, and while I was able to eek out feeding my son on them, I could not afford fresh food in the quantities that make a healthy diet. If it were not for my mother my son and I would have ate a lot more prepacked (cheaper) food like Hamburger Helper, boxed mac and cheese, and hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly, white rice and potatoes (nutrient deficient starches) . I was lucky, not everyone is that lucky. Not everyone knows how to grow food, not everyone has a garden and friends that slaughter animals, not everyone lives in Iowa. I grew up in a tourist area far from the cities. Food cost more where I grew up (my family went back 5 generations in this area, it was not my choice to live there). Everything there cost more to truck in. Fresh food cost A LOT. There are all sorts of situations that make food in one place more expensive than it is in another place. When I moved to the central valley I had fresh food and veggies coming out my eyeballs, people I knew gave me bags of peaches, oranges, apples, etc etc etc... Central Cali is the richest ag region in the world! But I have experienced a few different places to live in my life, and I know that food commodity equality is a very important issue. If you look at where child obesity amongst the poor is the most prevalent you will see a correlation between urban centers, poverty, lack of fresh food, lack of fresh air and places to play outdoors safely... it is very easy to sit in judgment of how people live and dismiss them as lazy over eaters, but I think that is a gross oversimplification of the issue. If there is a mass of people experiencing the same problem there is a reason why, it is best to address those reasons instead of blaming. Blaming does nothing to help the kids in such families... these kids face a shorter lifespan because of poverty whilst young.. and that is tragic in my mind.

Page: << < prev 1 [2] 3 next > >>

Collarchat.com © 2025

Terms of Service

0.046875