Members NoRomoFan Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 So, I was in town today and decided I must check the air pressure in my tires. I pull into CarQuest and as soon as I walk in the door a guy asks what I need. I tell him I need a cheapo air pressure gauge. He takes me to the gauges and of the six he has the cheapest is $8.00. Mind you it was the super cheap made in China junk gauge. I tell him that's more than I want to pay for one and he looks at me like I slapped him in the face. I go down the road to Napa. I know they have a bucket of cheapies on the counter. Wrong. The Napa guy shows me his selection. Nothing in the store is priced. WTF? I ask how much the cheapo is and he looks insulted that I would ask and not just buy it. He takes it to the counter all pissed off he has to price check it. $7.49. I tell him it's too much and I'll just wait till I get home to check my tires. The guy looked like he wanted to choke slam me. WTF? Those cheapo pen style gauges are .98 at Walmart. {censored}, for $8 I can get the round cased needle gauge. WTF? But didn't you spend at least $4 on gas and about an hour trying to save about $7? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RSBro Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 i used to go to Walmart a lot more when first outta college bc it is that much cheaper.now i go to Kroger for groceries but i still go to WM for household items. cleaners, toothpaste, cat food, deo, etc. is a good bit cheaper at the Mart so i'll make a late night Sunday run or something when it's empty and /profit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OceansBetweenUs Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 What irritates me is when someone returns a product to a retail store instead if calling the manufacturer when it's defective.Seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OceansBetweenUs Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I'd agree with this except most retail stores are pretty much the same. When I was younger I never worked at wal-mart but I worked as a retail grunt several places. I didn't get benefits. I got paid as low as possible. People were still stupid, and customer service was still essentially non existent. People had no reason to go above and beyond as there was no benefit to doing so. Then on the flip side you have jobs where sales do mean commission and then you are just bombarded by some asshole that wants to sell you whatever makes him the most not what you need so customer service goes out the door again. Wal-mart is bull{censored} but so are the majority of its competitors. To do list: Read "The Wal-Mart Effect" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stevetemp Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Uh, this isn't true.Take tires, for instance. There are basically three grades of the same model of tire from the same brand. Have you ever gone to a grocery store and seen grade A beans, and also grade B beans, etc? Same goes for tires. If you think, "Oh, I need new tires and I see that Kal-Tire has a model for $300 dollars (just, throwing out numbers) and Wal-Mart has the same model/same brand for $225 you are not getting the same tire.Toothpaste? Oh, ya. Dinner ware? Of, course. But fruit/vegetables, tires, fabrics, power tools? No, not the same.Hell, power tools are COMPLETELY different from store to store with even the same model number on the box. Go to Home Depot and look for a Makita power drill set and check the model. Now go to a specialty tools store (eg. KMS Tools), look for the same model and notice that the two are entirely different. This is not only Wal-Mart and Home Depot responsible for this. I used to work with a gentleman that was an engineer for Black and Decker. They own another "high level" tool company, I believe it's DeWalt. He said they repackage (the case) the exact same guts of the B&D into the DeWalt. Not true for the whole entire line of course. A top of the line hammer drill by Dewalt is surely more solid than B&D. Point being, the manufacturers are in on this too. regarding Wal Mart, we like our cheap {censored}, don't we? I agree with someone who said "toothpaste, cleaners, soaps"....if Wal Mart has a better price on stuff like that, well have at it. I personally rarely shop there, but I was looking for a campus bike for my daughter, and we found a nice commuter Schwinn for about 220. I told her it was unlikely we'd find a bike at that price point in the bike shops but let's go look anyway. Most shops were indeed around 500 bucks and up. No way, not for sitting outside at campus. One of the guys showed us a real nice rental bike (Jamis) that he let us have for 200. We all beat Wal Mart that day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rear Naked Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 i used to go to Walmart a lot more when first outta college bc it is that much cheaper. now i go to Kroger for groceries but i still go to WM for household items. cleaners, toothpaste, cat food, deo, etc. is a good bit cheaper at the Mart so i'll make a late night Sunday run or something when it's empty and /profit. So you just shop wherever is best for you? Neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RSBro Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 This is not only Wal-Mart and Home Depot responsible for this. I used to work with a gentleman that was an engineer for Black and Decker. They own another "high level" tool company, I believe it's DeWalt. He said they repackage (the case) the exact same guts of the B&D into the DeWalt. Not true for the whole entire line of course. A top of the line hammer drill by Dewalt is surely more solid than B&D. Point being, the manufacturers are in on this too. regarding Wal Mart, we like our cheap {censored}, don't we? I agree with someone who said "toothpaste, cleaners, soaps"....if Wal Mart has a better price on stuff like that, well have at it. I personally rarely shop there, but I was looking for a campus bike for my daughter, and we found a nice commuter Schwinn for about 220. I told her it was unlikely we'd find a bike at that price point in the bike shops but let's go look anyway. Most shops were indeed around 500 bucks and up. No way, not for sitting outside