Several months ago, there were people left in the United States that felt the economic downturn was a fluke. Certainly there were people in the state of North Dakota that felt we were unaffected by it. More recently, however, it has become apparent that even the Podunk towns of North Dakota are feeling the crunch.
Everyone knows that when times get tough, every family cuts things from their budget. They trade in nice dinners out for quick dinners that come in a paper sack. New jeans come from Gordmans or Kohls, rather than The Buckle or Gap. People change hair salons, mechanic shops, even doctors in some extreme cases. These are all changes that seem normal and expected when the economy takes a turn for the worse.
A change that isn’t “normal” and certainly was not expected has to do with where people buy their toiletries: those things like paper towels, toilet paper, soap and shampoo, and pet food; and their groceries. During the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009, Target stores across the nation have seen a marked decline in patronage, while Wal-Mart stores are reveling in 4% increases.
Why, do you ask? It’s because Wal-Mart has long marketed themselves as a discount store, a store where everything costs less. Their newest advertising campaigns are no different.
We’ve all seen the commercials where the lady saves over $700 a year by purchasing her weekly groceries (milk, eggs, cheese, potato chips, etc.) at Wal-Mart. How enticing is an ad like that to a family that is barely scraping by?
Or what about the ads where the parent is able to prepare their child for school by getting them a quality laptop and “cool” clothes at prices that don’t break the family bank? We all know how important it is as a teenager to feel that you belong.
For my home, I do the majority of my shopping at Wal-Mart and have realized significant savings over the last year or so.
I think Wal-Mart has done some great ads over the years. If you ever want to know what issue was considered a hot topic in a particular year, check out what type of ads Wal-Mart was running. Their advertising team has always been responsive to what the country is talking about. They have run the gamut from going green to saving the average family thousands each year. Even though they are a huge corporation, Wal-Mart does well appealing to people from all walks of life.
Because last week was the week we were supposed to discuss advertisements, I want to clarify that Wal-Mart is not only successful because of their advertising campaigns. They are successful because they are a well-rounded company that cares. In 2006, Wal-Mart was named the largest corporate donor of cash, giving over $272 million to charities across the globe. They hold annual fundraisers to raise money for school supplies for children in need. They have even co-oped with the Children's Miracle Network. How can any good American not love a store that does all this and still saves us money?!
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WOW everything you stated in your article is so true. Everything is changing and changing very quickly in out society. I am not a big Wal Mart Shopper I am more of a Target, but yes I totally agree Wal Mart has done a wonderful job with the advertisments and that is one reason they have been very successful compared to other competitors. Wal Mart does lots more than people actually give them credit for I think and its a wonderful thing. I hope that more and more people will see this and give Wal Mart a chance including myself. Great Blog!!
ReplyDeleteAll political debates aside, I do shop at WalMart more than I would care to admit (we just got one in our podunk town last year, so it's still pretty novel to be able to get the things they carry in our locale).
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have to disagree that WalMart is ALWAYS the best deal. I think people have been very well conditioned to believe that WalMart is the best deal by the company's very effective advertising, branding, and marketing efforts. But I have found on many occasions that getting something on sale somewhere else is actually cheaper than WalMart's everyday low price. And this is especially true of shopping at SAM'S CLUB. I have found the majority of things sold there are actually cheaper to buy in smaller quantities at WalMart itself.
I have also found that the prices at Target for household items such as the things you mentioned, are actually only pennies more (literally only a few cents difference) than the prices at WalMart. I find when I go into WalMart, I start to feel a headache and some kind of anxiety and panic coming on and by the time I leave the massive box, I am totally drained. I have much less stress shopping at my local grocery store or Target. And I don't tend to buy as many things I didn't come in to the store for at those other stores. I am perpetually putting things in my cart at WalMart that I did not intend to buy when I walked in the door--which actually costs me more instead of saving me more. But it sure helps WalMart's bottom line--to a tune of 4%!
I will admit I shop at walmart alot, and to get things,like you mentioned, household supplies, dog food, soaps, etc. I dont buy things like food or clothes but because they have everything its easier to shop their, rather than going to 10 different places to get exactly what you need.
ReplyDeleteI just hope that all this good PR isnt a cover up for all the bad PR they had with the Child Slavery stuff that happend. I hope that they found a different way of producing their products.
Walmart is a major discount store and should be taken advantage of at a time like this. You can save so much by getting your groceries and other supplies at Walmart. I shop at Walmart all the time. There are certian products that I will get in town at the grocery store or at Pamida or a Family Dollar, but most things go on list for the next time I go to Walmart. If more people shopped at Walmart rather than going to a more expensive brand store I bet we would be in a little better condition financial wise.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that Wal-Mart has stayed true to their original mission of providing need items to people at economical pricing.
ReplyDeleteNot long ago I watched a special on the business channel on their operations. It was amazing! Nothing is taken for granted and everything is evaluated to make sure that they can continue to offer discount pricing.
Now the new marketing campaign is targeting more affluent people who realize that everyone needs to economize not just the middle class. The PR director explained that their biggest growth in sales has come from households with incomes over 125,000 a year. That these are the homes where they are selling their large screen tvs, computers and the high end market items, still at discount pricing, and making a profit.
Interesting!