Chalkie Posted August 6, 2022 Report Share Posted August 6, 2022 49 minutes ago, Kirk W said: And if needed you can take any item purchased at a Walmart anywere to any other store if for some reason you need to do so. We once bought a small, digital camera by Kodak at a Walmart in FL and it failed completely in less than 1 month of light use. When contacted, Kodak would only allow us to return it if it was packed in the origional box and packing materials, which we didn't have because we lived in a 36' motorhome. When we went to our nearest Walmart with only the camera and receipt they first pointed out that the warranty said to return it directly to Kodak but when I showed them the letter from Kodak a manager asked if I wanted a new one and when I said I thought that I'd change brands he refunded my full price and said that he would send it back with store returns. I think brands (return to us not where you bought it) want you to do that so that they can track how many returns there are instead of a store that sells them as it might affect that stores purchasing. What store is going to buy a product knowing that 15, 20, or 30% are going to be returned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durangodon Posted August 6, 2022 Report Share Posted August 6, 2022 On 8/4/2022 at 11:44 AM, rbertalotto said: So we try to buy local.....I just visited my local RV dealer to buy a part for my water heater and possibly. A whole new heater. I have no.problem.paying a few dollars more for something to buy local. The ignighter for the heater is around $8 online...at th he dealer $19.95....The heater is $429 from many online dealers and I can have it in three days. At the dealer $599 and a two week wait!!! I ask checked on solar products. Everything that I knew the online price for was 40 to 50% higher......."Buy local" they say.... If it's something I need to see, hear, smell, taste, size, etc., then I buy local. For example, I don't think it's fair to go to Best Buy and spend an hour with one of their associates looking at all the televisions and deciding which one to buy, and then go online and buy it to save some money. On the other hand, if I already know what I want or if it's something I'm just replenishing, I'll order it online sometimes just to save the hassle of shopping. Some items are a lot easier to shop online, where I can read about the specs and such. I'm not too fond of Walmart, but there's very few places left where I can go and buy a carton of milk, some laundry detergent, a pair of pants and a shirt, some curtain rods, and some grass fertilizer all in the same store. Overall, I probably spend half locally and half online. I didn't create the market, I just try to operate within it in a fair and reasonable way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted August 6, 2022 Report Share Posted August 6, 2022 We went to buying more online during the covid shutdown and discovered just how convenient that can be. I suspect that we are not unusual in that. Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandsys Posted August 6, 2022 Report Share Posted August 6, 2022 34 minutes ago, Kirk W said: We went to buying more online during the covid shutdown and discovered just how convenient that can be. I suspect that we are not unusual in that. Curbside pickup for groceries also became more popular. Walmart was the first to offer that, even before covid began, but other places offer it now. It's sort of a cross between buy local and buy online. Linda Quote Blog: http://sandcastle.sandsys.org/ Former Rigs: Liesure Travel van, Winnebago View 24H, Winnebago Journey 34Y, Sportsmobile Sprinter conversion van Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_12078 Posted August 6, 2022 Report Share Posted August 6, 2022 1 hour ago, sandsys said: Curbside pickup for groceries also became more popular. Walmart was the first to offer that, even before covid began, but other places offer it now. It's sort of a cross between buy local and buy online. Linda Yes, we found Walmart's no contact order pickup a great free service during the worst of the pandemic. Occasionally we weren't quite satisfied with their choice of a substitute item, but that just taught us to be more discriminating in which items we allowed substitutions versus not getting the item. Quote Dutch 2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS 2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RV_ Posted August 6, 2022 Report Share Posted August 6, 2022 I always buy the best price and sometimes added value like a 2 year 100% warranty and a $300 gift card recently offered with LG OLED 65" TVs online only. Same price in Best buy but only 1 year warranty and no $300 gift card. Online would have gotten that sale but we can wait as we have QHD TVs now. We decided we liked the no screen burn in over the blacks in OLED TVs even though we rarely use the computer or cable news with stationary frames and tickers along the bottom and top of the screen on the TV. Lots of times Best Buy is too high priced and lose the sale but I do go there a lot to check their open box items. They are usually too high on them and they are manhandled. I went to buy my now main system a Lenovo AIO that was a customer return at Best Buy and was cockeyed. They insisted they would rather return it than mark it down so I rarely go there for returns and markdowns much anymore. I actually bought the same computer brand new for less, from the online retailer I ended up buying it from, than BB wanted for one that was abused and returned. 