at campus. One of the guys showed us a real nice rental bike (Jamis) that he let us have for 200. We all beat Wal Mart that day! No you didn't. Used/demo/rental /=/ new there, r3tard strong. {censored} you could buy a used/stolen bike from some bum living in the WM parking lot for a lot less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RSBro Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 So you just shop wherever is best for you? Neat. amazing concept, i kn:ow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pioneerprogress Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 What is all this talk about Wal-Mart being cheaper than other stores? IME they have exactly the same price on EVERYTHING as everyone else does, they just price an item at $x.96 or something instead of $x.99I just avoid it at all costs. Same price as all the other stores in town, plus I have to deal with rednecks that haven't bathed in weeks, and uber-long checkout lines? No thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RSBro Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 What is all this talk about Wal-Mart being cheaper than other stores? IME they have exactly the same price on EVERYTHING as everyone else does, they just price an item at $x.96 or something instead of $x.99 I just avoid it at all costs. Same price as all the other stores in town, plus I have to deal with rednecks that haven't bathed in weeks, and uber-long checkout lines? No thanks. Kroger and HEB here jack up the prices for household goods and cleaners bc they know people are like most here and won't go to Walmart for any reason and the nearest Target is a good 10 miles out of the way. To me it's about a $10-15 if not more difference when I'm buying non-grocery items, every week or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ~Abstract~ Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 To do list: Read "The Wal-Mart Effect" It was going to happen sooner or later. People were getting fat off overcharging for goods and services. That's why smaller grocers and pharmacists and mom and pop hardware stores are going out of business. They were moving small quantities and getting overcharged for shipping...then they had high utility bills(given the sqft) and property bills / taxes (because they're downtown). Well Walmart came in and studied the tax regs of different cities and counties before they decided to build where it was cheapest...then they made aggrements with the city to buy utilities at a lower cost. Once the building is in, they ship green beans and medication and hammers to the Distribution Centers for consolidation before moving that stuff to stores in full truck load quantities (for the lowest possible transportation cost).If Walmart didn't get it...Cheapmart would have...if not Cheapmart...Savemart...The only thing keeping those other stores open is......CUSTOMER SERVICE...Knowing more about your products than your shopper does...and being available for help. Don't try to compete with Walmart on price, you'll lose. Beat them on assortment (breadth and depth) and CS.also...People are still clamoring to work there. http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/local_news/Georgia-Labor-Department-to-Help-Walmart-to-Fill-250-Jobs-20111221-am-sd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jerry_L Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Seriously, {censored} walmart. I am totally willing to pay more to avoid epic lines, screaming children, yoga pants on hardtail's bitches, and the general dregs of society. +1 The customer service line for returns is the worst. I had to wait about 20 minutes to return a $5 plumbing hose while dodging kids playing bumper cars with the handicapped scooters. I wouldn't have gone to Walmart if I hadn't needed the part for a late-night emergency plumbing repair, and the part didn't fit anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ron Burgandy Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 This is not only Wal-Mart and Home Depot responsible for this. I used to work with a gentleman that was an engineer for Black and Decker. They own another "high level" tool company, I believe it's DeWalt. He said they repackage (the case) the exact same guts of the B&D into the DeWalt. Not true for the whole entire line of course. A top of the line hammer drill by Dewalt is surely more solid than B&D. Point being, the manufacturers are in on this too. regarding Wal Mart, we like our cheap {censored}, don't we? I agree with someone who said "toothpaste, cleaners, soaps"....if Wal Mart has a better price on stuff like that, well have at it. I personally rarely shop there, but I was looking for a campus bike for my daughter, and we found a nice commuter Schwinn for about 220. I told her it was unlikely we'd find a bike at that price point in the bike shops but let's go look anyway. Most shops were indeed around 500 bucks and up. No way, not for sitting outside at campus. One of the guys showed us a real nice rental bike (Jamis) that he let us have for 200. We all beat Wal Mart that day! I just stopped buying cheap {censored} I don't need. btw, the cashiers at my local Kroger got holiday bonuses, they get some kind of insurance and don't really seem to hate life all that much. My Father in law works for Wal Mart, and he got to work on Thanksgiving and Christmas. My pharmacist relative... man... all those years of school and decades of running the local pharmacy? replaced by working for near minimum wage, because that was all that was left for her when Wally World ran out the local businesses. Yeah, it's cool to say "should have been more competitive" because it's easy for things to be black and white on the internet. again, wait until you've supported a family, and are set to retire and have someone come in and undercut your entire lively hood. Just tell yourself it's economics in action, and chow down on some dog food. sorry, no one will convince me that {censored}hole is worth going to. there's nothing there I need that bad. like I said in my original post in this thread... buy 2 decent tire gauges, 1 time. one for home, and one for the car. I've had the same tire gauge in my car since high school (read: 14 years now) and it still works. I also keep my cars