Is Walmart helping the government limit our food supply

I went to my local walmart yesterday and something felt really strange, very different but I couldn't quite figure it out until I went to the food aisles.

It looked to me that national brands were being replaced by the walmart brand. The only shredded cheese displayed was walmart brand where there usually 3 or 4 other brands. I found this to be the case in many other aisles. National brands disappearing replaced by the walmart 'Great Value' brand.

We all know that Walmart has taken over the sales in many communities for years by forcing the local mom and pop stores out of business. Often it seems they are the only source for food products and other things we use every day.

With the removal of the national brands it would seem that walmart is creating the situation where there is only one, or very few points of origin for their food goods.
Seems like a very scary situation. It becomes quite simple to interrupt those fewer sources and limit the supply of food. This could happen intentionally or accidentally, but the result would be the same.

I've heard rumors that TPTB are in bed with walmart. Do you think something sinister is going on here?

I know they are remodeling a lot of stores, but this seems to go a little further.


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interesting wallmart seems like a dark force to me last weak i bought Gillette razors it turns out to be like the fake 1s from china the reason i could tell the difference is bc i have bought fake 1s b4

Well considering that walmart makes none of the actual food and drink products, and they are all made by the name branders and just packaged cheaper, I doubt it.

You notice it more now because they have unified all their packaging to one style to make it more noticeable to the consumer and stand out.

We are relaunching Great Value because the opportunity to update the packaging and the product specs are there for us, and it’s also a way for us to fill in holes and gaps where we may not have a national brand or we may not have a national brand where we believe, for whatever reason, we can get the best price in the market. It’s an important initiative for us, but it will by no means overshadow or replace any national brands. Our customers prefer national brands.”

Once the updated Great Value lines begin appearing at Wal-Mart stores, their presence will be more pronounced “because the packaging is different,” Simon said. “But there are no plans to replace shelf space [for national brands] with space for Great Value products.”

supermarketnews.com...

Walmart is taking care of Walmart.

They know people will pick cheaper in this economic downturn.

As long as we north Americans are willing to buy there products that are made in China, then walmart will continue to steamroll over the mom and pop businesses and decimate entire towns in the process.

As long as parents continue to buy products from such a corporation, children will continue to run the risk of slowly poisoning themselves via the toxins that are so prevalent among the majority of their products.

I've seen many pictures of main streets in several US towns that are completely boarded up soon after Walmart moves in to town.

Anything to save ourselves a few bucks. Even at the expense of our childrens health. It is really quite sad in my opinion.

reply to post by notsosweet

in an effort to bring savings to the consumer I.E. Us and raise profits the National brands must be fazed out because with the National brands you are paying more for a name than the actual food its self so for instance lets take toaster pastries, pop tarts as they are called for the National brand vs. the value brand toaster pastry the cost to produce them are about the same to package them the same but add the name pop tart and BOOM hike in price.
So than if Wal-Mart bus this pop tarts by the pallet and lets say for sake of argument its like 1.200$ per pallet of the pop tart brand but its only 250$ a pallet for the value brand than Wal-Mart will go with the value brand and drop the pop tart to one raise there earnings and lower the cost to the customer. At least that is what I think.


On the other hand it could be that Wal-Mart wants its brand to be the dominant in the market and the government is helping.

I would like to add I do not know the actual prices so I made up the numbers.

[edit on 18-8-2009 by ashnomadonte]

When I was buying the shredded mexican cheese, I started buying the cheaper brand. After awile of that and less product of name brands being sold, it kinds makes sense to me. I've also noticed that the name brands have potato starch fillers in them and shredded mozzarella just doesn't seem to melt like cheese anymore. Even the one place I used to buy pizza from was disappointing by using that crap.

