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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Target or Walmart?
Shell 06:20 PM 03-09-2015
I am a Target shopper, almost exclusively. Recently, I was looking to buy a name brand toy for ds and did some comparisons, and found it's $8 cheaper at walmart than Target.
Is it worth the drive for a few bucks? Are there must have' say walmart that I am missing out on?
Just figured I'd check in on here since it's likely we all buy similar toys, food, cleaning products, etc for our daycares.

Thanks!
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MarinaVanessa 06:29 PM 03-09-2015
I do both. I hit some financial difficulties over the last 6 months so I started couponing to save money and I will go to whatever store is cheapest. Sometimes that means Target, sometimes it's Walmart. A good thing to remember is that most stores (Target and Walmart being two of these) price match each others prices, even their online prices. So if you find a sale price at Walmart and it's the only item that you want from that store but have go to Target to get other stuff go to Target with your Walmart ad and have them price match it.

Also sometimes items you get in a store like Target and Walmart are cheaper on the website so make sure to check that price too and have them price match it at the register. In other words sometimes Target's online price for something is cheaper than their store price and if you show them they will give you the online price.

One last thing, you have to check with your local stores but both my local Targets and Walmarts wil price match Amazon's prices so make sure to check Amazon for toys and other stuff and ask if they will price match. This is entirely up to the store that you go to so they can say no but I'm glad that I asked because I have done this here a few times when I didn't want to wait for an item to ship.
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cara041083 06:32 PM 03-09-2015
I love love Target and the style of things they have. However, I only shop at Walmart because 9 times out of 10, Walmart has it cheaper.I am one of those people that will do what I have to in order to save money but I do live in an area that has a Target and a Walmart pretty close to me.
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MarinaVanessa 06:46 PM 03-09-2015
Originally Posted by cara041083:
I love love Target and the style of things they have. However, I only shop at Walmart because 9 times out of 10, Walmart has it cheaper.I am one of those people that will do what I have to in order to save money but I do live in an area that has a Target and a Walmart pretty close to me.
Me too and even though I HATE HATE HATE Walmarts customer service and messy shelves they do tend to have some really good roll back prices and sales.
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daycare 06:51 PM 03-09-2015
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
Me too and even though I HATE HATE HATE Walmarts customer service and messy shelves they do tend to have some really good roll back prices and sales.
you and me both! I don't judge others, but there is something to be said about the fact that just yesterday while walking into a walmart with my child he almost stepped on a hypodermic needle with blood in the chamber. When I told a walmart manager they looked at me as if I was crazy and did nothing about it. It was still there when we walked out.

Honestly, AMAZON HAS THE BEST PRICES EVERYWHERE!! GET THE AMAZON PRIME ITS WELL WORTH IT.....plus the way that it saves all of your purchases is easy peesy lemon squeezy for tax purposes. it will automatically load into an excel spreadsheet by category and full description of what you purchased. I love it
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MarinaVanessa 06:57 PM 03-09-2015
Yes, they have sucky service. A couple of weeks ago I was helped by the sweetest cashier at Walmart. She had excellent customer service, smiled, asked me about my shopping experience ... she was wonderful. I told her she was too nice to be working at Walmart lol
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daycare 07:04 PM 03-09-2015
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
Yes, they have sucky service. A couple of weeks ago I was helped by the sweetest cashier at Walmart. She had excellent customer service, smiled, asked me about my shopping experience ... she was wonderful. I told her she was too nice to be working at Walmart lol
not sure if you recall, but a year or so ago a Walmart cashier said some very racist things to me that caused me to have to file a complaint with their cooperate offices. Luckily, they are nice and did take care of the matters just within a day of me sending the email to their offices. I was actually kind of shocked they responded so quickly, but then again under the circumstances I guess i shouldn't be.

i had posted here about the situation and all of you convinced me to stand up for myself and do something about it. Glad I did, because I felt horrible about it.
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Josiegirl 02:55 AM 03-10-2015
Considering WalMart is less than 20 miles and the closest Target is at least 75 minutes away, I go to Walmart. I'm not exactly anti-Walmart but find myself spending way too much money on junk. I dislike buying anything that is expected to work(such as electronics and shoes) because I've had to bring them back all too often. I find some of their stuff to be extremely inferior quality. Not always but sometimes. Their selection at Christmas time, especially toys, was deplorable.
This has just been my own personal experience.
I used to go every weekend, now I go once a month or every 6 weeks. If I had other shopping choices in Town Podunk I'd use them instead.

I do use Amazon a lot more than I used to.

