My Foray Into Wal-Mart

Yesterday the Little Ladybug and I ventured into Wal-Mart for my big grocery shop of the week. If you read yesterday's post, you know that this was a difficult decision and I really dreaded the experience.The results were a mixed bag.

On the positive side, the store was fairly empty. I guess weekday mornings are the time to go. I was able to find almost everything I needed and I did notice that some items are slightly cheaper than at Kroger. Wal-Mart also carries some things that Kroger doesn't but I didn't want to get too distracted or grab items that weren't on my list, so I didn't investigate that too closely.

I got a good amount of groceries for a little under $200. Of course that doesn't include the $5 T-shirt I also picked up. I guess that's one way they get you. You go in for groceries and come out with an additional hundred bucks in cheapo clothing and toys.

On the downside, there weren't enough cashiers and the wait in line was a little long. Luckily, just about the time Ladybug started screaming at the top of her lungs and throwing groceries out of the cart, another lane opened and we managed to get out of there.

I do have some questions about the quality of the food. I might be imagining this, but the bagged salad I usually buy looked to be a smaller bag than the same item at Kroger. I wonder if they skimp on the ounces of product to make up for the lower cost? Also, for dinner last night I bought some steak for fajitas and it just was not very good at all. It was tough, but worse, it didn't taste good. It wasn't spoiled or anything, just bland and a little reminiscent of the half-beef half-soy burgers that my elementary school served.

To cap things off, I had to go to Kroger anyway to pick up the couple of items Wal-Mart doesn't carry and while there, I noticed that at least three things I bought at Wal-Mart were cheaper at Kroger this week! Grrrrr. I guess I need to read the Sunday ads and try to shop the best deals at both places. As if I needed to complicate my life more....