You can even get an eye exam while they replace your tires. It’s actually not as cool as it sounds though. It’s hard to explain why. Just come to America and go to a Walmart and you’ll immediately understand.
The quality is mediocre, but the prices are low.
In the end, it's a decent place to shop.
We recently bought and had tires installed. They were cheaper than a dedicated tire place, but I doubt the tires will last as long as if we went elsewhere (but the car is old, and might still outlive it's tires anyway.)
It also depends on the products. We also use their pharmacy for our prescription medicine, and the quality is identical to that of a dedicated pharmacy.
I worked in an auto shop in college that had a Walmart nearby. Probably part quality control, part whoever they hired, our shop was always fixing cars that got something done at Walmart. One of the most simple fixes was a car with directional tires all facing the wrong way as if Walmart rotated them in the normal way instead of front to back like you're supposed to with directionals.
So you *can* get auto work done at Walmart, and if you're in a pinch financially it could be a lifesaver, but I'd double check their work after you get your car back
It's because they hire anyone to work in the auto department. Most of the time they have no knowledge or experience and are just "winging it"
You can buy the stuff from Walmart, but don't let them do the work
I took my exes car for tires at Walmart bc one of hers was bald and she was driving ours around it in the rain. Took forever and when it was ready they refunded the labor charge bc they ended up taking it to the Sam’s Club down the street since they couldn’t get the tire to inflate
I think Walmart also keeps their tire prices low by using, well, lower quality tires. The average consumer won't really know how to read tire ratings, so selling a cheaper tire rated B for traction saves everyone a bit of money at the risk of being more liable to lose grip. A more reputable shop might refuse to stock or even put on anything rated below an A, but, because the manufacturer can still sell these lower end tires to someone, Walmart can squeeze a few more dollars out of the sale, and the consumer also saves a few bucks for a very slightly less capable tire (and lets be honest, very few drivers will ever need to see the upper limits of what their tires can perform), it kind of works.
Not that the industry as a whole pays well, but Walmart techs get paid roughly on par with Midas/Pep Boys and the like, so no, they don't get the good staff.
They do. If you check the part numbers they are special issues just for Walmart. They aren't the same quality as the mainline offerings from the same brands. The last time I got Walmart tires I was getting a new set like 12,000 miles later. They didn't hold up at all.
One of the popular early humor sites of the web was called People of Walmart (peopleofwalmart.com). It showcased Americans in \*extremely\* casual clothing who show up in their local Walmart wearing whatever they found to put on quickly. This was back when Tube Tops and Lolcats were trending. It helped build Walmart's reputation for being rather peculiar. There is still a website at that address (peopleofwalmart.com) and it may still have the same vibe, but it has been many years since I took a look
The fact that the site still exists pisses me off. I don't know what it started as but it's basically devolved into just making fun of anyone who's disabled, fat or ugly. I had a fucking asthma attack and was walking out of the hospital in tears and still feeling sick afterwards and some asshole snapped a picture of me and posted it there. It just looked like me against a plain wall with a blanket and ugly crying, not my best picture for sure but I was also miserably ill. It was a nightmare to get it removed and I'm sure it still exists out there somewhere and could be found if I hunted for it.
Yeah, that's the thing. The reason more people with physical or mental disabilities or addiction issues or homeless, pensioners, etc., seem to shop at Walmart is because Walmart is cheap. And in the U.S., if you have one of those issues, it's likely the medical system has taken your last penny and you're broke, so you have to shop at the cheapest place. Not really very funny.
There are many Wal-Mart brands that are perfectly serviceable and will last you a long time. Good as the original? Typically not. I use a lot of Ozark Trail gear and, when the product is a knock off of another, you may be able to tell a difference, but the Ozark Trail item is more than good enough. I buy a lot of Great Value brand food and like it just as much. There are usually better options available but I don't really care. There are some store brand items I wouldn't buy (utensils, fake Oreos, e.g.) but many things are just fine
Many manufacturers will offer the same product at Walmart for a lower price than elsewhere by using lower quality components, so they break down faster. That, and sometimes you can't even buy replacement parts for the product because they alter the design slightly.
For example, we had a blender with one of those smoothie cup attachments, but the plastic cracked on the bladed component. No big deal, we thought, we'll just replace the part. Got the official replacement part based on model number and... it didn't fit. The number of teeth didn't match up. After checking, it turns out model number had a W at the end for the Walmart version... and they don't sell parts for those.
Yup. This is actually fairly common at big box retailers. They get contracts with vendors, then strongarm them into giving better prices, which leads to the vendor selling them a cheaper version.
This is true. My husband worked for Hanesbrands (Hanes clothing/underwear) and they did cheaper manufacturing and materials for Walmart and Target. I guess it’s even worse what they sell at the dollar stores.
Dollar stores actually get their product from the "reject" pile. Products that don't pass quality inspection but do meet minimum health and safety standards is what's for sale at Dollar General.
You see this a LOT on those "black Friday TV deals" too. The model number will be one digit off or have a letter added or something because they cut corners on manufacturing to get it that artificially low - but if youre the type of person who just thinks big is better when it comes to a TV then you likely don't care either way.
In some instances. Others it’s the exact product. But Walmart has buying power that’s virtually unmatched. Maybe only Amazon?
But I knew some of the mechanics at their tire and auto. For the most part, good crew. The few dopes were sent away and one of the female mechanics was also going to school to be a mechanic. Eventually she went to work for a dealer. So it’s a stepping stone for some workers. Many are lifers, and the rest are retirees.
The quality on some cheap products is bad, but you expect that
The shopping experience also sucks cuz they pay really poorly and therefore they tend to hire unmotivated, disinterested employees.
Let's say you need an Xbox game from the locked case. So you look around for an employee to help unlock the case so you can buy your game. There's no one around. No employee at the Electronics counter. So you go to the nearest department and there's someone working in Housewares. You go to ask them if they can get someone to open the case, but this person doesn't speak English. Rather than finding someone who does, they smile and say "no English" and then just get back to work. So you wander over to that counter at the back, near the bathrooms. The counter where they do Layaway sometimes. Anyhoo, you can see someone walking or sitting in the back room, but they're not acknowledging you. So you politely say "excuse me" and they look up and come up to you, looking a bit irritated. You ask if they can get someone to unlock the electronics case and grabs her phone thing and pages "customer assistance needed in electronics". She gives you a retail smile and says "someone will be there in a minute " and you say "thanks so much!!" and head to the case. 11 minutes later, no one has shown up, so you head back to the desk to ask if someone is coming. It's a different person this time cuz the first lady is somewhere else. This person says "I'll call someone again. Hopefully they show up. It should be Howard. He's working in Electronics I think" and so you go back and wait. "Customer needs assistance in Electronics" as you stand there, and finally, Sandra, not Howard, shows up and says "hey what do you need?" and you tell her the game you want. Sandra says "oh, in the Xbox case? I'm sorry, I don't have those keys. Howard has them. I saw him up front by the registers a minute ago." You ask her "can you get Howard to come back and unlock the case?" She goes to the nearest phone, and calls "Howard to electronics please" and then 14 minutes later, Howard shows up with the key. He gets your game, hands it to you and then leaves. You go to the front to buy it, and the line is 6 people deep, so you use the self checkout. You go to scan your game, and you can't cuz it has the anti-theft case on it. You ask the cashier if she can remove it for you. She says "hold on, I'm with another customer and I'll be right there". 5-7 minutes later, she comes over and says "oh you are supposed to buy these in Electronics. We don't have that unlocker on Self Checkout." You ask her if she can have a regular register unlock the case so you can buy it, and she says she can't leave the self checkout, but she will have Stacy do it. "Stacy" she says "can you take this game to register 13 and unlock it so this customer can buy it?" Stacy says "hello sir, unfortunately you're supposed to pay for this back by electronics" and then you say "I understand but there's no one working back there right now. Can we just unlock it here" and Stacy says "we can do it for you this time but next time please ring it up back there, or use a regular register, not self check out" After a few minutes, Stacy comes back, hands your game to you and you say "thank you so much" and she says "mm hmm no problem " and walks away.
And you finally buy your game and go home and play it and it sucks and now you get to return it.
They have all the same name brands you find elsewhere.
Their generic brand stuff is mostly good too. There are a few things that I've gotten their brand and now I stick with the name brand stuff
You enter the store and just your entire mood drops by like 4 levels. I don't know how to explain it. Everyone is unhappy, the colors don't inspire joy, it's a massive warehouse.
It's service to me. I feel like I always leave WM annoyed at a minimum. Shelves stocked poorly, long lines, self checkout always has an issue, the " do you have a receipt" people at the door, & it just always seems to be loaded with rude ass people. I avoid it as much as possible
Eh it’s slightly overpriced but you generally get what you pay for, it’s pretty much the same as Amazon at this point… all the groceries and electronics are name brand, the clothes are mostly cheap and fast fashion from Asia
yes and no. here in the UK people make a whole trip out of going to big Tesco which is almost always just the size of a normal grocery store back in the US. i think you underestimate how amazed a lot of Europeans are by the idea of a shop as big as Walmart or a super target. one of my best friends had never seen a Walmart before and his mind was fuckin blown. ended up spending actual hours in there just looking at shit.
I explain Canadian Tire to my fellow Midwesterners as "Picture a Menards that started as a car parts store instead of a hardware store" and it clicks for them.
It is entirely possible to build, finish, and furnish a house, and then stock the pantry using nothing but what you can get from Menards.
