# Lots of empty shelves at Walmart



## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

It is welfare week but wow lots of empty shelves...sugar was down to just 2 bags!

Bought the last 3 cases of quarts and a case of pints and not any Ball brand...Mainstay for $7.88 (Hoping for a moose this week)

Has anyone used the Mainstay brand canning jars?


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

Yes i have and had no problems. Hope you get your moose!


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Walmart is the middle of a huge shuffle right now..
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20101013/us_time/08599202385700


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## DKWunlimited (Sep 11, 2006)

What is welfare week?


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

DKWunlimited said:


> What is welfare week?


primarily people getting welfare , social security , unemployment checks , and other forms of goverment compensation , also many who may get paid monthly get paid the first week of the month meaning that more people shop at the begining of a month than the end.


similarily double copon days are genraly tuesday or wednesday if offered to draw mid week shoppers out the shelves are stocked monday after the weekend rush and thursday and friday are left to top off stocks before the next big rush hits friday after noon and over the weekend.


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## scooter (Mar 31, 2008)

Prices have really been going up at Wal-Mart, I find better deals at Target.


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## CrashTestRanch (Jul 14, 2010)

chickenista said:


> Walmart is the middle of a huge shuffle right now..
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20101013/us_time/08599202385700


can we say "Strategic Default" ... someone is shorting somewhere ...


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## DKWunlimited (Sep 11, 2006)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> primarily people getting welfare , social security , unemployment checks , and other forms of goverment compensation , also many who may get paid monthly get paid the first week of the month meaning that more people shop at the begining of a month than the end.
> 
> 
> similarily double copon days are genraly tuesday or wednesday if offered to draw mid week shoppers out the shelves are stocked monday after the weekend rush and thursday and friday are left to top off stocks before the next big rush hits friday after noon and over the weekend.


Hmm interesting, everyone I know that gets Social security or assistance of any type gets it on the first day of the month and our store double coupons all the time.. I would guess if "we" had a welfare week it would have been last week? But I've never noticed a differance here.


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## pastelsummer (Jul 21, 2010)

what they need to do is up security!!! A friend who works at wm in vegas says they have millions in walk outs because thier is NO security get better security cuts back on walk outs save company money, saves CUSTOMER money


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## pastelsummer (Jul 21, 2010)

welfare wekk is usually said as a derogitory term, to make people on welfare feel bad for "stealing" from hard working people. I prsonally hate the term


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> primarily people getting welfare , social security , unemployment checks , and other forms of goverment compensation , also many who may get paid monthly get paid the first week of the month meaning that more people shop at the begining of a month than the end.
> 
> 
> similarily double copon days are genraly tuesday or wednesday if offered to draw mid week shoppers out the shelves are stocked monday after the weekend rush and thursday and friday are left to top off stocks before the next big rush hits friday after noon and over the weekend.


Not just welfare, but government workers. We get paid the 1st and the 15th.


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## Head Roller (Sep 24, 2010)

Interesting article.. i have been really upset with my WalMart for about a month now.. Inventory is WAYYYYY Low and prices going up. At least it is not just mine. Sigh.. 

Been getting some great deals at the new Smart Co which is a concept store from Mother Corporation Smart and Final. I havent been to Target in awhile... perhaps time to add that to my travels. We live in a very rural area and most of the stores are a ways away. I tend to get into a rut when it comes to shopping.


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## ChristyACB (Apr 10, 2008)

Walmart prices here went through the roof in the last month here too. And the inventory was just about nil. I finally saw one of the managers and asked her what was going on. She told me that they halved their inventory, halved their total numbers of items to sell and made the store have two times the maneuvering room. They did redo it and opened the aisles and made things more at reach height now so maybe they had to cut the sheer number of types of items to do it.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

You know it is TEOTWAWKI when Walmart is struggling.....


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

ChristyACB said:


> Walmart prices here went through the roof in the last month here too. And the inventory was just about nil. I finally saw one of the managers and asked her what was going on. She told me that they halved their inventory, halved their total numbers of items to sell and made the store have two times the maneuvering room. They did redo it and opened the aisles and made things more at reach height now so maybe they had to cut the sheer number of types of items to do it.


This is something they have been doing for a while. About a year ago they done the same thing with our nearest Walmart. Said the ideal behind it was that they are trying to reach out to the upper middle class people who are feeling the crunch also and are lowering their standards by shopping at places like Walmart. After they renovated our walmart there wasn't near as many clothing to choose from and they cut the Fabrics and Crafts way down to almost nothing. At some stores they are doing away with guns and are cutting way down on the sporting for such stuff as hunting and fishing supplies. This has really chapped my hide as they ran everybody out of business that sold guns, ammo, fishing supplies and now they aren't offering it anymore. My wife says the same thing with the fabric. The only place left to buy fabrics was at walmart and now they don't sell anymore. They also made the produce isles look more like a outdoor farmers market and brought in more exotic fruits and vegetables to choose from. At a higher price of coarse.


