Okay, for all you out there who HATE Wal-Mart with a passion, I can totally relate. They used to be one of my least favorite places to buy groceries because: A: it's almost always packed, B: it never seemed to be as good of quality as Target or the regular grocery store, and C: I always seem to find an extra $50 worth of junk to buy that wasn't on my list.
However, I had recently read some acticles on Walmarts updated price matching policy and I decided to give it a shot. Suddenly, I think I'll be shopping at Walmart a LOT more often!
Here's the srategy that worked great for me:
First, I sat down at home and scanned all the local grocery ads for the week (the ads have to be local in order for them to guarantee price matching). I made a list of the things in the ads I wanted to buy that looked something like this:
Buy 4 Less deals:
Wonder Classic White Sandwich Bread- 1 loaf $1.19
Red Strawberries- 1 lb $2.39
Homeland Grocery deals:
DiGiorno pizzas 24-31 oz: 2/$7
Etc.
You have to be a little detailed becuase the item in the store has to be the same as what the ad lists. For meat and produce, it has to be sold by the same units (such as $2 per pound ) so if Buy 4 Less is selling apples by the pound and Walmart sells them as a price per apple, you won't be able to use that deal. Also, Walmart won't match "buy one for x, get one for y" type ads. However, pretty much anything else goes. They also honor deals that other stores require a "frequent shoppers card" for. Also, you no longer have to bring the ad with you. Stores are now responsible for keeping all local ads on hand and if they don't have them, too bad for them!
So, like I said, I made my list so I would know exactly what I needed to tell the lady at checkout, and also added on the things that weren't on sale already somewhere.
Next, I headed to the store. I didn't want to be one of those people who goes during the busiest times and holds up the line for 20 people, so I went about 10 in the morning when there were no lines. When I got to the store, if there were some things that Walmart was already selling cheaper than the deal on my list, I crossed it off so I wouldn't get confused at checkout. Then, when we got to the front, I put all the things that were going to be price adjustments at the end of the black rolling counter (what the heck are those things called, anyway?) I told the lady I had a few price matches and she didn't even roll her eyes at me!
When she got to those things, I just told her who had that item listed and for what price and she adjusted it right there, without even looking it up, so it only took a couple extra seconds per item.
Here's the kicker, between that and a few coupons, I saved over $30 on our $70 grocery bill! THIRTY DOLLARS! And I probably only spent an extra 15 minutes between scanning ads and the extra time in line!
I know, its nothing compared to the people on those "Extreme Couponing" shows, but I was still pretty excited about it, after all, thats an hour less of work, or a meal out one night!
Well, I guess thats enough about my grocery habits for one day. Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you about how I got a new dress and shirt at the Gap for $15 :)
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