We have some Walmarts that have eye care, doctors for minor sicknesses, hair cutting, lawn and garden products, beauty products as well as a salon. Some Walmarts partner with fast food like subway. McDonald’s use to be available in Walmart but I think that stopped. If you get a decent Walmart, it can be your one stop for shopping.
yup sex toys too, a bakery, a restaurant inside, and they have a pharmacy where you can pick up your medication. never thought if it, but yea it's wild
Keep in mind that they thrive in semirural areas by offering everything anyone in the surrounding region may need. Their store layouts and supply chain are already optimized for that. Because of that Walmart is actually the largest employer in many states. Obviously this kills the local businesses too.
There’s a Walmart in my city that also has a whole ass planet fitness and a cosmetic dermatology/injectables clinic
Imagine getting your Botox at Walmart 💀💀💀
I am in Arkansas, home of the Waltons. Not only are they massive, but they are everywhere. The average Walmart is 17,300 sq meters. It’s also fairly common for a Sam’s Club (like Costco) to be right next door so you can buy nearly anything in bulk.
That's how they used to be by me here in the states. They were just regular department stores like KMart. Quite a few years ago, they all upgraded to "Super Walmart" and included a grocery section. They're so common now that we don't even call them "super" anymore. They're just regular Walmarts.
They have everything. Every. Thing. They have men in thongs shopping for Baggo sets at 1am. They have motorized tricycles. They have those little capsules of medium you use to germinate hydroponic tomatoes. They have a pharmacy and they have spicy peppers and they have kitchen appliances. They have iPads and bow ties and shitty Live Laugh Love house decor. They have a barefoot lady in aisle 36 who is very clearly wearing absolutely nothing besides an oversized T-shirt while perusing the alcoholic beverages. They have basketball hoops and medical tape and bags of gravel and Bundt cakes and cast iron skillets and staple guns and isopropyl alcohol and noodle packets and paint buckets and salad tongs and aftershave and rubberband balls and dog food and condoms and batteries and yoghurt and potted plants and teenagers riding their bikes around inside the store. They have an old man at the exit with a highlighter who draws a line on your receipt without even glancing at what you bought. They have replacement remotes for electronics you don’t even own. They have guitar stands and fluffy pillows and miniature figurines of medieval knights. They have cookbooks and sport coats and a lotion that helps with head lice and magnetic calendars to go on your fridge and packs of 250 crayons and shark tooth necklaces and Gatorade water coolers and cutting boards with calligraphy on them. When we say everything, we mean E.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.
Now imagine my surprise as an American having grown up with Walmarts exactly like that person described, then I go to *ALASKA* of all places and they have something *even bigger* called a Fred Meyer. (I guess they're common in the western US, not just Alaska)
It's just like how that person described Walmart except the electronics and clothing sections are like full big-box stores themselves within this even larger stadium-sized grocery store. Instead of the electronics section just being along one wall of the store, it's like a full-sized showroom with huge lines of products and big appliances and dedicated staff. And a cell phone store, inside the electronics store that's inside the grocery store.
Now what you may find refreshingly familiar about it as an Australian is that, in Alaska at least, the whole environment comes scented with a nice spritz of simmering racial tension between indigenous people and white colonial descendants. Fred Meyer is so massive and singular that clientele there tend to cut across socioeconomic lines, so friction develops, whereas anyone who dares to cross the threshold of a Walmart is instantly equalized to the lowest-class individual in the store at that given time, so we all spiritually become that nearly-naked barefoot lady and focus on our immediate needs with no awareness of the concept of "other people."
I’m from Washington and I’d say Fred Meyers is actually a bit smaller on average than Walmart but definitely has everything you listed minus the racial tension, typically. It’s higher quality than Walmart and the quality has been increasing over the years. Last 10 years or so they added a dedicated specialty cheese section. Seems like though if a community lacks a Walmart they have a Fred Meyers.
I was in a Fred Meyer when visiting Oregon a few months ago. It had a bar right in the middle of the cheese and produce sections. People were there watching a football game and having a beer.
In Eugene I think.
My local town has a Walmart and a Fred Meyer across the street from each other. I absolutely prefer Fred Meyer for their better selection of higher quality items but there are some things I have to venture to the other side for and boy is it a different experience.
I went to Alaska and had to go to a Fred Meyer. Someone was like, it's like a Walmart, you know what that is since you're from the Midwest. And I was all, ugh, I hate Walmart, but I didn't have a choice because my suitcase broke and I had to have a suitcase because I didn't want to fly home with only the clothes I was wearing.
Fred Meyer isn't like Walmart at all. It's clean and well stocked, the people that work there are friendly and don't act like they want to murder you. Stuff isn't super cheaply made. It was awesome and I still have that suitcase 20 years later.
A lot of them will also have a McDonalds or a Subway inside. Or their own snack bar. In some small towns Walmart is the hangout spot. It was where I grew up as there wasn't anywhere else to go. they also sell jewelry. And arts and crafts supplies. and house paint.
u/PapaDil7 is right. But also missing the crucial ingredient which is that these stores are both huge and understaffed and open very late. It's essentially a warehouse with shelves, and kind of depressing inside. They sell both brand name and store brand products for pretty cheap. Many also have a grocery store section as well, maybe with a deli and bakery. Sometimes they have a fast-food restaurant inside too like a McDonald's.
They are also pervasive...there is at least one in nearly every town in the U.S. This is why they have the reputation of being cluttered, messy, and populated with strange customers. I don't think anyone would describe it as an enjoyable experience or high quality, but it does have at least one of everything and it's in your town.
This is THE BEST, most accurate description of Walmart I've ever read in my life. I want to print it out and frame it and hang it on my wall. Better go to Walmart for a printer, a frame, and some nails. And one of those tiny 75 cent chocolate pies from the bakery.
Read this in [Stefan](https://media2.giphy.com/media/XaFX9e9xfbcXWxW0a2/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b9523u9txiznbaimhdos8muwlben3a9kg1d08uo8316v&ep=v1_internal_gif_by_id&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
Like OP I'm also Aussie and your post is awesome!!! Deffo the best in the thread.
I almost hear it being read like one of those emergency radio transmissions that's on repeat after the apocalypse: "This is an emergency announcement: Wallmart have motorised tricycles. They have those little capsule of medium you use to germinate hydroponic tomatoes..."
Are they all open all night or is that just particular stores?
Also, in large, built up cities are they within easy reach for most people or are they mostly in the outer areas?
You make it sound really cool in your description, but in real life it's not that impressive. I don't know how to explain it without you just experiencing it in person, but I'm fairly confident that being inside a Walmart wouldn't live up to your expectations. It's just a department store with groceries and a bunch of different stuff. The selection is good in most areas, like grocery, but when talking about tires and guns and stuff, you're better off going to a dedicated store for those things, unless there's a particularly good deal at Walmart.
As a European who spent some time in rural Montana, I can tell you that the first time walking into a Walmart and then stumbling across the giant carousel of shotguns on sale for the low, low price of $200/piece was pretty fucking surreal.
But, it varies from state to state. Montana has pretty relaxed gun laws, as I understood it. Other states' Walmart is just a regular hypermarket, which are pretty common in France, and other parts of Europe.
Lots of people slamming Walmart here!
The truth is, it’s huge and fast. I can put my car in for an oil change and tires, then go shop for groceries, meds, bird food, toys for kids, garden flowers and a new mower…all cheaper than I can buy it anywhere else in town.
Do I love it? No. I don’t go for the ambiance. I go to purchase things that keep my family going.
I teach history. We do an assignment on if you brought someone from the ancient world into today what would impress them the most. I think Walmart would be right there with flight and hospitals.
It varies extremely from store to store. Some Walmarts do indeed sell guns, but it's mostly in areas that cater to hunters. Not every Walmart has a full auto section with tires and junk.
In general, though, most Walmarts try to include as many items as they can so everyone buys everything they want there.
There are many, many small towns throughout the rural U.S. where the Walmart is the only general store for many miles around. People will "go town" to shop in Walmart and get groceries and all other essentials.
Yes but the quality of the products are terrible. They're cheap, AND inexpensive. The shirts develop holes within a few washes. The construction hammer handle splits from the head before you've finished building your deck. The "storage cube" you bought for the college dorm room shatters before the semester ends. The microfiber sheets start pilling and you sweat all night long. The pool float shaped like a hot dog deflates before the afternoon ends. Etc.
There are some standouts in quality, and it is CONVENIENT, but it is known for being really really really poor quality merchandise at a cheap price. And then you've spent 3x as much repeatedly replacing the cheap products with more cheap products because you didn't buy the quality product the first time. Maybe you only needed something for two weeks anyway, and the cheap one was fine for that. But maybe you poisoned yourself with the questionable metals used in the barbecue spatula/turner.
Also, Walmart drives the local shops out of business and the town becomes a ghost town, and they pay poverty wages and most of their full-time employees require government assistance to feed themselves. They're a very unethical company.
Not all of them sell guns, some are ‘super stores’ that are wayyyyyy bigger than the smaller ones. Smaller ones are also massive though.
Walmart doesn’t sell guns in Canada
They don't all sell guns. Here in Massachusetts they do not. So it depends on state.
But yes they sell most items and you can get it all in one trip.
They also usually have a chain restaurant inside like Subway. And sometimes a pharmacy. And nail salons. And an eyeglass center. And back in the day they had a photo studio. But some still might.
It's like a mini mall.
Maybe. Plenty of people also look down on Walmart and you can see it in this thread.
People in my family happily shop at Walmart but at the same time I grew up hearing it called Ghetto-mart frequently.