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## highlandview (Feb 15, 2007)

I never do well price wise at Wal-mart on groceries. I shop Aldi's, Save-a-Lot and Kroger for groceried.


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Just out of curiosity...what are "fur babies"? 
Matt


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Roadking said:


> Just out of curiosity...what are "fur babies"?
> Matt


those members of our families that are mostly covered in fur.... dogs, cats, etc.

Haven't noticed empty shelves around here... course I don't get in there but a couple times a month. I can imagine areas around the country that are more depressed would have Wallies with emptier shelves.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Monday lunch time I went grocery shopping at Walmart for my parents. I thought many items seemed not there. I've been in out of this Walmart since it opened and this was the most vacent I've seen the grocery shelves. But, I was also tripping over the restocking staff, so I figured it was just what went on that time of day.

I had heard they were clearing out the "action alley's" to make it more 'classy" and more like Target as the new head guy came from Target background - I do not know where I picked that info up, might just be a rumor.

And they have been phasing out the sewing stuff at most Walmarts. That is when I stop combining purchase of sewing stuff and groceries, and jsut go to a grocery store for better groceries.

Angie


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

I still call our local Walmart "the new Walmart", but it's been built about 3 years now and is one of the super stores that's open 24/7. DH and I both have friends that work there and have heard from them that when the store first opened they had problems with inventory walking out and it was mostly big items like TVs etc. So our local Walmart has security at the exits. They check all outgoing merchandise for a store receipt. 

Our problem with Walmart is finding what we went to the store to purchase. DH went to buy a covered trash can for our kitchen. He asked for assistance and found that the trash cans are located in 5 different areas of the store. ha, and still had to settle for a trashcan he didn't want because they didn't have the one he wanted in stock. He also went to buy a spatter screen for the skillet and they don't sell those as single items now. He had to buy a 2 pack that had 2 different sizes and was priced at $7.98!!! 

The few times I've been to our Walmart, I've never come home with exactly what it was I went shopping for. It's always an alternative and it usually costs more than I budgeted for, and that's if I can even find an alternative. Some items they simply don't have in inventory or on the shelves. And the entire experience is a physical nightmare for me as I don't have the endurance it takes to shop there even with assistance.


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2010)

Walmart hasn't had much competition here, since there are no national chain grocery stores, and the small chain local stores have such high prices.

However, Aldi's is putting in a store here. Should be interesting to see what kind of competition Walmart will get from them.


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## Pam6 (Apr 9, 2009)

As far as not finding many canning jars, canning season is pretty much over here and everyone has put them on clearance and have not restocked in my area in ALL of the stores. 
As far as 'welfare week' goes we get a PAYCHECK and it falls on the 1st and 15th this month traditional gov't check days so I think people are seeing what they THINK is an increase of gov't checks is just a culmination of paychecks falling on the first of the month.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Ever since Walmart did an overhaul about 5 years ago, I've been really unhappy with them. They're trying to look trendy and all they're doing is alienating middle class people like me. I want thick, durable sweatpants and jeans with a zipper that doesn't break. I want T shirts you can't read through, that wash and dry well, and workshoes that last on the farm. I want to be able to find school clothes for my kids that will last the whole school year. They recently remodeled our local Walmarts again, and all you can find is *really* cheaply made, ugly clothes. Lots of bare shelves too - we went in on Tuesday looking for glue sticks for my son's class and the rack was completely bare. Not one glue stick in school supplies or office supplies. Same story when I needed to buy my older son underwear and socks - there wasn't one pack in his size although there were really small and really big sizes on the rack.

I'm also upset because every single thing seems to be made in China. I needed a new spatula a few weeks ago, but I am NOT going to have a Chinese-made spatula poisoning my family. I've walked out of Walmart empty handed more than once. Who ever heard of a Walmart not having long sleeved T-shirts in October? Their boys' section has really been reduced to almost nothing, so I've started just driving to Penney's to save time. I understand that they can't keep the racks bulging with clothes clothes that might go out of style, but things like underwear? They should always have a big stock of all sizes!