10% off for a return doesn't tempt me at all. Quote RV/Derekhttp://www.rvroadie.com Email on the bottom of my website page.Retired AF 1971-1998 When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VC 23RSS Posted August 7, 2022 Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 57 minutes ago, Dutch_12078 said: Yes, we found Walmart's no contact order pickup a great free service during the worst of the pandemic. Occasionally we weren't quite satisfied with their choice of a substitute item, but that just taught us to be more discriminating in which items we allowed substitutions versus not getting the item. Walmart substitutes. Couldn't give us 4 normal cans of green beens so they gave us one HUGE one. Took that to the food pantry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_12078 Posted August 7, 2022 Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 15 minutes ago, VC 23RSS said: Walmart substitutes. Couldn't give us 4 normal cans of green beens so they gave us one HUGE one. Took that to the food pantry. We were given the option at pickup time to refuse any substitutions before the items were placed in our car. Quote Dutch 2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS 2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce t Posted August 7, 2022 Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 Big business makes money by meeting demand. WE demand and they supply. We only have ourselves to blame for the current market situation. We all chase "cheap" and we all want it "now". I made money in the hobby business. Wholesale and retail. Because folks want "cheap" from folks with small overheads customers went to the internet. Hobby stores are almost a faded memory. UNTIL they need help or a repair. Our retail vanished and soon after so did the wholesale. WE are the problem. Remember that next time a local store closes it's doors for the last time and you need some thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VC 23RSS Posted August 7, 2022 Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 11 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said: We were given the option at pickup time to refuse any substitutions before the items were placed in our car. We would usually receive an email saying something was being substituted but this one slid by us. I'm glad we were given the option of curbside pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted August 7, 2022 Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 11 hours ago, VC 23RSS said: Walmart substitutes. Couldn't give us 4 normal cans of green beens so they gave us one HUGE one. Took that to the food pantry. I had a similar thing happen so called them and they deducted the cost from my credit card and suggested that I give to undesired item to a food pantry, which we did. I also once got a can of pickeled beets when wife wanted just sliced beets and the same happened but I just did the return online that time. On the other hand, last time I ordered one 24 pack of Pepsi and they substituted two 15 packs. That is much more typical of the substitutions in our experience. 11 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said: We were given the option at pickup time to refuse any substitutions before the items were placed in our car We have been also and most of the time I have previously received the email of substitutions so that I can tell them which ones I don't want. The catch is that I don't always realize that email came or it is a bit late. Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danfreda1 Posted August 7, 2022 Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 6 hours ago, bruce t said: Big business makes money by meeting demand. WE demand and they supply. We only have ourselves to blame for the current market situation. We all chase "cheap" WE are the problem. Remember that next time a local store closes it's doors for the last time and you need some thing. I stopped going to Walmart in the 90’s when they started forcing the big companies to go overseas to keep Walmarts business. They did so much damage to small town businesses that I never stepped foot in a Walmart or sams until late last year. Bruce T is right we are all to blame for the cheap and disposable choices we have. Everyone wants cheap and now. We always said you get what you pay for. Now that we are ft we do stop at a Walmart or sams but go to employee owned stores or small town stores when we can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted August 7, 2022 Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Danfreda1 said: I never stepped foot in a Walmart or sams until late last year. Walmart has never forced any store out of business. The people who left the local stores to get lower prices at Walmart did that. If the people would have continued to buy from the local merchants and shunned Walmart the local stores would still be there and Walmart would be gone. The same thingh has happened to many other businesses as well as retail stores. Big companies can price compete due to economies of scale that a small business doesn't have so the small company begins to struggle financially and soon they either sell out to the bigger one or they dissappear. Take a hard look at the history of the RV industry. It is littered with the names of small companies that put quality first but failed to make a profit so either sold to one of the big companies or they dissppeared. We buy the RV that costs us least and then complain because it isn't the quality of one costing 2 or 3 times more. Edited August 7, 2022 by Kirk W Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2gypsies Posted August 7, 2022 Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 The small town of 23,000 we're in has a WalMart Super Center, 3 excellent hardware stores and 4 huge chain grocery stores. They all do heavy business. If a store is run right there's a place for all of them. Quote Full-timed for 16 YearsTraveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Posted August 7, 2022 Report Share Posted August 7, 2022 21 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said: Yes, we found Walmart's no contact order pickup a great free service during the worst of the pandemic. Occasionally we weren't quite satisfied with their choice of a substitute item, but that just taught us to be more discriminating in which items