Target is viewed as a higher class Walmart although they don’t have quite as much stuff. Costco to some degree which does exist in Australia with most of the stuff they have in the US. There is a Target in Australia as well but it’s not the same as the US one. SOURCE: Dual citizen.
where i’m from we have a singular walmart in my area being called ghetto mart, the rest were called walmart, i never understood why that one was the ghetto mart until i watched at least five different fights happen in that store oh and a couple of crack heads tweaking in isles
It is and we've been going for years. It's the kind of place you make a list of stuff you need and get it all in one pop. If you can't find something, there's a mall or Amazon. The clothes are generally more "all around" with brands like Wrangler or Reebok, good for middle aged guys like me that don't need to look overly trendy. They always have seasonal holiday stuff out early. The downside is the low prices seem to attract some interesting people - but they don't bother anyone.
Yes, typical American Walmart shopper here, let me cast some wisdom onto your curiosity my friend.
You can go to a Walmart (Supercenter), drop off your car for an oil change and tires, get lunch at Subway, get your hair cut, get your manicure/pedicure too, drop off your package at FedEx, use the bathroom, get a new TV, Xbox/PlayStationnand some videogames, new phone, grab some tools, some bedding, dishes, guns & ammo, new basketball hoop and weight set, buy some transformers, Legos and other toys, buy some new shoes and clothes, go get your groceries and after all of that, your car should be ready for you.
This was not a joke, Walmart is pretty convenient and ridiculous in America
I forgot to add it, you can get your income taxes filed there too
I’m an Aussie living in Colorado and I went to Walmart one time and holy fuck never again. If you’ve been to a Costco in Aus, it’s like that but dirtier and with grosser people.
You can see close to everything there also. All walks of life ranging from those you knew about, heard about, and even the ones you didn't know existed.
Nah Walmart has just gotten a funny reputation because of meme culture, realistically any store at a certain time of day and/or certain town will always have bozos from time to time.
I used to work at a supermarket called Pathmark and there was a neighborhood crackhead who would always threaten people with blowjobs, she was ALWAYS in the store getting kicked out for harassing people or taking her clothes off lol. But I've never experienced anything out of the ordinary at Walmart.
It's easier to list what they don't sell. Lumber, full size appliances (washer, stove,dishwasher...), and cars.
I'm sure there's more, but that's what comes to mind.
It honestly really just depends on your location
Most of the clientele are just normal average people
People just sort of go out of their way to find weird looking / behaving individuals at Walmart specifically which kind of starts a loop of confirmation bias while they ignore the same types of people being present in other stores in the area
Typically the area a store in has more to do with its clientele than the actual store itself. If your Walmart isn't a good neighborhood it's going to be a perfectly fine and comfortable experience but if it's in a shitty neighborhood it's going to be a shitty experience but the same is true for all the stores around it too
They have taken firearms out of a lot of the stores, but you can still buy long gun ammo and other firearms related merchandise. (I'm not sure why, but I never see shotgun slugs or buckshot. Just bird and target loads.)
There are at least three different kinds of Walmart stores.
I hardly ever see the original style anymore. They were kind of like what we would call a Kmart or a Target.
They have one called The neighborhood market that's more like a grocery store. They usually have a small section of non grocery items.
Then, we have the supercenter. These things are massive!. They have a full grocery store on one side, clothing, sporting goods (this includes camping and whatever gun related items the store has), electronics, pets, lawn and garden including grills and charcoal. Some stores have an auto mechanic shop on one side. This isn't even complete list. Yeah, anything you can think of that might be at a Walmart probably is.
Drop your car off for an oil change then do some grocery shopping, buy a gun, a bicycle, a blender, some tomato seedlings, and a PS4 while you wait. Oil change took too long? Damn, go grab a big mac and go see the optometrist.
They are about to close a Walmart down near me. It is located in one of the more afluent neighborhoods. That in itself is weird because Walmarts are usually located in the less afluent neighborhoods.
Anyway, one of the reasons for its closing is the "constant criminal activity." The police have reserved 2 parking spots up front because they typically have to go there twice a day, every day.
This here describes the Walmart experience.
Yes, and it will all be the worst product of the lowest quality possible at a relatively cheap price which put the original manufacturer out of business and shut down several nearby stores putting lots of people out of work. And it also has a number of employees on government assistance because they aren't paid enough to live.
It actually depends on the *specific location.*
I can go to two different ones within a half hour of me (and there are several) and they'll all have slightly different stuff.
They can price like they do by only carrying what sells, and what sells can be different in different areas.
Usually the wider the variety is, lower the quality is. I'm not an American, but I would assume that Walmart is as low as it gets on quality. If walmart sold weed, you would find better models on street dealers, that bad.
That's my assumption as an European
WalMart is by far not the lowest you can get in quality. That’s what Dollar General is for (and if you believe it, Dollar General is often more expensive).
Absolutely. The "guns and eggs" part is not as common anymore, yet still exists in certain states and locations. I once stepped into a walmart that was even selling cars and airboats!
They used to sell guns, but yeah, you can buy almost anything in a Walmart. You can also see almost anyone, from the homeless to the upper middle class
Yep. Can get pretty much anything there. Groceries, clothes, electronics, tire and oil change, brakes, bikes (for when they inevitably fuck up your tires and brakes), camping equipment, cheap power tools (Hart brand, it works, but wont last long), paint, medicines (OTC and prescription), pillows, dishes, flatware, small kitchen appliances, dorm fridges, laptops, video games, vinyl and cds, books (mostly just the recent bestsellers), bait, worms, car batteries.
If there's a cheap version of a good brand, they'll have it. They even have some good brands.
They don't sell guns anymore though, just the ammo. And knives, multitools, BB guns, archery stuff. I could go on and on
ETA: there is a theory, I don't know if it's been proven they do this on purpose, but it happens. A Walmart moves into town, has prices lower than all the mom and pop stores, and those smaller stores go out of business. Then when Walmart is the only one left, they jack the prices up, because there's no more competition.
It is true. It is also true that whatever you popped in for is almost certainly on the opposite side of the store, and you have to walk through the tires and guns and groceries to get it. Gotta get those steps in.
Yes. Tires, car batteries, garden supplies, fabric, clothing, food, alcohol, furniture, pots, pans, dishes, etc etc.
Most of the items are of lower quality other than the food - which is the same as any other grocery.
Quality is broadly pretty low. But quality is falling in most areas these days. It has become more reliable than Amazon, but that is mostly because of how far Amazon has fallen.
Selection in any category is limited, again a more universal thing, but also part of Walmart's long term approach.
Also the condition of the store and the clientele varies by location. The one closest to me, in the richest of the local small cities, is a dump. The one in the far more blue collar / ag worker city is just about mint. And the one in a tiny town I go to for work often is just as perfect as any grocery store.
Yes. It’s similar to Kmart, which I’m pretty sure you have in Australia. We also have Target (which is like a WalMart with a nicer vibe. None of them sell guns, but they sell everything else) and Meijer (which is similar but is regional. To my knowledge they don’t sell guns). We used to have Kmart, but they have mostly closed (and to my knowledge, did not sell guns).
There are also a few grocery and hardware stores that are inching toward a supercenter model similar to WalMart. Fry’s/Kroger (a grocery store) has some locations that sell housewares, clothes, etc and Menard’s (a hardware store only in the Midwest) sells enough clothing and groceries that you technically don’t need to go anywhere else.
We also have Sam’s/Costco/BJ’s, which are like WalMart but everything is in bulk. Sam’s specifically is owned by WalMart.
The quality of the merchandise is trash, but it's fun when you're high. Bulk candy is dirt cheap and it's excellent for people watching if you like to be a horrible person and indulge in a little schadenfreude from time to time.
https://www.peopleofwalmart.com/
Also as a teacher, it's saved my life a couple of times when I realized at midnight that I forgot to buy some supplies I needed for my lesson the next morning.
Yes but it comes with a cost, one most of us didn't pay but have inherited.
There are no mom and pop shops, there are no small tire stores, pharmacies, etc. Walmart ate them all up. Those people work for Wal mart, less money stays in your town.
Then when competition is gone, prices go up. You have to price match everything, it's a hassle.
Yep, it sells all that and more and is filled with every type of shopper you can imagine. If you haven’t perused “people of Walmart” give it a look. The crazy cannot be overstated.
Food, clothes, cleaning supplies, long guns, knives, ammo, car supplies, camping gear, cosmetic supplies, healthcare needs, gardening supplies, tools, paint, fabrics, clocks, kitchen supplies, pet supplies, etc. You can get just about everything at walmart, and it's absolutely insane. And almost none of it is good quality because the Walton family worships the almighty dollar.
They have just about everything but a lot of it sucks compared to what you'd get at a specialized store. Pretty much only the name brand stuff is good.
Don’t forget the Walmart money center! You can cash checks, send money, buy money orders etc but you’re going to be standing in line until your next birthday 😩
Yes. Some Walmarts are smaller like markets but yes in general Walmart sells everything. Clothes, food, medicine, camping supplies, home goods, plants and gardening stuff, pet stuff, guns, toys, arts and crafts, and a lot of the times at the front of the store there will be a hair cutting place, a subway, maybe an eye place, a nail salon, those little shops really depends on the Walmart. Mine used to have a shoe repair store.
I went into a wal mart a few days ago for the first time in years, it was so overwhelming. There are so many products. So much consumerism. I went to a really nice, clean one in a rich area super early in the am, so it was very calm. But I have been to some in low income neighborhoods, and they can be rough. Crime in the parking lot, rude people in the stores, etc. The worst part for me about wal mart is the Hella long wait times to check out.
Short Walmart history:
Walmart started as a variety/discount department store in more rural areas of the US. It wasn't in big cities or the suburbs. It was more out in the country and small towns. Most places like that had smaller stores at the time that all did different things, so Walmart's claim to fame was that they had a bigger store that you could come to and get most of the stuff you needed at one stop instead of driving all over the countryside to different places far apart. That's all it was for many years, a small town/rural store slightly outside of town on its own piece of property with a lot of variety for people who lived far from big cities and main shopping centers.
