Squeaky’s Blog

I did it!  I bit the bullet and went to Wal-Mart.  I have been to a few different stores around town and in the city looking for Pampers Sensitive Wipes.  I think that Wal-Mart is the cheapest and one of the very few places that sells them by the case.  So, in an attempt to save money I went in.  I figured I could get the wipes and the few things that I forgot at the commissary in just one trip.  The parking lot was packed but you couldn’t tell it from inside.  The people were spread out and the atmosphere was calm and relaxed.  It would have been so nice.  The kids even behaved.  The thing is, the whole time I was irritated because I knew that some things were more just because of the state we live in.  I just wanted to get my things and get out.  I think in a way I feel betrayed by this company that prides its self on saving money and here they up the prices because they can?  I got the wipes, and thought something looked funny on the box but it had been so long I just let it go.  Then the other day I was in my garage and I saw an old box I had bought months ago and it had more wipes in it.  Now, I think I will just stay with Sam’s and the normal Huggies wipes where I get almost double for about $2 more and a new box to put them in.  Here is the kicker.  We are getting ready to move and we won’t have a base to shop in.  We will be like a civilian family and have to use the local stores for everything.  I know they have an Aldi, Target, and Sam’s, so I will be using them as much as possible.  I just watched a special on Aldi last night.  They are so much cheaper than other stores since they don’t do name brands where possible and there are a few other draw backs.  They don’t bag your items, and you have to pay for bags.  But for the amount of money they claim to save you it seems worth it.  I will also, have to let go of my anti Wal-Mart and go back to using them when needed.  This something that is hard for me.  I have become so used to not using them and being angry at them, it’s hard to let go.  I have been looking at all the sale adds for the Black Friday and I think for my family the best place is K-Mart, & Wal-Mart.  There are things that I want to buy at K-Mart and the things I need/want at Wal-Mart.  I think we will be making an attempt to go in Wal-Mart and get the 3 items and then head back home.  Black Friday just isn’t the same with kids now and the crowds make me nervous with them.  Unfortunately, that means I will skip K-Mart since the only things they have aren’t needed.  So, this month will be my month to bite the bullet and get back in Wal-Mart and used to using them and let my anger go.     

Well I have to say I am proud of myself ever since the Wal-Mart back to school issue I haven’t been back there.  I have gone anywhere else but there and I am still looking to see the fine print on their sale adds since I know 3 out of the 4 states.  They say Hawaii, Alaska, Oklahoma and I can’t remember the other state.  I can understand Alaska and Hawaii but not Oklahoma and any other state.  So to make things more in the middle of the heart land as it’s called makes no sense to me at all.  I am still pissed off at them and am refusing to shop there.  I have found most of the same school supplies in other places around town for less or equal to what the sale add was in all the other states.  If you are confused feel free to see my previous blog on Wal-Mart.  So yeah I am no longer shopping at Wal-Mart until I have no choice.  Oh and I don’t plan to even when birthdays and the holidays roll around I can go to the city and they have like  5 Targets and a few other stores, and there is always online shopping.  So for now Wal-Mart can get bent with their jacked up prices in Oklahoma.  I want to know where the roll backs are for the families in Oklahoma, why are we charged more, and some bull shit answer about how other places charge more doesn’t work.  I think if they believe that then they need to relook at prices in the area since someone isn’t doing their job when other local stores are close to matching the lower prices in the other states.  I feel for the families that live her on a regular basis and never get the break.  But that’s ok because this is one family that they are not saving any money and will not be shopping there for a long time! 

Here’s what I want to know.  Where and how do companies come up with their prices?  This is my soapbox for the last week and I just keep getting madder about the whole issue.  Ok so Wal-Mart had a sale last week with back to school supplies.  Well out here in Oklahoma they had some of the supplies 8 times more and some were just a little over doubled in price.  They had spiral notebooks listed as 5 cents and the 24 pack Crayola crayons listed as 22 cents but not out here in Oklahoma they were selling them for 40 cents for the notebooks and $1.08 for the crayons.  When I called Wal-Mart on it they said that they didn’t match other Wal-Mart stores and stores in the same towns didn’t always have the same prices.   The reason for their prices being so high out here was due to local stores having higher prices so they could too, even though Wal-Mart was selling those things at the lower prices in big cities where cost of living is much higher than here like Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, CA or even in Texas.  So I took the answer and just got pissed and went to the dollar store instead.  Then I went in a local grocery store and found the same crayons for 24 cents and then K-Mart listed the same notebooks for sale the next week for 9 cents.  So I still don’t understand the pricing and am pissed all over again.  So if anyone knows the answer that’s not a corporate blah blah blah answer than let me know.  As it stands right now I am avoiding Wal-Mart at all costs, which is going to be hard since they are the main store here and there aren’t a lot of other places to shop.