Of course we saw this coming:
Walmart is warning it plans to raise prices due to tariffs, despite the fact April’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) showing President Donald Trump’s tariffs did not affect consumer prices.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon issued the update during an earnings call on Thursday, stating that they will try to keep prices “low as possible,” but the reality is, they are unable to absorb all of the costs due to tariffs.
“But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins,” McMillon stated, adding, “The higher tariffs will result in higher prices.”
Utter bullshit. As far as I can see, the tariffs may have affected the price of Chinese goods, but if anything, the goods made in places like Thailand, Taiwan and Pakistan should be reduced with all those other countries getting lower or non-existent tariffs. So yeah, some of Walmart’s prices on Chinese merchandise should go up, but what they’ll do is raise all their prices to minimize the much-higher Chinese prices. It’s called “spreading the load” in retail-speak.
Don’t care, because I’ll just stop buying non-foods at Walmart until things quieten down, and buy only the foodstuffs there that I absolutely cannot get anywhere else. Last time I looked, that’s only one product, and amazingly, it’s made in the U.S.A. anyway.
Besides, if Walmart were truly committed to keeping prices lower, they’d improve their efficiency by ditching their fucking ultra-woke DEI practices — which would never have been instituted in the first place had Sam Walton still been around. But they’re not going to do that, are they?
Feel free to do what you think is proper in your own circumstances.
But for me? Toodle-oo, WallyWorld.
“Don’t care, because I’ll just stop buying non-foods at Walmart until things quieten down, and buy only the foodstuffs there that I absolutely cannot get anywhere else.”
This is generally what I do every week and have been doing for a long while.
I shop at Walmart and buy a lot of their generic brands (Great Value brand) for food like chips, and once in a while their meats. Cheaper than the grocery store and Walmart near me still has plastic bags for free. All 4 grocery stores near me do not have plastic bags.
I also buy generic medicine at Walmart (over the counter like acetaminophen and Ibuprofen and Bismuth Subsalicylate (Generic Pepto Bismuth). The generic Pepto Walmart brand is 2 bucks for 40 tablets, name brand is almost 8 bucks for 24 tablets.
Other than food and generic medicine, I don’t often buy much at Walmart. I save up and buy quality shit elsewhere. Sometimes when you buy cheap qaulity stuff it breaks sooner and costs most to buy cheap stuff than to just buy the right stuff the name brand stuff the first time. Things like Grills, Chainsaws, etc.
Motor oil for my yard machines (Generator, Lawnmower, Snowblower), Walmart all day. Same oil that is sold at Autoparts stores and much cheaper at Walmart. I actually have been getting the Supertech brand oil and have run full synthetic 10W30 supertech in my lawnmowers for the last 5 years. Never had an engine go out so far. I change the oil and filter once a year. Takes me well over 2 hours to mow and sometimes it is upwards of 80 or 90 degrees and very muggy in New England.
And your sentiment “Don’t care” sums it up for me too. I don’t give a fuck if a bunch of cheap Chinese shit costs more, because I usually only buy what I need anyways. For the people crying that the cheap shit from China that they want costs too much, maybe stop buying shit you don’t need with money you don’t have. So many complete fucking morons in this country complaining about things that do not matter.
I avoid Walmart more for the idiots that the place attracts as customers and hires as employees. i buy stuff at Walmart solely on price. I stock up on canned goods about every other month.
I’m not familiar with Walmart’s DEI pricing.
You got it JQ, you are correct “I avoid Walmart more for the idiots that the place attracts as customers and hires as employees”
I put up with the fucking morons that are there (shopping and working) to get low prices on some things. Like you I stock up, but once a week not once a month.
I used to work for Walmart years ago. four and a half years. I worked there from 15 to 20. (They used to hire under 18 with a workers permit). Working there was not as bad as some make it out to be. Job can suck, but back in 2004 I was paid 10 and change an hour, well more than minimum wage, and as a part timer I got profit sharing. Also a discount card of 10% off.
The people complaining about working there need to realize this is a part time or a supplemental job to earn extra money or as a starter job except for management or truck drivers.
The shoppers are definitely the “people of walmart” cutting in front of you to get to shelves, reach in front of you when you are at a shelf, blocking the aisles.
The receipt bullshit takes the cake. I walk right past the receipt checker. Once I pay for my shit, I don’t need to prove to anyone I have paid for my shit. Show me a receipt from the manager that the goods in the store for display and sale are paid for, so I know I am not buying stolen goods. Fucking morons. Then when the line of idiots willing to get their receipts checked blocks the exit, I say politely, EXCUSE ME and everyone there thinks I am the rude one, Ive have people say “you are gonna wait” while they block me in the store or “I am getting my receipt checked”. I usually try to find some way around them.
One time I dealt with an older couple who I said excuse me too, they said “we are getting our receipt checked” I said “thats fine but you are in my way, can I please get by”, as soon as I walked by they finished their receipt checking and the dude proceeded to get within about a foot of me behind me and walk making comments. I told him to cut the fucking shit and he made some dumb comments.
It is not just walmart though. Things have been degrading in the country for years, but ever since 2020, and the CHI COM virus (COVID) I have noticed people are rude and total assholes in how they drive, how they interact and how they act entitled as fuck.
I do live in a blue state, so YMMV if you are in a red state where maybe people are more properly adjusted.
As a TheWalMart cashier, I deplore this policy. 🙁
The only thing I buy from Wal-mart is motor oil. They sell it for less than O’Reilly can buy it.
My Walmart put in a bunch of self-check machines. Great for a while. I could be in and out with a few items before I started to get pissed. Now they’ve shut most of them down, resulting in lines for self-check. Seems too many people were cheating.
Self abuse line. That is what self check out is. An opportunity for the store to blame a malfunction on an honest customer and sick the police on them and have them arrested and charged. Google it. It is happened a few times.
Unless the lines where HUMAN cashiers are have become very long, I go through a line where a HUMAN rings me out. I thank the human for ringing me out.
Self checkout is fucking bullshit. Another total bullshit thing, Walmart one time I was buying some ethanal treatment for gas. The self checkout had no line and a very long line in the human check out, so I take the chance. The machine stops when I scan the lucas ethanal treatment. Says a human has to come over. After waiting a few minutes, someone comes over and asks to see my ID to show if I am 18. I said, listen, I know this isn’t your fault personally, but if I went through the regular line the cashier would have just clicked yes to the question about being 18 or older on the register for me. Im not showing any ID, either sell it to me or I am leaving to buy it somewhere else. The employee fixed the issue without me showing ID.
This world is just plain fucked up and AI and self checkout and electric cars are going to further fuck things up than what they already are.