Farm/fishermen/ranches step 1 they take a cut

processor/slaughterhouse/packager step 2 they take a cut

finished product (brand labeling) step3 they take a cut

Brand distribution/ bulk sales step 4 they take a cut

retail sales step 5 they take a cut

It is someting close to the steps here. What Wal Mart has done is remove step 4 and pocketed that cut. They are also cutting into step 3 by leveraging mass packaging/labeling for a lower price from the processing /packaging houses. They have the biggest distribution at step 5 so they can always get below the other brand cost and still have everything they made in the previous 2 steps.

They might already (probably do)have packaging and processing facilities that would be step 2 giving an even bigger profit margin.

reply to post by badgerprints


At what point will they be in court for having a monopoly?

Quite disturbingly this is not a paranoid delusion.
I have been to 4 Walmarts within NJ and PA.
Combined with the apparent, "remodeling" scenario, the reasoning seems apparent.
The frozen cases look as if they were plundered after a natural disaster.
The only products in there are the Walmart brands.
For whatever reason, I would not doubt if it were common practice, to withhold national "on sale" items in favor of the house brand.

This corporation has taken great pride, as well as great measures to study the demographics and trends in every area they go into.
It's a science for them.
Every single move has a purpose, and a meaning.
This is not a conspiracy, but decisive, coordinated, intentional and manipulative business.
The common restraints that would hold others at bay are not an issue for Walmart.

I agree with the argument that it makes more economical sense to buy in bulk the economy brands, but then again, how much of a disservice is it to the customer to restrict variety?
Then again, Walmart does not really care too much about that.
I have my own reasons for believing that.


I believe that this is a case, of conspiracy/dujour, but I would not put it past them.

I do not by food at Wal mart. I do not buy furniture at my grocery store.
If you buy stuff from stores that are a store for that, you won't end up with a bunch of cut rate crap laying around your house.

Better yet, buy American! Bring back jobs and make products that won't kill you or make you sick.

As to the OP post, no, they are just getting more profit. If they were shorting the food supply, would would not have any to buy.............

[edit on 18-8-2009 by j2000]

go to a city. you will find plenty of places to buy overpriced but equally crappy merchandise. or you could try bidding for raw goods at a farm to market. nothing like killing a cow with a sledge hammer and hanging it up in your shower... its a great conversation piece for a party.


XP

I rarely shop at Wal-mart, frankly I rarely shop. But when I do I use the local Kroger's grocery chain.

The last thing I bought at wally-world was a bicycle and before that I bought some plants in the spring. I'm going on a little research mission today to see for myself what this thread is about.

Value brands are not always the national brand product repackaged as some have claimed. I learned not to rely on "store brand" items because their point of origin is unclear. To simply assume those products are the same as the national brands is to buy trouble.

I agree hazelnut.

I don't think its the same food that is prepackaged from the national brands to a generic or walmart brand.

There are a few walmart brands that I don't like compared to national brands.

Let us know what u see at your walmart, i'll be interested in hearing about it.

reply to post by jam321


Of course Walmart will tell us that. Its not like they are going to tell us exactly what they are doing and why.

Maybe I am wrong, but I still think that something is up and its not just for the consumer to be saving money by buying their brand.

Originally posted by acornco
go to a city.
XP

We are in a city of about 30000. We would have to travel 3.5 hours to get to another big city, so that does kind of limit us.

Originally posted by prepare4it777

You notice it more now because they have unified all their packaging to one style to make it more noticeable to the consumer and stand out.

I notice it more now because there is much more of walmart brand food in the aisles than the national brand, not because of the packaging. I was well aware before the new packaging came about that walmart had some of their own brand of different things.

Now, its looking like it will be replacing the national brands. What does your walmart look like?

The only problem I can find with Wal-Mart is that it wasn't my family that created it.

There are many other grocery store to shop in if you don't like walmart.

But, beware the other stores have their own brands too.

I can't remember a time there were no store brands.

The mom and pop stores charged much more that they should have for products.

Yes, they didn't get the same bulk price on goods but they were on the greedy side. They overcharged.