we allowed substitutions versus not getting the item. The key to Walmart substitutions, or HEB for that matter, is to uncheck the "allow substitutions". HEB is nice in that they let you make notes on the items so sometimes I will put a note something like "if you can't provide this then I will accept X as a sub". Seem to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_12078 Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 14 hours ago, Kirk W said: I had a similar thing happen so called them and they deducted the cost from my credit card and suggested that I give to undesired item to a food pantry, which we did. I also once got a can of pickeled beets when wife wanted just sliced beets and the same happened but I just did the return online that time. On the other hand, last time I ordered one 24 pack of Pepsi and they substituted two 15 packs. That is much more typical of the substitutions in our experience. We have been also and most of the time I have previously received the email of substitutions so that I can tell them which ones I don't want. The catch is that I don't always realize that email came or it is a bit late. We did get notified by email well before our pickup time, but the person that brought our order to the car also told us about any last minute substitutions and gave us the option of refusing them. Quote Dutch 2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS 2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_12078 Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 (edited) 5 hours ago, Chalkie said: The key to Walmart substitutions, or HEB for that matter, is to uncheck the "allow substitutions". HEB is nice in that they let you make notes on the items so sometimes I will put a note something like "if you can't provide this then I will accept X as a sub". Seem to work. Walmart doesn't provide a place to note acceptable substitutions, but yes, we can and have selected those items that we did not want substituted. Sometimes the substitute for an item we did allow wasn't acceptable, so we learned not to allow it on the next order. Edited August 8, 2022 by Dutch_12078 typo Quote Dutch 2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS 2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RV_ Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 6 hours ago, 2gypsies said: The small town of 23,000 we're in has a WalMart Super Center, 3 excellent hardware stores and 4 huge chain grocery stores. They all do heavy business. If a store is run right there's a place for all of them. Totally agree. Quote RV/Derekhttp://www.rvroadie.com Email on the bottom of my website page.Retired AF 1971-1998 When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_12078 Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 14 hours ago, Kirk W said: Walmart has never forced any store out of business. The people who left the local stores to get lower prices at Walmart did that. If the people would have continued to buy from the local merchants and shunned Walmart the local stores would still be there and Walmart would be gone. The same thingh has happened to many other businesses as well as retail stores. Big companies can price compete due to economies of scale that a small business doesn't have so the small company begins to struggle financially and soon they either sell out to the bigger one or they dissappear. Take a hard look at the history of the RV industry. It is littered with the names of small companies that put quality first but failed to make a profit so either sold to one of the big companies or they dissppeared. We buy the RV that costs us least and then complain because it isn't the quality of one costing 2 or 3 times more. 3 or 4 years after Walmart opened a store near our Adirondack cottage, a local paper did an investigative piece that found for each of the few small business that shut down blaming Walmart, 3 or 4 new business opened in the area, offering products or services that complimented what Walmart offers or products or services that Walmart does not offer. Quote Dutch 2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS 2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce t Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 Go for a drive through the many smaller towns that have a Wal-Mart. Drive up and down their "downtown" area. (It doesn't have to be a small town even). Wal-Mart builds out of town and in doing so the old downtown dies. It's not just businesses relocating to out of town to be beside Wal-Mart. It's the fact that "downtown USA" is being destroyed by the new strip malls. The character of our youth was built in and by our "downtown" society. Folks parked their cars and walked. We ran into Mrs Jones and her kids. Mr Smith and his wife. Exchanged gossip. Stopped at the dime store for a soda or shake. Now we want to drive up to the front door. Or worse go through the drive through. Speak to noone and avoid strangers. We want cheap and choice. We want it now. We complain at the smallest blemish because it's our "right" to complain about everything and anything. Sure change happens. But that change isn't always good. WE will complain more when China, AKA, Wal-Mart stops giving us what we want and haven't the industry or capability to understand what WE have done. It's a new world and I don't like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_12078 Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 8 hours ago, bruce t said: Go for a drive through the many smaller towns that have a Wal-Mart. Drive up and down their "downtown" area. (It doesn't have to be a small town even). Wal-Mart builds out of town and in doing so the old downtown dies. It's not just businesses relocating to out of town to be beside Wal-Mart. It's the fact that "downtown USA" is being destroyed by the new strip malls. The character of our youth was built in and by our "downtown" society. Folks parked their cars and walked. We ran into Mrs Jones