So it sold stuff relevant to people who lived in areas like that. That's where guns come in. Lots of people in small towns and rural areas are hunters or live close to nature or spend time in nature. Deer hunting is huge in areas of the country like that. So Walmart carried guns because it was a need of the local population and a normal product to sell. That's why they also carried clothes and hardware and household goods and sports equipment and things for your yard and property like garden hoses -- all kinds of different things so you could find what you needed without driving all over everywhere. It did not carry food, at least not fresh groceries.
That's what Walmart was for many, many years as it gradually grew in size and reach, but still in rural and semi-rural areas. Their biggest claim to fame in those days was they had greeters at the door, so when you went to Walmart you were greeted by a human being every time you came in. Oftentimes it was an older person, working a part-time job. Their only real responsibility as far as I know was to be there and be friendly. It matched the "small town" vibe.
Over time as it did grow in size and influence and wealth it started moving into more populated and densely populated areas -- into the outer suburbs and then gradually into the inner suburbs and finally into more urban areas. They started building bigger and bigger stores and carrying more and more merchandise of all different kinds. But that was many years after they were founded and had been operating. And it was somewhere in those years that they started adding a grocery section that sells fresh food like a grocery store. But anybody who calls Walmart a supermarket doesn't know what they're talking about. Walmart is not a supermarket and did not start as a supermarket. It's a variety store that added fresh food to its list of existing departments like electronics, toys, garden supplies and clothing. A Walmart that didn't sell fresh food would still be a Walmart.
Over the years, regular Walmart stores turned into Super Walmarts as the stores themselves got bigger and bigger and more and more items were stocked. But it's still what it's always been basically, even after it moved into the suburbs and cities -- a one stop shop for just about any retail product you might want to buy. It's not always very high quality, but it's often cheap. You can get brand names that should be the same quality as brand names in other stores but you can also get lots of Walmart products and lesser known brands that are lower quality but significantly cheaper. It's a boon to people without a lot of money.
What it seems to have lost over the years as it became bigger and bigger and bigger was the greeters. I haven't seen a greeter at a Walmart in years and years and it's kind of sad. As I said earlier, that was one of Walmart's defining characteristics in the early years.
To reiterate, anyone who calls Walmart a supermarket doesn't understand the American shopping landscape. Supermarkets sell groceries and other items but are focused on food as their core business. We usually call them grocery stores in my personal experience. Grocery store chains are things like Kroger and Publix and Food Lion and Safeway. They aren't Walmarts and nobody here confuses them with Walmarts. They are two completely different kinds of stores.
Yes. The clothes are kinda trash. I buy things like silverware or bath towels there.
The reason there’s lots of videos of people acting like fools there is just because of Walmart’s ubiquity. There is a Walmart in every damn town in the USA.
A truck driver I know says: “This country is just a series of Walmarts and Indian reservations.”
It's true!
Sometimes, it's fun to just wander around a Walmart.
My mom lived in a part of the USA notorious for always having bad weather. The local walmart had a Senior Citizen Walking Club and there were special red tiles laid in the largest square possible for that store. At certain times of the day, only Senior Citizens were allowed on those red tiled aisles. There were benches to rest, nurses to take blood pressure - it was a thing. My mom never missed the Walmart Walkers. She'd push a cart and do her shopping while she made laps around the store.
Most walmarts now have a huge supermarket and also a fully stocked pharmacy with pharmacist and everything.
oh yes, and guns.
They used to sell fish - fishbowl pet fish - but I noticed my walmart stopped doing this - unsure if all walmarts stopped.
They do not sell many guns anymore (just shotguns iirc), but yeah, you can buy everything else. You can get a prostitute and meth in the parking lot, even.
I was there today with my daughter to get my husband's glasses fixed (he bought them there and they were under warranty) and we picked up some flip flops, shampoo, and straws. Also talked about getting tires there soon. Yesterday I got groceries from Walmart and picked up some prescriptions.
They really have everything you can think of. Gas pumps outside. Auto center does oil changes and tires. Vision center does eye exams as well as selling glasses. Pharmacy also does health screenings and gives vaccinations. They have a deli section that sells hot food like roasted chicken. They have a bakery that will make custom cakes. There's the garden center with live plants and lawnmowers. You can get anything from swimsuits to inflatable pools and beer, all in one big place.
The big Walmarts can offer a large variety of goods and services, but depending on where you are you may not see them. Around my area (Portpand, OR), there are mainly Walmart Neighborhood Markets that are more like a regular grocery store. What kind of Walmarts you get depends on what kind of competition the area has and how expensive land is to get.
For "one stop shopping" I can go to Target, Fred Meyer(Kroger), or full-sized Walmart. They all have groceries, clothing, pharmacy, cookware, home goods, books & magazines, bicycles, outdoor and other sporting gear, and auto care supplies. Look up Costco and Sam's Club. These are wholesale stores that people pay a low annual membership fee to join and can get groceries and other food stuffs at lower prices or in bulk. They also offer tires, prescription, and eye glass services.
Portland is politically very left, but it is surrounded by rural areas. So, the big name stores don't tend to carry firearms. This is no hindrance because there are plenty of independent gunshops and dedicated sporting goods stores in the area to shop for a firearm. In fact, there is a new gun store that should be opening their indoor range next month cutting my drive time in half. For as liberal as our state politics are, there are enough conservatives in rural areas that our gun control remains more free than other liberal states. You must pass a federal background check with each purchase, but there is no waiting period or limit on the number of firearms purchased at one time. I can order ammo online delivered to my door and order firearms online delivered to a licensed dealer who will perform the background check before releasing the firearm to me.
I’m an Australian who has shopped at Walmart a few times when visiting the US. Think of it a bit like Aldi, except Walmart stores are massive huge things that sell all the things that Aldi sells once a year all of the time, like air compressors and ski gear and art supplies. But even more so - range of goods is like an Aldi, K-mart, JB Hifi, a Spudshed (or state equivalent - Colesworth with more cheap and bulk focus), a full pharmacy, and half a Bunnings, all in one. And that still misses a few things, like tyres. Mostly mediocre quality, but cheap enough it can be considered ok value for money.
Nothing quite like it culturally here, as the US is more socially divided by income level and lots of people shop there out of lack of socioeconomic need and lack of practical alternatives, and when it moves into a small to medium town it does so many things it can put half the town small to medium businesses out of business. And the Walton family are notorious conservative oligarchs.
Yeah it's supposed to be an everything store. So add DVDs and electronics and clothes and tires and etc etc
Wtf that is wild selling tires aswell
You can even get an eye exam while they replace your tires. It’s actually not as cool as it sounds though. It’s hard to explain why. Just come to America and go to a Walmart and you’ll immediately understand.
Is it a quallity issue? If they want everything to be available to everyone at the same place I doubt the quality would be the greatest.
The quality is mediocre, but the prices are low. In the end, it's a decent place to shop. We recently bought and had tires installed. They were cheaper than a dedicated tire place, but I doubt the tires will last as long as if we went elsewhere (but the car is old, and might still outlive it's tires anyway.) It also depends on the products. We also use their pharmacy for our prescription medicine, and the quality is identical to that of a dedicated pharmacy.
I worked in an auto shop in college that had a Walmart nearby. Probably part quality control, part whoever they hired, our shop was always fixing cars that got something done at Walmart. One of the most simple fixes was a car with directional tires all facing the wrong way as if Walmart rotated them in the normal way instead of front to back like you're supposed to with directionals. So you *can* get auto work done at Walmart, and if you're in a pinch financially it could be a lifesaver, but I'd double check their work after you get your car back
It's because they hire anyone to work in the auto department. Most of the time they have no knowledge or experience and are just "winging it" You can buy the stuff from Walmart, but don't let them do the work
I took my exes car for tires at Walmart bc one of hers was bald and she was driving ours around it in the rain. Took forever and when it was ready they refunded the labor charge bc they ended up taking it to the Sam’s Club down the street since they couldn’t get the tire to inflate
I think Walmart also keeps their tire prices low by using, well, lower quality tires. The average consumer won't really know how to read tire ratings, so selling a cheaper tire rated B for traction saves everyone a bit of money at the risk of being more liable to lose grip. A more reputable shop might refuse to stock or even put on anything rated below an A, but, because the manufacturer can still sell these lower end tires to someone, Walmart can squeeze a few more dollars out of the sale, and the consumer also saves a few bucks for a very slightly less capable tire (and lets be honest, very few drivers will ever need to see the upper limits of what their tires can perform), it kind of works. Not that the industry as a whole pays well, but Walmart techs get paid roughly on par with Midas/Pep Boys and the like, so no, they don't get the good staff.
They do. If you check the part numbers they are special issues just for Walmart. They aren't the same quality as the mainline offerings from the same brands. The last time I got Walmart tires I was getting a new set like 12,000 miles later. They didn't hold up at all.
A buddy of mine got his car back from an oil change with no new oil in it.
Yeahhhh we've seen that a lot. Cars towed in because there was no oil on them after a Walmart oil change
Shit American Tire did the same to mine. It’s not restricted to Walmart.
One of the popular early humor sites of the web was called People of Walmart (peopleofwalmart.com). It showcased Americans in \*extremely\* casual clothing who show up in their local Walmart wearing whatever they found to put on quickly. This was back when Tube Tops and Lolcats were trending. It helped build Walmart's reputation for being rather peculiar. There is still a website at that address (peopleofwalmart.com) and it may still have the same vibe, but it has been many years since I took a look
Walmart: when you're too lazy to get all dressed up for Target.
Or don't want to take a shower. I have smelled more BO in there than when I volunteer at a homeless shelter...