I do pretty well with the food section, savings-wise. A lot of the produce at our local Walmart is locally grown and cheaper than I can get it at Bi-Lo, Harris Teeter or Food Lion. We like Suave shampoo type products and they are cheaper at Walmart than anywhere else.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I did find a new rug for the entryway 4ft by 7ft for $17 on clearance and I was very happy with the price...but I haven't been to Walmart in over 4 months...because of the cheapness and Chinese made junk...and the crowds. And I never fail to run into an old customer or fellow employee from my days of working at the grocery store which makes me run late....

I was lucky to get all of my grandmother's made in the USA kitchen utensils where the steel goes up into the handle...probably 50 years old but perfectly good. Also know a retired state trooper that makes wooden spoons and spatula stuff from Maple as his hobby...would love to make some like Dick Preonecke (sp) did from some dry fir one day!


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

DKWunlimited said:


> Hmm interesting, everyone I know that gets Social security or assistance of any type gets it on the first day of the month and our store double coupons all the time.. I would guess if "we" had a welfare week it would have been last week? But I've never noticed a differance here.


Here everyone gets there EBT cards refilled on different days so you never see a first of the month empty shelves for that reason.. however, we are a huge retiree and military retiree area so on the first of the month when they get their military checks and ss checks I stay out of the store.


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2010)

Aintlifegrand said:


> Here everyone gets there EBT cards refilled on different days so you never see a first of the month empty shelves for that reason.. however, we are a huge retiree and military retiree area so on the first of the month when they get their military checks and ss checks I stay out of the store.


Same here on all counts.

I don't know exactly the schedule that they go by for loading the ebt cards, but it's tied to the SS#. It goes something like:

If your SS# ends in "1", your card will be loaded on the 1st day of the month.
If your SS# ends in "2", your card will be loaded on the 3rd day of the month.
If your SS# ends in "3", your card will be loaded on the 5th day of the month.
and so on.

We also have a large AFB here and a HUGE number of military retirees.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Sonshine said:


> Not just welfare, but government workers. We get paid the 1st and the 15th.


Originally Posted by GREENCOUNTYPETE 
primarily people getting welfare , social security , unemployment checks , *and other forms of goverment compensation , also many who may get paid monthly get paid the first week of the month *meaning that more people shop at the begining of a month than the end

THERE I BOLDED IT 

there is no shame in getting paid monthly or bimonthly for decades our armed service men and women were paid monthly now they are bi monthly 
partialy because budgeting was very dificult to get to the end of the month 
and many stores knew it and expoited it in areas around bases.

i knew a guy who sold motorcycles and convertion vans made from old utility trucks in the 70s he would send a limo over to great lakes naval on payday , he always kept stock that would be about one months pay check for an enlisted man


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## margoC (Jul 26, 2007)

pastelsummer said:


> welfare wekk is usually said as a derogitory term, to make people on welfare feel bad for "stealing" from hard working people. I prsonally hate the term


People _should_ feel bad for being on entitlements. I regulary see people paying for food with their "dignity cards" and go load them in their escalades with spinners. 

I should post pics so people that don't live in such an entitlement rich area can enjoy them as well.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

margoC said:


> People _should_ feel bad for being on entitlements. I regulary see people paying for food with their "dignity cards" and go load them in their escalades with spinners.
> 
> I should post pics so people that don't live in such an entitlement rich area can enjoy them as well.


:clap::clap::clap: I like your thinking!


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## jlrbhjmnc (May 2, 2010)

soulsurvivor said:


> Our problem with Walmart is finding what we went to the store to purchase. DH went to buy a covered trash can for our kitchen. He asked for assistance and found that the trash cans are located in 5 different areas of the store. ha, and still had to settle for a trashcan he didn't want because they didn't have the one he wanted in stock. He also went to buy a spatter screen for the skillet and they don't sell those as single items now. He had to buy a 2 pack that had 2 different sizes and was priced at $7.98!!!


We are having similar experiences, and it makes it hard to compare values :grump:. I think this is a purposeful strategy.


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

Come to think of it, the dog food has been either picked over or simply not there the last few times I've gone. I don't go often, maybe once or twice a month, and they carry a kind of dog food my dogs like. Same with ladies undergarments--strange to not have packages of them hanging on the pegs. Can't say about food-we don't buy a lot of it there--the vegetables often are either very under-ripe or just over-ripe enough I wont' buy them. And the prices aren't very good on food, either. 

I won't go there just to run in and get two or three things--I"ll go to the local grocery stores or the local Ace hardware. I figure that I'd be burning up any potential savings in gasoline to get to and from WalMart anyway.

It's not my favorite place.


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## stars01 (Jun 24, 2006)

My brother works at Walmart. He was told there are going to be layoffs within the next few weeks. I thought that was strange considering we are going into a holiday season. 



paula


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## PNWest (Mar 15, 2010)

Everytime I walk into a store and the aisles are clogged with huge bins or displays, I WALK OUT.