organized and clean, so things like my tire gauge are easy to find. Don't treat everything as though it were disposable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pioneerprogress Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Kroger and HEB here jack up the prices for household goods and cleaners bc they know people are like most here and won't go to Walmart for any reason and the nearest Target is a good 10 miles out of the way. To me it's about a $10-15 if not more difference when I'm buying non-grocery items, every week or so. Even if that's the case, I'd still say it's worth the opportunity cost to save the time, gas, and frustration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ron Burgandy Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Kroger and HEB here jack up the prices for household goods and cleaners bc they know people are like most here and won't go to Walmart for any reason and the nearest Target is a good 10 miles out of the way. To me it's about a $10-15 if not more difference when I'm buying non-grocery items, every week or so. those extra costs go to pay decent people a decent wage, and keep them insured. Wal Mart doesn't GAF, and would rather everyone be on welfare. Wal Mart = short term cheaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RSBro Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Even if that's the case, I'd still say it's worth the opportunity cost to save the time, gas, and frustration. My Walmart is closer.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RSBro Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 those extra costs go to pay decent people a decent wage, and keep them insured. Wal Mart doesn't GAF, and would rather everyone be on welfare. Wal Mart = short term cheaper I know and I agree, which is why the $75-80 on food I spend every week goes to one of those stores. My Kroger is basically fully staffed with high school kids from my community. Hey, at least my car is 'Merrikunn, back up off me Swedish hipster.... :cop: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ron Burgandy Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 My Walmart is closer.... Wal Mart is literally a 2 minute drive for me. I drive 15 minutes to go to Kroger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ron Burgandy Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I know and I agree, which is why the $75-80 on food I spend every week goes to one of those stores. My Kroger is basically fully staffed with high school kids from my community. Hey, at least my car is 'Merrikunn, back up off me Swedish hipster.... :cop: my sweet swedish ride wouldn't be caught dead at Wally World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RSBro Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Wal Mart is literally a 2 minute drive for me. I drive 15 minutes to go to Kroger. I actually tell the Mgr at my Kroger all the time I'd come here more if they'd put in a damn fuel station. {censored}, even our HEB has one. I have three Krogers within a 7 mile radius and not one of them have those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stevetemp Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 I just stopped buying cheap {censored} I don't need. btw, the cashiers at my local Kroger got holiday bonuses, they get some kind of insurance and don't really seem to hate life all that much. My Father in law works for Wal Mart, and he got to work on Thanksgiving and Christmas. My pharmacist relative... man... all those years of school and decades of running the local pharmacy? replaced by working for near minimum wage, because that was all that was left for her when Wally World ran out the local businesses. Yeah, it's cool to say "should have been more competitive" because it's easy for things to be black and white on the internet. again, wait until you've supported a family, and are set to retire and have someone come in and undercut your entire lively hood. Just tell yourself it's economics in action, and chow down on some dog food. sorry, no one will convince me that {censored}hole is worth going to. there's nothing there I need that bad. like I said in my original post in this thread... buy 2 decent tire gauges, 1 time. one for home, and one for the car. I've had the same tire gauge in my car since high school (read: 14 years now) and it still works. I also keep my cars organized and clean, so things like my tire gauge are easy to find. Don't treat everything as though it were disposable. Like I said...go try to find a $200 bike at the bike shop. NEARLY impossible. Only diligence and luck got us one. But, you make a lot of good points otherwise. Take care of your stuff, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RSBro Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 my sweet swedish ride wouldn't be caught dead at Wally World terrorist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ron Burgandy Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Like I said...go try to find a $200 bike at the bike shop. NEARLY impossible. Only diligence and luck got us one. But, you make a lot of good points otherwise. Take care of your stuff, right? hell, search Craigslist for a used bike if your daughter just needs a campus cruiser. or spend a bit extra and support a local shop, more than likely owned by someone in your community. Sounds like you did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RSBro Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Dude, Kroger fuel stations are the shiz. 50 pts for each script filled, plus groceries = I haven't paid over $3/gallon in over a year. Oh, I know! There's one on 2920 which is about 20 miles away. Every time I carpool to band practice w/ my singer I stop there even if I don't need to fill up just because I get the automatic $.03 and then whatever on top of that if I'm over 100 points, which I always am. That's why I always make comments about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rear Naked Posted March 6, 2012 Members Share Posted March 6, 2012 Wal Mart is literally a 2 minute drive for me. I drive 15 minutes to go to Kroger. Shop in local grocery. Buy foreign auto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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