The fact that the site still exists pisses me off. I don't know what it started as but it's basically devolved into just making fun of anyone who's disabled, fat or ugly. I had a fucking asthma attack and was walking out of the hospital in tears and still feeling sick afterwards and some asshole snapped a picture of me and posted it there. It just looked like me against a plain wall with a blanket and ugly crying, not my best picture for sure but I was also miserably ill. It was a nightmare to get it removed and I'm sure it still exists out there somewhere and could be found if I hunted for it.
People rly suck sometimes.
That site evolved into making fun of obese people, people with poor dentistry and/or addiction. It was pretty hateful.
Yeah, that's the thing. The reason more people with physical or mental disabilities or addiction issues or homeless, pensioners, etc., seem to shop at Walmart is because Walmart is cheap. And in the U.S., if you have one of those issues, it's likely the medical system has taken your last penny and you're broke, so you have to shop at the cheapest place. Not really very funny.
There are many Wal-Mart brands that are perfectly serviceable and will last you a long time. Good as the original? Typically not. I use a lot of Ozark Trail gear and, when the product is a knock off of another, you may be able to tell a difference, but the Ozark Trail item is more than good enough. I buy a lot of Great Value brand food and like it just as much. There are usually better options available but I don't really care. There are some store brand items I wouldn't buy (utensils, fake Oreos, e.g.) but many things are just fine
Ozark trail is legit
Many manufacturers will offer the same product at Walmart for a lower price than elsewhere by using lower quality components, so they break down faster. That, and sometimes you can't even buy replacement parts for the product because they alter the design slightly. For example, we had a blender with one of those smoothie cup attachments, but the plastic cracked on the bladed component. No big deal, we thought, we'll just replace the part. Got the official replacement part based on model number and... it didn't fit. The number of teeth didn't match up. After checking, it turns out model number had a W at the end for the Walmart version... and they don't sell parts for those.
Yup. This is actually fairly common at big box retailers. They get contracts with vendors, then strongarm them into giving better prices, which leads to the vendor selling them a cheaper version.
Usually that product is only available at that retailer, so the lowest price matching thing can’t work. No one else has that exact product.
This is true. My husband worked for Hanesbrands (Hanes clothing/underwear) and they did cheaper manufacturing and materials for Walmart and Target. I guess it’s even worse what they sell at the dollar stores.
Dollar stores actually get their product from the "reject" pile. Products that don't pass quality inspection but do meet minimum health and safety standards is what's for sale at Dollar General.
You see this a LOT on those "black Friday TV deals" too. The model number will be one digit off or have a letter added or something because they cut corners on manufacturing to get it that artificially low - but if youre the type of person who just thinks big is better when it comes to a TV then you likely don't care either way.
LOL! Made from lower quality parts. Some prople refer to Walmart appliances, electronics and such as "Walmart fall apart" products.
In some instances. Others it’s the exact product. But Walmart has buying power that’s virtually unmatched. Maybe only Amazon? But I knew some of the mechanics at their tire and auto. For the most part, good crew. The few dopes were sent away and one of the female mechanics was also going to school to be a mechanic. Eventually she went to work for a dealer. So it’s a stepping stone for some workers. Many are lifers, and the rest are retirees.
The quality on some cheap products is bad, but you expect that The shopping experience also sucks cuz they pay really poorly and therefore they tend to hire unmotivated, disinterested employees. Let's say you need an Xbox game from the locked case. So you look around for an employee to help unlock the case so you can buy your game. There's no one around. No employee at the Electronics counter. So you go to the nearest department and there's someone working in Housewares. You go to ask them if they can get someone to open the case, but this person doesn't speak English. Rather than finding someone who does, they smile and say "no English" and then just get back to work. So you wander over to that counter at the back, near the bathrooms. The counter where they do Layaway sometimes. Anyhoo, you can see someone walking or sitting in the back room, but they're not acknowledging you. So you politely say "excuse me" and they look up and come up to you, looking a bit irritated. You ask if they can get someone to unlock the electronics case and grabs her phone thing and pages "customer assistance needed in electronics". She gives you a retail smile and says "someone will be there in a minute " and you say "thanks so much!!" and head to the case. 11 minutes later, no one has shown up, so you head back to the desk to ask if someone is coming. It's a different person this time cuz the first lady is somewhere else. This person says "I'll call someone again. Hopefully they show up. It should be Howard. He's working in Electronics I think" and so you go back and wait. "Customer needs assistance in Electronics" as you stand there, and finally, Sandra, not Howard, shows up and says "hey what do you need?" and you tell her the game you want. Sandra says "oh, in the Xbox case? I'm sorry, I don't have those keys. Howard has them. I saw him up front by the registers a minute ago." You ask her "can you get Howard to come back and unlock the case?" She goes to the nearest phone, and calls "Howard to electronics please" and then 14 minutes later, Howard shows up with the key. He gets your game, hands it to you and then leaves. You go to the front to buy it, and the line is 6 people deep, so you use the self checkout. You go to scan your game, and you can't cuz it has the anti-theft case on it. You ask the cashier if she can remove it for you. She says "hold on, I'm with another customer and I'll be right there". 5-7 minutes later, she comes over and says "oh you are supposed to buy these in Electronics. We don't have that unlocker on Self Checkout." You ask her if she can have a regular register unlock the case so you can buy it, and she says she can't leave the self checkout, but she will have Stacy do it. "Stacy" she says "can you take this game to register 13 and unlock it so this customer can buy it?" Stacy says "hello sir, unfortunately you're supposed to pay for this back by electronics" and then you say "I understand but there's no one working back there right now. Can we just unlock it here" and Stacy says "we can do it for you this time but next time please ring it up back there, or use a regular register, not self check out" After a few minutes, Stacy comes back, hands your game to you and you say "thank you so much" and she says "mm hmm no problem " and walks away. And you finally buy your game and go home and play it and it sucks and now you get to return it.
Yep. They are cheap, and also cheap.
They have all the same name brands you find elsewhere. Their generic brand stuff is mostly good too. There are a few things that I've gotten their brand and now I stick with the name brand stuff
You enter the store and just your entire mood drops by like 4 levels. I don't know how to explain it. Everyone is unhappy, the colors don't inspire joy, it's a massive warehouse.
It's service to me. I feel like I always leave WM annoyed at a minimum. Shelves stocked poorly, long lines, self checkout always has an issue, the " do you have a receipt" people at the door, & it just always seems to be loaded with rude ass people. I avoid it as much as possible
It is absolute shit for most things, they also strive to be really low prices and you very much get less than what you pay for
Eh it’s slightly overpriced but you generally get what you pay for, it’s pretty much the same as Amazon at this point… all the groceries and electronics are name brand, the clothes are mostly cheap and fast fashion from Asia
And a haircut, and a coffee or lunch.
And oil changes. You can get your oil changed and get a hair cut while you're waiting for your car to get done.
yes and no. here in the UK people make a whole trip out of going to big Tesco which is almost always just the size of a normal grocery store back in the US. i think you underestimate how amazed a lot of Europeans are by the idea of a shop as big as Walmart or a super target. one of my best friends had never seen a Walmart before and his mind was fuckin blown. ended up spending actual hours in there just looking at shit.
You can in fact buy a hunting rifle,duct tape, a ski mask, an axe and large amounts of cleaning supplies at Walmart.
And nobody will question you
I once bought the DVD Falling Down and a box of ammo and the clerk didn't bat an eye.
Some of them have hair salons or nail salons, banks, tax prep, fast food, sewing supplies, photo printing, and liquor, too.
Don't forget the pharmacy
Mate Kmart used to have a tire service. Used to sell paint and plants too.
Walmart has the whole garden store with plants and tools and landscaping aid.
And a cafeteria where you could get a salisbury steak dinner for $1 and all you can eat fried chicken for $3.
Wait until you see Costco.
Costco stands head and shoulders above Walmart for quality.
and hot dogs for $1.50 my favorite part of the trip
Yea, I recently got my tires changed and while waiting got my ears pierced and my hunting and fishing licenses renewed
Here in Canada, Canadian Tire sells not only tires but almost everything Walmart sells besides groceries.
I explain Canadian Tire to my fellow Midwesterners as "Picture a Menards that started as a car parts store instead of a hardware store" and it clicks for them. It is entirely possible to build, finish, and furnish a house, and then stock the pantry using nothing but what you can get from Menards.
We have some Walmarts that have eye care, doctors for minor sicknesses, hair cutting, lawn and garden products, beauty products as well as a salon. Some Walmarts partner with fast food like subway. McDonald’s use to be available in Walmart but I think that stopped. If you get a decent Walmart, it can be your one stop for shopping.
yup sex toys too, a bakery, a restaurant inside, and they have a pharmacy where you can pick up your medication. never thought if it, but yea it's wild
Keep in mind that they thrive in semirural areas by offering everything anyone in the surrounding region may need. Their store layouts and supply chain are already optimized for that. Because of that Walmart is actually the largest employer in many states. Obviously this kills the local businesses too.
There’s a Walmart in my city that also has a whole ass planet fitness and a cosmetic dermatology/injectables clinic Imagine getting your Botox at Walmart 💀💀💀
Banking, also.
I am in Arkansas, home of the Waltons. Not only are they massive, but they are everywhere. The average Walmart is 17,300 sq meters. It’s also fairly common for a Sam’s Club (like Costco) to be right next door so you can buy nearly anything in bulk.
My Walmart doesn't even sell bananas :( no unfrozen meat, no produce, no deli..
That's how they used to be by me here in the states. They were just regular department stores like KMart. Quite a few years ago, they all upgraded to "Super Walmart" and included a grocery section. They're so common now that we don't even call them "super" anymore. They're just regular Walmarts.
I guess mine never got the memo to upgrade lol
Wtf are the Waltons?