Our WMmmt is a CLASSIC OFFENDER.

Any store that does not allow 2 carts to pass without bumping, does not get my business.

Imagine the chaos, if people were forced to leave in a hurry. And for what it's worth, I'm a grumpy old woman that votes with my money!


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## sdnapier (Aug 13, 2010)

mpillow said:


> It is welfare week but wow lots of empty shelves...sugar was down to just 2 bags!
> 
> Bought the last 3 cases of quarts and a case of pints and not any Ball brand...Mainstay for $7.88 (Hoping for a moose this week)
> 
> Has anyone used the Mainstay brand canning jars?


Can you get the whole moose into 4 cases?????:nana:


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2010)

sdnapier said:


> Can you get the whole moose into 4 cases?????:nana:


You can if it's 5 gallon jars!!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

No! Not even close! 2# per quart but I have some freezer space...and my sister has some freezer space and 4 dehydrators ready to dry jerky....I may even "corn" some of it...but at this point its just wishful thinking! 
Our butcher friend even stopped by to see if I'd heard from the boys yet this evening...he has a 750# moose hanging in the cooler from another guy we know.
On Tuesday they saw 5 cows but the tag is for a bull.


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## Rainy (Jan 21, 2010)

Our walmart went through and took all the things out of the middle isle's and redid this that and the other.... now they are putting it all back again. I will have to say that our clothing deptmart here looks like a shoved together garage sale. You can't hardly walk or look.LOL The good thing about these last few months at WM is that they have put alot of their clothes on sale for just a $1.They are doing alot of sales right now due to the fact the refinery that hubby works at is in a turnaround or shutdown so to speak and they brought in about 2,000 contractors and their families. So our little town is buzzing...


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

I don't go to Walmart often.... But, now that you mention it.... I did notice there was almost no Sugar on the shelves. ( I usually buy mine , at a restaurant supply,) but I did take notice. I did, however, find long-sleve tee shirts. They were rolled up... not folded or hung. I bought a couple.


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## JanS (Jul 28, 2002)

It's not the end of the world. They stop ordering as much when getting ready for a major overhaul of the shelves, which is what is happening at my Walmart. For instance, the yogurt was just re-done. Some kinds discontinued, new types added, but now the case is back to being full.

Sugar in particular should be stocked soon, the Christmas baking displays are already set up at our Walmart.

Oh, and my husband worked for a large company that employed many people in our area, all of whom were paid on the 15th & 30th, and, I presume, shopped soon after.


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## Louisiana Mom (Oct 15, 2004)

I went last week and the sugar shelves were empty of regular white sugar. They had 2 huge bags on the bottom shelf (like 15 lbs or something) The organic type stuff was there but that was it. Strange...


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## cc (Jun 4, 2006)

FYI - Social Security checks do not just come out on the 3rd of the month like they used to, they come out according to your last name, I know that M comes on the 3rd Wed. of the month. SS shouldn't be clumped in with "welfare checks", we worked many years for what we get!


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2010)

cc said:


> FYI - Social Security checks do not just come out on the 3rd of the month like they used to, they come out according to your last name, I know that M comes on the 3rd Wed. of the month. SS shouldn't be clumped in with "welfare checks", we worked many years for what we get!


If you retired and received benefits before May 1997 the checks are usually sent on the third day of the month. 

If you retired and received benefits after April 1997 the checks are sent on a schedule based on your birthday.

For all Social Security beneficiaries receiving benefits after April 1997: 

If birth date on 1st - 10th: 2nd Wednesday 
If birth date on 11th - 20th: 3rd Wednesday 
If birth date on 21st - 31st: 4th Wednesday


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

PNWest said:


> Everytime I walk into a store and the aisles are clogged with huge bins or displays, I WALK OUT.
> 
> Our WMmmt is a CLASSIC OFFENDER.
> 
> ...


Well, I'll bite...
I muuuucccchhhhh prefer a store that has tons of booty to be had... compared to the opposite, one that has nothing.

When I go 'shoppin', I want to have stuff to choose from, and not empty shelves and empty aisles. I'm 'remembered' of the old Soviet system stores, where you had all the variety in the world, as long as it was the one item the store had. [Or like Henry Ford said, you can have any color model T you want, as long as it's Black]

I hope not, but I do fear, that in our lifetimes, we'll see stores with nothing in them... wishing the stores were more empty is just getting us there faster.