WOW Daycare, your WalMart doesn't exactly sound like the 'cream of the crop'!!! Both those things were terrible.
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Play Care 03:18 AM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by :
Their selection at Christmas time, especially toys, was deplorable.
Target has a much better toy selection and better quality. At Christmas one year I made the mistake of buying these large dolls at Walmart that my dd's wanted even though I thought they were cheap. And they were. They broke Christmas morning. Now, I had thought they were cheap and knew they would break, just thought we'd get a couple of days
Lesson learned.

Our Walmart is in a nicer area so it's usually kept up pretty well. I'll buy name brand food, beauty products, etc for much less there. I've had better luck with party supplies at Walmart than Target.
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DaveA 03:57 AM 03-10-2015
I use both. The closest Walmart and Target are actually in the same shopping center so it's easy. We go as a group for center supplies/ groceries so I'm in one or the other weekly. I will say Walmart has better "kid carts". When I go to Target I usually use my 4 pack stroller.
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laundrymom 04:52 AM 03-10-2015
I prefer Walmart. Target makes me feel unwelcome.
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Gemma 04:56 AM 03-10-2015
I used to love Walmart but they are far from what they used to be and I like them less and less every time I go there! ...they don't carry all the brands they used to carry, they don't restock empty shelves (on purpose I bet) the 2 stores by me are dirty etc etc

I shop around after researching online, I no longer have a "favorite" store.
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Gemma 04:57 AM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by laundrymom:
I prefer Walmart. Target makes me feel unwelcome.
Aww, why is that?
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hope 05:10 AM 03-10-2015
A Walmart just opened by me and I use the Walmart savings catcher app. After I shop I scan my receipt on my phone. The app searches all of the competition in the area and gives me the lowest price for the item i purchased. Three days later they give me the difference. I put it on their blue bird card and they double that amount. Each week i get around $15-$30 back! I still need to get a lot of my produce and meat in a regular grocery store because they lack variety and quality for those. But everything else I have been buying there.
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mommiebookworm 05:36 AM 03-10-2015
Well, I love Target! But, if I'm trying to really stay on budget and not make any frivolous purchases, I go to Walmart. The Walmart closest to me has some of the most unfriendly employees. Just Sunday, at checkout the cashier didn't greet us or say a single word to us. Not even the total! It was weird.
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BabyMonkeys 05:44 AM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by daycare:
Honestly, AMAZON HAS THE BEST PRICES EVERYWHERE!! GET THE AMAZON PRIME ITS WELL WORTH IT.....plus the way that it saves all of your purchases is easy peesy lemon squeezy for tax purposes. it will automatically load into an excel spreadsheet by category and full description of what you purchased. I love it
I buy everything from amazon. Almost everything daycare related that I didn't buy used, came from amazon. Love love love Amazon Prime!
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Baby Beluga 07:21 AM 03-10-2015
I pass two Walmarts on the way to the closest Target - the nearest Walmart being 5 minutes from me. I do the majority of my paper product, cleaning supply and canned/boxed food shopping at Walmart. Produce and meats I get from Sprouts. The produce and meat quality at the Walmarts here are terrible.

I also buy "disposable" play clothes for DD at Walmart. They way I don't feel bad when they are ripped or stained from playing outside
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284878 07:29 AM 03-10-2015
Walmart gets factory redo or items with flaws at a discount price. So if don't if dont care about lower standard in quality, then shop Walmart.
I have contacted manufacture about product being low quaintly before and when they found out I bought it at Walmart, they did not want to help me.
I found if the item is small perntage (1-3%) different then another store it was a better quality than items that are 10% or more lower than other stores.
For these reason and many others I have not step foot into Walmart since 2005.

Another story my SIL was told to stop shopping at Walmart because she was so good at couponing, she would fill 3 shopping carts, pay nothing for them, and leave with money. They would have to pay her up to $20 at the end of the sale. She did this more than once.
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NoMoreJuice! 07:34 AM 03-10-2015
I absolutely hate Walmart's business principles...but dang if I don't save a ton of money by shopping there. I have a Costco membership but many times Walmart will have the items I need at a much lower price (because they take it out of their employee's fair wages and refuse to pay good benefits...). So I have a love/hate relationship with Sam.