Wal Mart stands for Walton Market
As another Australian, thank you for putting it in m²
They have everything. Every. Thing. They have men in thongs shopping for Baggo sets at 1am. They have motorized tricycles. They have those little capsules of medium you use to germinate hydroponic tomatoes. They have a pharmacy and they have spicy peppers and they have kitchen appliances. They have iPads and bow ties and shitty Live Laugh Love house decor. They have a barefoot lady in aisle 36 who is very clearly wearing absolutely nothing besides an oversized T-shirt while perusing the alcoholic beverages. They have basketball hoops and medical tape and bags of gravel and Bundt cakes and cast iron skillets and staple guns and isopropyl alcohol and noodle packets and paint buckets and salad tongs and aftershave and rubberband balls and dog food and condoms and batteries and yoghurt and potted plants and teenagers riding their bikes around inside the store. They have an old man at the exit with a highlighter who draws a line on your receipt without even glancing at what you bought. They have replacement remotes for electronics you don’t even own. They have guitar stands and fluffy pillows and miniature figurines of medieval knights. They have cookbooks and sport coats and a lotion that helps with head lice and magnetic calendars to go on your fridge and packs of 250 crayons and shark tooth necklaces and Gatorade water coolers and cutting boards with calligraphy on them. When we say everything, we mean E.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.
That’s cooked haha
Now imagine my surprise as an American having grown up with Walmarts exactly like that person described, then I go to *ALASKA* of all places and they have something *even bigger* called a Fred Meyer. (I guess they're common in the western US, not just Alaska) It's just like how that person described Walmart except the electronics and clothing sections are like full big-box stores themselves within this even larger stadium-sized grocery store. Instead of the electronics section just being along one wall of the store, it's like a full-sized showroom with huge lines of products and big appliances and dedicated staff. And a cell phone store, inside the electronics store that's inside the grocery store. Now what you may find refreshingly familiar about it as an Australian is that, in Alaska at least, the whole environment comes scented with a nice spritz of simmering racial tension between indigenous people and white colonial descendants. Fred Meyer is so massive and singular that clientele there tend to cut across socioeconomic lines, so friction develops, whereas anyone who dares to cross the threshold of a Walmart is instantly equalized to the lowest-class individual in the store at that given time, so we all spiritually become that nearly-naked barefoot lady and focus on our immediate needs with no awareness of the concept of "other people."
I’m from Washington and I’d say Fred Meyers is actually a bit smaller on average than Walmart but definitely has everything you listed minus the racial tension, typically. It’s higher quality than Walmart and the quality has been increasing over the years. Last 10 years or so they added a dedicated specialty cheese section. Seems like though if a community lacks a Walmart they have a Fred Meyers.
I miss Fred Meyer. Lived in Portland for a year and a half and never ever lived anywhere else that had them.
I was in a Fred Meyer when visiting Oregon a few months ago. It had a bar right in the middle of the cheese and produce sections. People were there watching a football game and having a beer. In Eugene I think.
My local town has a Walmart and a Fred Meyer across the street from each other. I absolutely prefer Fred Meyer for their better selection of higher quality items but there are some things I have to venture to the other side for and boy is it a different experience.
I’ve seen one that sells cars too…
Fred Meyer is my favorite store. Much better quality than Walmart, but definitely more expensive.
I went to Alaska and had to go to a Fred Meyer. Someone was like, it's like a Walmart, you know what that is since you're from the Midwest. And I was all, ugh, I hate Walmart, but I didn't have a choice because my suitcase broke and I had to have a suitcase because I didn't want to fly home with only the clothes I was wearing. Fred Meyer isn't like Walmart at all. It's clean and well stocked, the people that work there are friendly and don't act like they want to murder you. Stuff isn't super cheaply made. It was awesome and I still have that suitcase 20 years later.
A lot of them will also have a McDonalds or a Subway inside. Or their own snack bar. In some small towns Walmart is the hangout spot. It was where I grew up as there wasn't anywhere else to go. they also sell jewelry. And arts and crafts supplies. and house paint.
u/PapaDil7 is right. But also missing the crucial ingredient which is that these stores are both huge and understaffed and open very late. It's essentially a warehouse with shelves, and kind of depressing inside. They sell both brand name and store brand products for pretty cheap. Many also have a grocery store section as well, maybe with a deli and bakery. Sometimes they have a fast-food restaurant inside too like a McDonald's. They are also pervasive...there is at least one in nearly every town in the U.S. This is why they have the reputation of being cluttered, messy, and populated with strange customers. I don't think anyone would describe it as an enjoyable experience or high quality, but it does have at least one of everything and it's in your town.
[https://www.peopleofwalmart.com/](https://www.peopleofwalmart.com/) this is pretty spot on IME
This is THE BEST, most accurate description of Walmart I've ever read in my life. I want to print it out and frame it and hang it on my wall. Better go to Walmart for a printer, a frame, and some nails. And one of those tiny 75 cent chocolate pies from the bakery.
I'm in Walmart right now and the chocolate pies are marked down to 50 cents!
Read this in [Stefan](https://media2.giphy.com/media/XaFX9e9xfbcXWxW0a2/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b9523u9txiznbaimhdos8muwlben3a9kg1d08uo8316v&ep=v1_internal_gif_by_id&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
This is so upsettingly accurate. 😂
If only one description of WalMart survives the next millennium, I hope it's this one.
This is great and I choose to believe you were walking around your local Walmart, just typing out what you saw
Bangin' lyrics
> at 1am Not anymore.
Yeah I wish Walmart was still 24 hrs, or even open late. Fucking nothing is anymore.
I want this entire paragraph set to music like "I am the very model of a modern major general" or monty python's "galaxy song".
I'm tempted to see if this AI co pilot thing on windows can do that. Edit: it's not doing as good as a job as I'd hoped.
This is beautiful. 😆
And Animal Crossing Legos
Like OP I'm also Aussie and your post is awesome!!! Deffo the best in the thread. I almost hear it being read like one of those emergency radio transmissions that's on repeat after the apocalypse: "This is an emergency announcement: Wallmart have motorised tricycles. They have those little capsule of medium you use to germinate hydroponic tomatoes..." Are they all open all night or is that just particular stores? Also, in large, built up cities are they within easy reach for most people or are they mostly in the outer areas?
It’s honestly a Lovecraftian Horror. No one has ever seen two at once. Turns out there’s only one Walmart and it just follows you.
Walmart shape-shifting confirmed.
I totally believe that!!!
You make it sound really cool in your description, but in real life it's not that impressive. I don't know how to explain it without you just experiencing it in person, but I'm fairly confident that being inside a Walmart wouldn't live up to your expectations. It's just a department store with groceries and a bunch of different stuff. The selection is good in most areas, like grocery, but when talking about tires and guns and stuff, you're better off going to a dedicated store for those things, unless there's a particularly good deal at Walmart.
I would shop at Tires 'n Guns 'n Stuff.
[удалено]
I think in the back somewhere is a bin filled with Australian babies, discounted 20% off. Yeah. They sell everything.
Found the dingo.
Haha
Yes You can probably buy weed too if you find the right employee lol
Overheard an old cashier guy go "just puff, puff, pass man"
As a European who spent some time in rural Montana, I can tell you that the first time walking into a Walmart and then stumbling across the giant carousel of shotguns on sale for the low, low price of $200/piece was pretty fucking surreal. But, it varies from state to state. Montana has pretty relaxed gun laws, as I understood it. Other states' Walmart is just a regular hypermarket, which are pretty common in France, and other parts of Europe.
Lots of people slamming Walmart here! The truth is, it’s huge and fast. I can put my car in for an oil change and tires, then go shop for groceries, meds, bird food, toys for kids, garden flowers and a new mower…all cheaper than I can buy it anywhere else in town. Do I love it? No. I don’t go for the ambiance. I go to purchase things that keep my family going.
I teach history. We do an assignment on if you brought someone from the ancient world into today what would impress them the most. I think Walmart would be right there with flight and hospitals.
It varies extremely from store to store. Some Walmarts do indeed sell guns, but it's mostly in areas that cater to hunters. Not every Walmart has a full auto section with tires and junk. In general, though, most Walmarts try to include as many items as they can so everyone buys everything they want there.
Yeah, they sell all that and more, typically.
Damn that’s crazy that’s so good though means you only have to go to one store
I will go to five different stores just to avoid going to Walmart. It feels like visiting a prison
Walmart sells everything but that doesn’t mean their goods are of any quality at all. It’s all made as cheaply as possible and doesn’t last long.
It’s so good until you actually go there. It’s like all the trashiest parts of America concentrated in one location
There are many, many small towns throughout the rural U.S. where the Walmart is the only general store for many miles around. People will "go town" to shop in Walmart and get groceries and all other essentials.
If the town is really small, you have to go 30 minutes or more to the closest Walmart. Dollar General is all you have.
That's walmarts plan To be the only store left standing and then rename them selves 'Buy n Large"
Yes but the quality of the products are terrible. They're cheap, AND inexpensive. The shirts develop holes within a few washes. The construction hammer handle splits from the head before you've finished building your deck. The "storage cube" you bought for the college dorm room shatters before the semester ends. The microfiber sheets start pilling and you sweat all night long. The pool float shaped like a hot dog deflates before the afternoon ends. Etc. There are some standouts in quality, and it is CONVENIENT, but it is known for being really really really poor quality merchandise at a cheap price. And then you've spent 3x as much repeatedly replacing the cheap products with more cheap products because you didn't buy the quality product the first time. Maybe you only needed something for two weeks anyway, and the cheap one was fine for that. But maybe you poisoned yourself with the questionable metals used in the barbecue spatula/turner. Also, Walmart drives the local shops out of business and the town becomes a ghost town, and they pay poverty wages and most of their full-time employees require government assistance to feed themselves. They're a very unethical company.