Oh, and I've reached a fine ol age, I reckon, and I've never been in a store when anyone needed to leave in a hurry. Never heard of one... the onliest times there was chaos, was when folks were rushing to get IN a store. [of course, anytime I enter anyplace, private or public, I map out the quickest route OUT of the store ]


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

texican said:


> Well, I'll bite...
> I muuuucccchhhhh prefer a store that has tons of booty to be had...


kind of reminds me of "baby got back" by sir mix o lot, I wont post the lyrics :gaptooth: 

but theres nothing like quoting out of context.. :smiley-laughing013:


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

I've BEEN to Romania about 8 years ago, and I'll tell you what--it was like nothing I've ever seen. If you're one of the nouveau rich over there, you have your pick of the usual upscale stores. But if you're 'middle class' (which is practically non existant) or less, in many places like Texican said--many of the stores are stocked with quite a bit---but there is no selection. You got one brand of canned herring, one brand of laundry soap, one brand of coffee, etc. It may not be 'communist' anymore, technically speaking, but it's a far, far cry from anything like the emptiest of Wal Mart stores here.


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

I want to know why sugar is so high at Walmart? I was going to grab some and a few other things last week when I was getting a prescription, and it was $3.39 for a four-pound bag!  I know there was some talk about a shortage a while back and thought that must be it and just didn't buy any as I still had some at home. But I went in Reasor's, and they had it for $2.39 for a five-pound bag...and another local store, Warehouse Market, had it for $1.99 for a five-pound bag...so what's the deal with the high price at Walmart, anyone know?

Come to think of it, I was going to buy a little can of sliced black olives a few weeks ago, and they were $1.49 at Walmart...again ! I figured there must be a shortage on them, but went down the road to Warehouse Market and bought the exact same can of olives for 59 cents! I've decided I'm through with them. They've done away with all the reasons I used to have for shopping there, other than my prescriptions, and keep raising the prices every week, and now several other places have the $4-5 prescriptions, so I'm out, sheesh.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

||Downhome|| said:


> kind of reminds me of "baby got back" by sir mix o lot, I wont post the lyrics :gaptooth:
> 
> but theres nothing like quoting out of context.. :smiley-laughing013:


Anytime I say booty, it's in 'treasure booty' (needful things) or a pair of insulated booties, and not now or ever as in a 'booty call'... 

I included the entire post, so I'm scratchin my beard wonderin' how I misquoted... 

In my minds eye, a crowded store is a full store... the closer the aisles are, the more 'booty' is to be had, the further away, the less.

When I do find myself in a narrow aisle, or approaching a choke point, I defer to pretty much everyone (alas, I was cursed at birth with an incurable disease, which is frowned upon these days, and that is being a gentleman), regardless or race, sex, creed, or whatever.

As I favor the free market (multitudinous variety) over the state market (one variety of shoe, shirt, cup, bread, bean, etc.) I'll not apologize for enjoying the fruits of capitalism.


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## JuliaAnn (Dec 7, 2004)

I usually stand aside and let people pass too, but not for such an altruistic reason, I'm afraid.... I stand aside while all the... uh... uhmmmm.... how to put this?...... idiots? rush and crowd past me. Once the clog of pedestrians with carts passes, I resume shopping.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

aye matey I know what your meaning was. I could not resist though.


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## cc (Jun 4, 2006)

ladycat said:


> If you retired and received benefits before May 1997 the checks are usually sent on the third day of the month.
> 
> If you retired and received benefits after April 1997 the checks are sent on a schedule based on your birthday.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info, I really thought it was by 1st letter of last name. I was told by somebody at the SS office that they had changed everyone to the staggered schedule. Since we retired in 2001 and our birthdays are close together both of ours come the same day. Guess who ever told me that was wrong. Now I know the reason behind the way checks are paid. So much about the SS program is confusing and their site doesn't help much, must have been written by lawyers who get paid by the word!


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Rumor has it that a lot of Walmarts are downsizing and going mostly to groceries, they're trying to jump on the Eat Local and Eat Seasonal bandwagon. They are also cutting out more 'middlemen' and working directly with factories and farms.
(I read this in the latest Capitol Press, an agricultural newspaper).

We seldom shop the Walmart and Target type stores partly because of the 'poisonous' fumes coming off the clothes, linens and toys. (I leave coughing and eyes burning) and because they're carrying less of the generic type items that we were purchasing when they first opened here..Laundry soap, TP, Contact solution etc.

We now drive to a small farming town and spend our hard earned money there...we'd rather drive the 30 miles roundtrip to help keep the town and it's businesses alive, than fall into the Walmart/Target trap. Besides we always find likeminded folks in that small town, we can talk about what's important.. pickups, crops, weather and the rising cost of feed.


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