Definitely Sprouts for veggies, but Walmart has the cheapest ground turkey in the city. We're lucky to have so much competition in KC; between Hen House, Hyvee, Price Chopper, and Sprouts, there is always a sale on anything I need.
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Thriftylady 11:31 AM 03-10-2015
I love Target but the closest one is over 40 miles one way. So I don't get there often. I wish I had a sprouts!
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CraftyMom 11:39 AM 03-10-2015
How do you do the price match thing? Right at the register? Or do you have to go to customer service and wait in THAT always long line (Walmart)? That would be a pain. If I am buying something specific I look online first to see who has it cheaper, sometimes it's Walmart sometimes it's Target.
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laundrymom 11:45 AM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by Gemma:
Aww, why is that?
Last July they issued a policy that interfered with my second amendment rights. :-/
I'm not welcome there. So neither is my money.
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MyAngels 11:51 AM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by hope:
A Walmart just opened by me and I use the Walmart savings catcher app. After I shop I scan my receipt on my phone. The app searches all of the competition in the area and gives me the lowest price for the item i purchased. Three days later they give me the difference. I put it on their blue bird card and they double that amount. Each week i get around $15-$30 back! I still need to get a lot of my produce and meat in a regular grocery store because they lack variety and quality for those. But everything else I have been buying there.
Did you see that they've changed the terms of the Savings Catcher? They have eliminated a lot of the categories that they were price matching, and eliminated categories of stores they'll compare to. Plus, they've stopped the doubling of the amount to the Bluebird card as of 2/28/15.

Somehow I knew they'd end up doing that when I ended up with almost $400 in savings over 6 months

I still prefer Walmart over Target, as I tend to be a creature of habit and have shopped there for years.
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Baby Beluga 01:15 PM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
I love Target but the closest one is over 40 miles one way. So I don't get there often. I wish I had a sprouts!


It's the best! It may just be in my mind, but I swear I can taste the difference in produce purchased from sprouts vs produce purchased from a local grocery store.

Plus sprouts tends to have the cheapest prices on produce in my area.
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Unregistered 01:24 PM 03-10-2015
I will price match on my phone with Amazon.com. I always need something from amazon.com!
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MarinaVanessa 03:23 PM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by CraftyMom:
How do you do the price match thing? Right at the register? Or do you have to go to customer service and wait in THAT always long line (Walmart)? That would be a pain. If I am buying something specific I look online first to see who has it cheaper, sometimes it's Walmart sometimes it's Target.
Right at the register. Keep in mind though that I pretty much only get cosmetics, food, shampoo/conditioner, feminine hygiene and cleaning supplies. I don't buy toys from Target or Walmart anymore. I buy the toys that Lakeshore Learning sells but I check Amazon first since Amazon sells them for less when they carry them. If Lakeshore sells them, I know they'll last since they cater to schools/daycares.
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daycare 03:25 PM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I will price match on my phone with Amazon.com. I always need something from amazon.com!
today I got something from a company called click junkies......yeah that would be called 1am amazon shopping in bed.....lol DANGEROUS..........
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MarinaVanessa 03:35 PM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by 284878:
Another story my SIL was told to stop shopping at Walmart because she was so good at couponing, she would fill 3 shopping carts, pay nothing for them, and leave with money. They would have to pay her up to $20 at the end of the sale. She did this more than once.
They can do that, it depends from store to store. I don't get big "hauls" from stores because I don't like clearing shelves and ruining things for other people. I'm the type that will ask the manager to order items for me and I will go to several stores instead of buying everything at once at one store. Also we don't have double coupons here in CA so I can get really good deals but not the whole trip for free. I'm good at couponing, but not an "extreme couponer" and I don't have a big "stockpile" or anything like that lol
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daycare 05:51 PM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
They can do that, it depends from store to store. I don't get big "hauls" from stores because I don't like clearing shelves and ruining things for other people. I'm the type that will ask the manager to order items for me and I will go to several stores instead of buying everything at once at one store. Also we don't have double coupons here in CA so I can get really good deals but not the whole trip for free. I'm good at couponing, but not an "extreme couponer" and I don't have a big "stockpile" or anything like that lol
I dont even know where you can find a coupon. I only have seen them from Macy and kohls, but nothing to brag about
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hope 05:55 PM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by CraftyMom:
How do you do the price match thing? Right at the register? Or do you have to go to customer service and wait in THAT always long line (Walmart)? That would be a pain. If I am buying something specific I look online first to see who has it cheaper, sometimes it's Walmart sometimes it's Target.
Download the app on your phone and the scan the receipt on your phone. An email will be sent to you a few days later for you to print out. Bring that print out to the register the next time you are at a register. They scan it as though it were a coupon. It is very easy.
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hope 05:58 PM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by MyAngels:
Did you see that they've changed the terms of the Savings Catcher? They have eliminated a lot of the categories that they were price matching, and eliminated categories of stores they'll compare to. Plus, they've stopped the doubling of the amount to the Bluebird card as of 2/28/15.