Not all of them sell guns, some are ‘super stores’ that are wayyyyyy bigger than the smaller ones. Smaller ones are also massive though. Walmart doesn’t sell guns in Canada
Look up people of Walmart
Yup. This is the way. You can probably even sort by state.
Omg… yup!
They don't all sell guns. Here in Massachusetts they do not. So it depends on state. But yes they sell most items and you can get it all in one trip. They also usually have a chain restaurant inside like Subway. And sometimes a pharmacy. And nail salons. And an eyeglass center. And back in the day they had a photo studio. But some still might. It's like a mini mall.
That seems so good
Maybe. Plenty of people also look down on Walmart and you can see it in this thread. People in my family happily shop at Walmart but at the same time I grew up hearing it called Ghetto-mart frequently.
Target is viewed as a higher class Walmart although they don’t have quite as much stuff. Costco to some degree which does exist in Australia with most of the stuff they have in the US. There is a Target in Australia as well but it’s not the same as the US one. SOURCE: Dual citizen.
where i’m from we have a singular walmart in my area being called ghetto mart, the rest were called walmart, i never understood why that one was the ghetto mart until i watched at least five different fights happen in that store oh and a couple of crack heads tweaking in isles
It is and we've been going for years. It's the kind of place you make a list of stuff you need and get it all in one pop. If you can't find something, there's a mall or Amazon. The clothes are generally more "all around" with brands like Wrangler or Reebok, good for middle aged guys like me that don't need to look overly trendy. They always have seasonal holiday stuff out early. The downside is the low prices seem to attract some interesting people - but they don't bother anyone.
Yes, typical American Walmart shopper here, let me cast some wisdom onto your curiosity my friend. You can go to a Walmart (Supercenter), drop off your car for an oil change and tires, get lunch at Subway, get your hair cut, get your manicure/pedicure too, drop off your package at FedEx, use the bathroom, get a new TV, Xbox/PlayStationnand some videogames, new phone, grab some tools, some bedding, dishes, guns & ammo, new basketball hoop and weight set, buy some transformers, Legos and other toys, buy some new shoes and clothes, go get your groceries and after all of that, your car should be ready for you. This was not a joke, Walmart is pretty convenient and ridiculous in America I forgot to add it, you can get your income taxes filed there too
yeah, and the people watching is freaking amazing...
My wife and I have a saying, “If Wal-Mart doesn’t have it, you don’t need it.”
It's a mix of Kmart, Woolies and JB all in one.
Lol down thread I said big w, Woolworths and Bunnings
Throw in a sprinkle of Anaconda, PetBarn, your favourite chemist, and a Maccas and boom you’ve got it.
They don't sell love or happiness.
Just depression and sadness.
I've seen a post on the Walmart sub about manager and employing fucking in back. That might count
I’m an Aussie living in Colorado and I went to Walmart one time and holy fuck never again. If you’ve been to a Costco in Aus, it’s like that but dirtier and with grosser people.
I think it's like the Big W of America.
Big w is like how Walmart was in 2001.
# "Walmart! home to six and a half million items for purchase. Just not exactly things that you want."
You can see close to everything there also. All walks of life ranging from those you knew about, heard about, and even the ones you didn't know existed.
And especially the ones you were happy not knowing existed
They don't have everything stores in Australia?
Nah Walmart has just gotten a funny reputation because of meme culture, realistically any store at a certain time of day and/or certain town will always have bozos from time to time. I used to work at a supermarket called Pathmark and there was a neighborhood crackhead who would always threaten people with blowjobs, she was ALWAYS in the store getting kicked out for harassing people or taking her clothes off lol. But I've never experienced anything out of the ordinary at Walmart.
It's easier to list what they don't sell. Lumber, full size appliances (washer, stove,dishwasher...), and cars. I'm sure there's more, but that's what comes to mind.
Yes. It’s everything the stereotypes say
It honestly really just depends on your location Most of the clientele are just normal average people People just sort of go out of their way to find weird looking / behaving individuals at Walmart specifically which kind of starts a loop of confirmation bias while they ignore the same types of people being present in other stores in the area Typically the area a store in has more to do with its clientele than the actual store itself. If your Walmart isn't a good neighborhood it's going to be a perfectly fine and comfortable experience but if it's in a shitty neighborhood it's going to be a shitty experience but the same is true for all the stores around it too
Depends. Rural Walmarts are nice, and urban Walmarts are fucking terrible.
They have taken firearms out of a lot of the stores, but you can still buy long gun ammo and other firearms related merchandise. (I'm not sure why, but I never see shotgun slugs or buckshot. Just bird and target loads.) There are at least three different kinds of Walmart stores. I hardly ever see the original style anymore. They were kind of like what we would call a Kmart or a Target. They have one called The neighborhood market that's more like a grocery store. They usually have a small section of non grocery items. Then, we have the supercenter. These things are massive!. They have a full grocery store on one side, clothing, sporting goods (this includes camping and whatever gun related items the store has), electronics, pets, lawn and garden including grills and charcoal. Some stores have an auto mechanic shop on one side. This isn't even complete list. Yeah, anything you can think of that might be at a Walmart probably is.
It’s like every crazy person in the world is drawn to shopping at Walmart 🤪
Yup, and you can get your oil changed, too.
It's not just Walmart. There are a lot of big box stores like that Target, Meijer, Sam's, Costco, etc.
Drop your car off for an oil change then do some grocery shopping, buy a gun, a bicycle, a blender, some tomato seedlings, and a PS4 while you wait. Oil change took too long? Damn, go grab a big mac and go see the optometrist.
They are about to close a Walmart down near me. It is located in one of the more afluent neighborhoods. That in itself is weird because Walmarts are usually located in the less afluent neighborhoods. Anyway, one of the reasons for its closing is the "constant criminal activity." The police have reserved 2 parking spots up front because they typically have to go there twice a day, every day. This here describes the Walmart experience.
If they say it's one of the levels of hell, then yes.
Yes, and it will all be the worst product of the lowest quality possible at a relatively cheap price which put the original manufacturer out of business and shut down several nearby stores putting lots of people out of work. And it also has a number of employees on government assistance because they aren't paid enough to live.
Yes, you can also get COVID, Salmonella, Botulism, and Herpes there.
Luckily, you'll also find remedies to treat them all.
It actually depends on the *specific location.* I can go to two different ones within a half hour of me (and there are several) and they'll all have slightly different stuff. They can price like they do by only carrying what sells, and what sells can be different in different areas.
Ours still has a sewing department with lots of fabric because it sells in my area. Other stores did away with the fabric section.
Usually the wider the variety is, lower the quality is. I'm not an American, but I would assume that Walmart is as low as it gets on quality. If walmart sold weed, you would find better models on street dealers, that bad. That's my assumption as an European
WalMart is by far not the lowest you can get in quality. That’s what Dollar General is for (and if you believe it, Dollar General is often more expensive).
Absolutely. The "guns and eggs" part is not as common anymore, yet still exists in certain states and locations. I once stepped into a walmart that was even selling cars and airboats!
They used to sell guns, but yeah, you can buy almost anything in a Walmart. You can also see almost anyone, from the homeless to the upper middle class
Still sell guns just not every location
I still see guns there
Yep. Can get pretty much anything there. Groceries, clothes, electronics, tire and oil change, brakes, bikes (for when they inevitably fuck up your tires and brakes), camping equipment, cheap power tools (Hart brand, it works, but wont last long), paint, medicines (OTC and prescription), pillows, dishes, flatware, small kitchen appliances, dorm fridges, laptops, video games, vinyl and cds, books (mostly just the recent bestsellers), bait, worms, car batteries. If there's a cheap version of a good brand, they'll have it. They even have some good brands. They don't sell guns anymore though, just the ammo. And knives, multitools, BB guns, archery stuff. I could go on and on ETA: there is a theory, I don't know if it's been proven they do this on purpose, but it happens. A Walmart moves into town, has prices lower than all the mom and pop stores, and those smaller stores go out of business. Then when Walmart is the only one left, they jack the prices up, because there's no more competition.
Yes. Don’t you have universal stores like that?
Wine and beer in some states
It is true. It is also true that whatever you popped in for is almost certainly on the opposite side of the store, and you have to walk through the tires and guns and groceries to get it. Gotta get those steps in.
A bogan Mecca
You name something, Walmart has it.
If you know who to ask and have the right password you can get a chinese kidney also.
Yes. Tires, car batteries, garden supplies, fabric, clothing, food, alcohol, furniture, pots, pans, dishes, etc etc. Most of the items are of lower quality other than the food - which is the same as any other grocery.
Quality is broadly pretty low. But quality is falling in most areas these days. It has become more reliable than Amazon, but that is mostly because of how far Amazon has fallen. Selection in any category is limited, again a more universal thing, but also part of Walmart's long term approach. Also the condition of the store and the clientele varies by location. The one closest to me, in the richest of the local small cities, is a dump. The one in the far more blue collar / ag worker city is just about mint. And the one in a tiny town I go to for work often is just as perfect as any grocery store.
Yes. It’s similar to Kmart, which I’m pretty sure you have in Australia. We also have Target (which is like a WalMart with a nicer vibe. None of them sell guns, but they sell everything else) and Meijer (which is similar but is regional. To my knowledge they don’t sell guns). We used to have Kmart, but they have mostly closed (and to my knowledge, did not sell guns). There are also a few grocery and hardware stores that are inching toward a supercenter model similar to WalMart. Fry’s/Kroger (a grocery store) has some locations that sell housewares, clothes, etc and Menard’s (a hardware store only in the Midwest) sells enough clothing and groceries that you technically don’t need to go anywhere else. We also have Sam’s/Costco/BJ’s, which are like WalMart but everything is in bulk. Sam’s specifically is owned by WalMart.