and her kids. Mr Smith and his wife. Exchanged gossip. Stopped at the dime store for a soda or shake. Now we want to drive up to the front door. Or worse go through the drive through. Speak to noone and avoid strangers. We want cheap and choice. We want it now. We complain at the smallest blemish because it's our "right" to complain about everything and anything. Sure change happens. But that change isn't always good. WE will complain more when China, AKA, Wal-Mart stops giving us what we want and haven't the industry or capability to understand what WE have done. It's a new world and I don't like it. Suburban shopping malls with large "anchor stores" were being built when I was teenager in the late 1950's. Sears, Macy's, J.C. Penny, and others were the Walmarts of their times. That "new world" is not all that new, it's mostly just a reflection of the changing demographics that started with the post WWII baby boom. As for Walmart, you might find this article interesting: "Walmart said Wednesday that it plans to back American manufacturers by spending an additional $350 billion over the next decade on items that are made, grown or assembled in the U.S." "Nearly two-thirds of Walmart’s current assortment is made, assembled or grown in the U.S., as of the most recent fiscal year, according to a company spokesman." https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/03/walmart-to-back-us-manufacturers-with-350-billion-of-added-business.html Quote Dutch 2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS 2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 There are very few grocery stores left that are true Mom-n-Pop stores. Most of them are either franchised or part of a chain with a local manager & employees, just like a Walmart store. Van, TX a town of less than 3000 people has a grocery store that is part of a chain, a Dollar Store and a Dollar Tree, both of them franchise stores. Van does have a truely independent hardware that is one of my favorite stores and is truely in the old fashioned style. The hardware is family owned with piles of things everywhere you look and I suspect that nothing has ever left the store without first having been sold. Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch_12078 Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 2 hours ago, Kirk W said: There are very few grocery stores left that are true Mom-n-Pop stores. Most of them are either franchised or part of a chain with a local manager & employees, just like a Walmart store. Van, TX a town of less than 3000 people has a grocery store that is part of a chain, a Dollar Store and a Dollar Tree, both of them franchise stores. Van does have a truely independent hardware that is one of my favorite stores and is truely in the old fashioned style. The hardware is family owned with piles of things everywhere you look and I suspect that nothing has ever left the store without first having been sold. Dollar Tree does not offer franchises. All stores are company operated. Dollar Tree also owns Family Dollar, also not franchised. Quote Dutch 2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS 2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danfreda1 Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 On 8/7/2022 at 6:32 AM, Kirk W said: Walmart has never forced any store out of business. The people who left the local stores to get lower prices at Walmart did that. If the people would have continued to buy from the local merchants and shunned Walmart the local stores would still be there and Walmart would be gone. The same thingh has happened to many other businesses as well as retail stores. Big companies can price compete due to economies of scale that a small business doesn't have so the small company begins to struggle financially and soon they either sell out to the bigger one or they dissappear. Take a hard look at the history of the RV industry. It is littered with the names of small companies that put quality first but failed to make a profit so either sold to one of the big companies or they dissppeared. We buy the RV that costs us least and then complain because it isn't the quality of one costing 2 or 3 times more. If you do some research on how Walmart becomes the biggest costumer of some of the companies that Walmart sells products for and tells them to go over seas to make them cheaper or they lose their business, how many u.s. jobs do you think that costs. This was 25 plus years ago. They did that to more than one company. So go on believing that Walmart doesn’t hurt small business. And I don’t think you speak for all of us who buy a cheap camper and complain about it. You had choices on what you buy. Remember you get what you pay for. Maybe Walmart will start selling rv’s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted August 8, 2022 Report Share Posted August 8, 2022 (edited) 17 minutes ago, Danfreda1 said: If you do some research on how Walmart becomes the biggest costumer of some of the companies that Walmart sells products for and tells them to go over seas to make them cheaper or they lose their business, How about some sort of documentation that has happened, other than your opinion? No matter what you say, if people would continue to shop in the local stores and not go to Walmart the local stores would survive and grow while Walmart would slowly die. There is nobody to blame but the people who shop at Walmart for the cheap prices. Take a look into Walmart's extensive supply chain from Investopedia Quote The majority of its suppliers are in the United States. However, the supply chain for Walmart stores is global, with suppliers in the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Mexico, Taiwan, Hong Kong, France, and other countries. Walmart says it will support U.S. manufacturers with $350 billion of added business Edited August 8, 2022 by Kirk W Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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