Somehow I knew they'd end up doing that when I ended up with almost $400 in savings over 6 months

I still prefer Walmart over Target, as I tend to be a creature of habit and have shopped there for years.
I thought something was wrong with my card or email account. Haha!
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permanentvacation 07:38 PM 03-10-2015
The way I see it, it has to do with how broke you are, or how much you care about YOUR finances vs. how much you care about the integrity of a company that you support by spending your money there. Walmart is famous for things like hiring special needs employees. Not because they care to give them income to support themselves. But because the government gives the company benefits for hiring people with special needs. The same goes for people who are on welfare/food stamps, have very low income, etc. Walmart is also famous for buying life insurance policies on their employees so that when the employee dies, Walmart collects LOTS of money from their employee's death.

Target, on the other hand, is famous for donating money to local schools and other charity associations.

So, Walmart is truly only about making themselves rich and Target is about using some of their proceeds to help the community.

So, you can look at it that way and make your choice as to which store you chose to shop at based solely on the integrity of the store.

Or you can compare prices. Walmart typically has lower prices. So, if you are watching your pennies, you might want to go to Walmart more so than Target. Or you can compare items/brands. If you truly must have a specific item or brand, one store might carry that item/brand while the other does not. Or you can compare the quality of the items Walmart's items are typically of a lower quality than Target's.

Or, you can do like I do. I am broke off my rear end and often literally count pennies on the counter to make my purchases. So, I start with Walmart every time. If I can't find the items I am looking for, then I reluctantly go to Target, but I know that it will cost me more. I hate that I am supporting the habits of Walmart which I detest, but I just can't afford to stand by my morals and go to the store that I'd rather go to; Target.
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Starburst 07:57 PM 03-10-2015
It varies product to product, sometimes I just go by whats closest. One thing Walmart has that I like is on the Walmart app they compare prices of nearby places and will give you the difference to redeem.

Also, I have one of those 5% off Target cards but there has been lots of credit card security breaches about Target in the news the last few years so I haven't used it much. Plus, I kind of think they way they did it was dumb because you have to link it to your bank account, so it only works if you use that as a payment method. It would have been better if it was just a rewards card that didn't need to be connected to a bank account.
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MarinaVanessa 09:13 PM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by daycare:
I dont even know where you can find a coupon. I only have seen them from Macy and kohls, but nothing to brag about
I'll be honest and tell you that I get 5 subscriptions to the Sunday paper from the LA Times. I don't read the paper, I just get the coupons that come in the papers. I clip them and organize them and I compare weekly sales so I stack sale prices, store coupons and manufacturer coupons to get a great deal. I also joined a few rebate groups that pay you a small amount for buying certain products. Doing this helps me buy $50 worth of grocery and household items for $20 on a regular basis.
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daycare 09:39 PM 03-10-2015
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
I'll be honest and tell you that I get 5 subscriptions to the Sunday paper from the LA Times. I don't read the paper, I just get the coupons that come in the papers. I clip them and organize them and I compare weekly sales so I stack sale prices, store coupons and manufacturer coupons to get a great deal. I also joined a few rebate groups that pay you a small amount for buying certain products. Doing this helps me buy $50 worth of grocery and household items for $20 on a regular basis.
Well that explains a lot. I live in a small city where the paper comes on Wednesday for free and it's two pages. I've never seen the SF bay paper. Lol.

We do get sales adds with Safeway coupons but it's only to that store.
I looked at coupons today online and it's nothing my family or even daycare would eat.
It looked like lots of stuff I didn't even know what to do with. Sauces ? One I did see was spaghetti sauce but we make ours so I never buy the store can??? Or however it's coming from the store.

But that sounds amazing that you can do that. Good for you.
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MarinaVanessa 07:34 AM 03-11-2015
Originally Posted by daycare:
Well that explains a lot. I live in a small city where the paper comes on Wednesday for free and it's two pages. I've never seen the SF bay paper. Lol.

We do get sales adds with Safeway coupons but it's only to that store.
I looked at coupons today online and it's nothing my family or even daycare would eat.
It looked like lots of stuff I didn't even know what to do with. Sauces ? One I did see was spaghetti sauce but we make ours so I never buy the store can??? Or however it's coming from the store.

But that sounds amazing that you can do that. Good for you.
Yep, I buy mostly feminine products, cleaning products, laundry stuff, hair products (shampoo/conditioner), soap, juice, razors/shaving cream etc. Things that don't go bad. I rarely get food products because the coupons are usually for frozen food items and we try to stay away from processed food as much as we can. We don't make our own sauce so we do use coupons for pasta and pasta sauce sometimes. It has helped us cut down our grocery and household items cost by a lot.