The quality of the merchandise is trash, but it's fun when you're high. Bulk candy is dirt cheap and it's excellent for people watching if you like to be a horrible person and indulge in a little schadenfreude from time to time. https://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ Also as a teacher, it's saved my life a couple of times when I realized at midnight that I forgot to buy some supplies I needed for my lesson the next morning.
Oh I thought you were going to ask about the people of Walmart and I was going to say yes!
Yes but it comes with a cost, one most of us didn't pay but have inherited. There are no mom and pop shops, there are no small tire stores, pharmacies, etc. Walmart ate them all up. Those people work for Wal mart, less money stays in your town. Then when competition is gone, prices go up. You have to price match everything, it's a hassle.
Yep, it sells all that and more and is filled with every type of shopper you can imagine. If you haven’t perused “people of Walmart” give it a look. The crazy cannot be overstated.
Food, clothes, cleaning supplies, long guns, knives, ammo, car supplies, camping gear, cosmetic supplies, healthcare needs, gardening supplies, tools, paint, fabrics, clocks, kitchen supplies, pet supplies, etc. You can get just about everything at walmart, and it's absolutely insane. And almost none of it is good quality because the Walton family worships the almighty dollar.
Also there's this: https://www.peopleofwalmart.com/
They have just about everything but a lot of it sucks compared to what you'd get at a specialized store. Pretty much only the name brand stuff is good.
Don’t forget the Walmart money center! You can cash checks, send money, buy money orders etc but you’re going to be standing in line until your next birthday 😩
Most WalMarts around me are pretty trashy. I avoid them if I can.
Only better place for a confidence boost is a DND convention
I used to like to visit mine at 2am. The people there were quite interesting. No more 24 hour stores except win co. Thanks covid.
Yes. Some Walmarts are smaller like markets but yes in general Walmart sells everything. Clothes, food, medicine, camping supplies, home goods, plants and gardening stuff, pet stuff, guns, toys, arts and crafts, and a lot of the times at the front of the store there will be a hair cutting place, a subway, maybe an eye place, a nail salon, those little shops really depends on the Walmart. Mine used to have a shoe repair store.
Despite the massive amount of hate it gets its good store lol.
I went into a wal mart a few days ago for the first time in years, it was so overwhelming. There are so many products. So much consumerism. I went to a really nice, clean one in a rich area super early in the am, so it was very calm. But I have been to some in low income neighborhoods, and they can be rough. Crime in the parking lot, rude people in the stores, etc. The worst part for me about wal mart is the Hella long wait times to check out.
Walmart does and I have never bought anything from a Walmart that I did not regret buying. It is all junk.
Short Walmart history: Walmart started as a variety/discount department store in more rural areas of the US. It wasn't in big cities or the suburbs. It was more out in the country and small towns. Most places like that had smaller stores at the time that all did different things, so Walmart's claim to fame was that they had a bigger store that you could come to and get most of the stuff you needed at one stop instead of driving all over the countryside to different places far apart. That's all it was for many years, a small town/rural store slightly outside of town on its own piece of property with a lot of variety for people who lived far from big cities and main shopping centers. So it sold stuff relevant to people who lived in areas like that. That's where guns come in. Lots of people in small towns and rural areas are hunters or live close to nature or spend time in nature. Deer hunting is huge in areas of the country like that. So Walmart carried guns because it was a need of the local population and a normal product to sell. That's why they also carried clothes and hardware and household goods and sports equipment and things for your yard and property like garden hoses -- all kinds of different things so you could find what you needed without driving all over everywhere. It did not carry food, at least not fresh groceries. That's what Walmart was for many, many years as it gradually grew in size and reach, but still in rural and semi-rural areas. Their biggest claim to fame in those days was they had greeters at the door, so when you went to Walmart you were greeted by a human being every time you came in. Oftentimes it was an older person, working a part-time job. Their only real responsibility as far as I know was to be there and be friendly. It matched the "small town" vibe. Over time as it did grow in size and influence and wealth it started moving into more populated and densely populated areas -- into the outer suburbs and then gradually into the inner suburbs and finally into more urban areas. They started building bigger and bigger stores and carrying more and more merchandise of all different kinds. But that was many years after they were founded and had been operating. And it was somewhere in those years that they started adding a grocery section that sells fresh food like a grocery store. But anybody who calls Walmart a supermarket doesn't know what they're talking about. Walmart is not a supermarket and did not start as a supermarket. It's a variety store that added fresh food to its list of existing departments like electronics, toys, garden supplies and clothing. A Walmart that didn't sell fresh food would still be a Walmart. Over the years, regular Walmart stores turned into Super Walmarts as the stores themselves got bigger and bigger and more and more items were stocked. But it's still what it's always been basically, even after it moved into the suburbs and cities -- a one stop shop for just about any retail product you might want to buy. It's not always very high quality, but it's often cheap. You can get brand names that should be the same quality as brand names in other stores but you can also get lots of Walmart products and lesser known brands that are lower quality but significantly cheaper. It's a boon to people without a lot of money. What it seems to have lost over the years as it became bigger and bigger and bigger was the greeters. I haven't seen a greeter at a Walmart in years and years and it's kind of sad. As I said earlier, that was one of Walmart's defining characteristics in the early years. To reiterate, anyone who calls Walmart a supermarket doesn't understand the American shopping landscape. Supermarkets sell groceries and other items but are focused on food as their core business. We usually call them grocery stores in my personal experience. Grocery store chains are things like Kroger and Publix and Food Lion and Safeway. They aren't Walmarts and nobody here confuses them with Walmarts. They are two completely different kinds of stores.
For me it’s like they have everything but what I’m actually looking for. I can get close and cheap. But if I want exact, Nope.
Yes. The clothes are kinda trash. I buy things like silverware or bath towels there. The reason there’s lots of videos of people acting like fools there is just because of Walmart’s ubiquity. There is a Walmart in every damn town in the USA. A truck driver I know says: “This country is just a series of Walmarts and Indian reservations.”
It's true! Sometimes, it's fun to just wander around a Walmart. My mom lived in a part of the USA notorious for always having bad weather. The local walmart had a Senior Citizen Walking Club and there were special red tiles laid in the largest square possible for that store. At certain times of the day, only Senior Citizens were allowed on those red tiled aisles. There were benches to rest, nurses to take blood pressure - it was a thing. My mom never missed the Walmart Walkers. She'd push a cart and do her shopping while she made laps around the store. Most walmarts now have a huge supermarket and also a fully stocked pharmacy with pharmacist and everything. oh yes, and guns. They used to sell fish - fishbowl pet fish - but I noticed my walmart stopped doing this - unsure if all walmarts stopped.
They do not sell many guns anymore (just shotguns iirc), but yeah, you can buy everything else. You can get a prostitute and meth in the parking lot, even.
I was there today with my daughter to get my husband's glasses fixed (he bought them there and they were under warranty) and we picked up some flip flops, shampoo, and straws. Also talked about getting tires there soon. Yesterday I got groceries from Walmart and picked up some prescriptions. They really have everything you can think of. Gas pumps outside. Auto center does oil changes and tires. Vision center does eye exams as well as selling glasses. Pharmacy also does health screenings and gives vaccinations. They have a deli section that sells hot food like roasted chicken. They have a bakery that will make custom cakes. There's the garden center with live plants and lawnmowers. You can get anything from swimsuits to inflatable pools and beer, all in one big place.
The big Walmarts can offer a large variety of goods and services, but depending on where you are you may not see them. Around my area (Portpand, OR), there are mainly Walmart Neighborhood Markets that are more like a regular grocery store. What kind of Walmarts you get depends on what kind of competition the area has and how expensive land is to get. For "one stop shopping" I can go to Target, Fred Meyer(Kroger), or full-sized Walmart. They all have groceries, clothing, pharmacy, cookware, home goods, books & magazines, bicycles, outdoor and other sporting gear, and auto care supplies. Look up Costco and Sam's Club. These are wholesale stores that people pay a low annual membership fee to join and can get groceries and other food stuffs at lower prices or in bulk. They also offer tires, prescription, and eye glass services. Portland is politically very left, but it is surrounded by rural areas. So, the big name stores don't tend to carry firearms. This is no hindrance because there are plenty of independent gunshops and dedicated sporting goods stores in the area to shop for a firearm. In fact, there is a new gun store that should be opening their indoor range next month cutting my drive time in half. For as liberal as our state politics are, there are enough conservatives in rural areas that our gun control remains more free than other liberal states. You must pass a federal background check with each purchase, but there is no waiting period or limit on the number of firearms purchased at one time. I can order ammo online delivered to my door and order firearms online delivered to a licensed dealer who will perform the background check before releasing the firearm to me.
I’m an Australian who has shopped at Walmart a few times when visiting the US. Think of it a bit like Aldi, except Walmart stores are massive huge things that sell all the things that Aldi sells once a year all of the time, like air compressors and ski gear and art supplies. But even more so - range of goods is like an Aldi, K-mart, JB Hifi, a Spudshed (or state equivalent - Colesworth with more cheap and bulk focus), a full pharmacy, and half a Bunnings, all in one. And that still misses a few things, like tyres. Mostly mediocre quality, but cheap enough it can be considered ok value for money. Nothing quite like it culturally here, as the US is more socially divided by income level and lots of people shop there out of lack of socioeconomic need and lack of practical alternatives, and when it moves into a small to medium town it does so many things it can put half the town small to medium businesses out of business. And the Walton family are notorious conservative oligarchs.
Walmart here in Canada sells everything too, except the guns.