It helps too that I have several of each store near me (within 10 minutes) Ralph's, Winco, Vons, Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Food 4 Less etc. Everything is so close I can chase the deals and it doesn't take up too much time or gas.
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KiddieCahoots 08:50 AM 03-11-2015
Depends on what I'm buying and where it's cheaper, or how much time I've got, because Target is closer.

Although when my automatic pilot clicks in, it seems to always be taking me to Walmart, lol! Have had that happen more times than I care to say ....

Like pp I don't care for the way Walmart treats their employees. I have family members who have worked at Walmart and Sam's, and their benefits alone are awful....if they hire you for a full time position, to even offer benefits in the first place
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Jack Sprat 11:36 AM 03-11-2015
Our closest Target is 50 minutes away. Wal Mart is 15 minutes away. I don't like shopping at the $100 store but, I can't always run to Target.

I love Amazon Prime. I have considered doing the subscribe and save they offer. I would still have to run to Wal Mart for milk etc but, it would cut down on other things.
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sharlan 11:41 AM 03-11-2015
When shopping at Target, be sure to stack your coupons - manufacturer's coupons with Target coupons and don't forget Cartwheel if you have a smart phone.
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originalkat 07:22 PM 03-15-2015
Originally Posted by cara041083:
I love love Target and the style of things they have. However, I only shop at Walmart because 9 times out of 10, Walmart has it cheaper.I am one of those people that will do what I have to in order to save money but I do live in an area that has a Target and a Walmart pretty close to me.
Me Too.
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Leigh 06:21 AM 03-16-2015
Originally Posted by sharlan:
When shopping at Target, be sure to stack your coupons - manufacturer's coupons with Target coupons and don't forget Cartwheel if you have a smart phone.
Walmart is cheaper on things that people are most price sensitive about. But, Target can be WAY cheaper than Walmart. For people who use RedCard, it is 1.4% cheaper. Then you can add Target coupons, Mfr. coupons, and cartwheel.

I much prefer Target to Walmart, but we don't have a grocery store in our Target, so many of my groceries come from Walmart. When I'm in a city that has a Target grocery store, I'll go and load up on pantry items. When comparing quality, Target absolutely always wins, IMO. Especially with product. Walmart's product is already rotten on the shelf (I can't tell you how many times I've seen mold on strawberries that have already turned black). Target's produce is cheaper and fresh.

If not for buying food, I'd probably never set foot in a Walmart again.
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Unregistered 06:44 AM 03-16-2015
Produce at the Target near me is awful. Stopped buying Cuties/Halos there because they are half rotten.
Tomatoes are only good the day you buy them. Bananas are sold per banana at a high price so they sit there til they are brown. The only produce worth buying is bagged lettuce because at least it has a date.
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Controlled Chaos 06:49 AM 03-16-2015
Again, I am going with Amazon.com I use their subscribe and save, so I save 15% on diapers that are shipped to my house! I don't have to put pants on ladies...MAGIC!
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spud912 08:05 AM 03-16-2015
I shop for regular groceries at Wal-Mart, but I go to one of their new "Neighborhood Markets." I price match so I get things like milk, cereal, eggs, paper towels, toilet tissue, general food merchandise. I price match by writing down the competitor prices and which store on my grocery list, I separate the items at the register and then tell the cashier item by item. It doesn't take very long at all when you're organized.

For my other groceries, I go to Costco (meats, some fruits, some dried goods) and Sprouts (the bulk of my produce and some meats).

I do go to Target and just them! I buy my daughters clothing there, nursing tops, seasonal items, and stuff in their dollar section. Our closest Target also has a Michaels store next door that I go in automatically . Otherwise, I do most toy/book/electronic purchases online, mostly via Amazon.
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Leigh 08:17 AM 03-16-2015
Originally Posted by spud912:
I shop for regular groceries at Wal-Mart, but I go to one of their new "Neighborhood Markets." I price match so I get things like milk, cereal, eggs, paper towels, toilet tissue, general food merchandise. I price match by writing down the competitor prices and which store on my grocery list, I separate the items at the register and then tell the cashier item by item. It doesn't take very long at all when you're organized.

For my other groceries, I go to Costco (meats, some fruits, some dried goods) and Sprouts (the bulk of my produce and some meats).

I do go to Target and just them! I buy my daughters clothing there, nursing tops, seasonal items, and stuff in their dollar section. Our closest Target also has a Michaels store next door that I go in automatically . Otherwise, I do most toy/book/electronic purchases online, mostly via Amazon.
I love shopping at Costco! The nearest one is 100 miles from me, though, so I only go every few months.
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