Yes. I am! I love shopping at Walmart. I have been poorly judged on my decision to shop at this ginormous vault of discount goodies and slashed prices. And I don’t care.
Yes. Walmart IS one of my shopping happy places! I’m also proud to admit this.
When I’m in France, I love shopping in various boutiques both high-end and lower-end. I get all excited knowing that I will be shopping at Rondini for great sandals and on the other hand, I can’t wait to get to Geant hypermarche because I am fully aware that I can grab a well-padded bathing suit top for as low at 5 euros.
And my favorite department store in the USA is Nordstrom.
I may have hated working here, but as a customer, I LOVE Nordstrom. It really is the only department store I shop in these days.
Before it went out of business, my favorite department store was B. Altman on the corner of 34th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City.
B. Altman–there was no greater store…
And it was the best store for children’s clothing. I remember dressing like this as a child. It’s too bad that kids no longer wear nice ensembles like this….
Running a close second place was Best & Company, which also met a sad retail demise.
Best & Co. one of my mother’s favorite stores. Why can’t we bring dressing like this back?
And back in those days people held the “Five and Dime” stores such as Woolworth’s, Newberry’s and McCrory’s in a higher esteem than they do Walmart.
McCrory’s was a great 5 & 10 cent store. I loved rummaging around the shop in Ewing, NJ..
..Newberry’s was also epic. I purchased my first lipstick at Newberry’s in Bay Shore, NY when I was 13 years old!
…but the mother of ALL five and dime’s was Woolworth’s! You never knew what you would find for less than a buck!
I’m gonna be straight with you here. The average Walmart employee earns from $9.00 to around $13.00 an hour—depending on full-time or part-time positions.
When I was at Nordstrom, I earned straight commission. However, if I did not make commission, I then received a $9.00 an hour salary. But—I did make as low as $7.00 an hour depending on the amount of returns that were held against my commission.
At least Walmart employees don’t have to worry about commission. So does Walmart really treat their staff that badly? There are worse establishments to work in.
True. None of the employees here need to worry about commission or returns. And that is a great thing to not have to worry about!
The Walton family also may be on the “right” side of the political table, but the Walton Family Foundation built the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville Arkansas. Seriously—if a family loves the arts and culture enough to create a museum for American artists—well, they can’t be all bad now. My politics may be on the opposite side of this family, but their efforts to support the arts brings a certain amount of bipartisanship between them and me.
Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas. An homage to the American Artist…
...showcasing great paintings such as “The Life of a Hunter–A Tight Fix” by Arthur Fitzwilliam
That being said. I love shopping at Walmart because I save a ton of money. Yes. The Walton Family helps in contributing our trips to France every year by allowing us to save tons of cash on groceries and basics.
Did you know that I was able to find CLEAR Vanilla extract at Walmart? No other grocery stores in my area sell it—and this is needed to make the Momofuku Birthday Cake! I hit gold. I also get my canned cherries for Bonaparte’s beloved Clafoutis at Walmart.
..and although it may be imitation vamilla, you can’t tell the difference once it is incorporated into the recipe!
Other staples in my pantry, such as rice paper, rice flour, and almond flour can be found at a far less price than at Wegmans.
Less than two bucks at Walmart. I make my spring rolls from this gluten-free rice paper.
Bonaparte LIVES for the white chocolate Magnum ice cream bars. Walmart has the lowest price I’ve ever seen.
Here’s a photo of the groceries and other items we bought at Walmart earlier today. The total bill came to less than $100.00. Had we purchased all this at any other grocery store, the bill would have been about $20.00 more.
I have no issues buying groceries at Walmart. The magic is up to the cook–not the store! These items would have cost a lot more at Wegman’s, Acme or any other local supermarket!
My drugstore cosmetics are a lot less expensive. Look at the Covergirl Outlast Lip Cover. It was $7.24 at Walmart. At other drugstores the price on this lip color can range between ten and twelve bucks. You’re welcome!
I’m a huge fan of the Covergirl Outlast lip color. It DOES stay on for a long time and Walmart not only has the best price, but has a great selection. Mascara and eyeliner are also great buys here as well!
OK–so the display isn’t the most pleasing, but the selection of hair accessories is astounding!
See the macaron on this t-shirt for little girls? It is absolutely adorbs. At a high end store it would be upwards of $25.00. You just know how pretentious those upscale mommies can be. They would kill to have their little girls in a shirt like this. Well guess what? The working class mommies can have their daughters dressed in a more French chic this year at school! Thank you Walmart!
If Walmart had this shirt when Oona was a child, it would have been hers. Oh lalala Walmart!
My adoration for low-end-high-end never ceases. And in order to carry the leather Longchamp bags that I adore so much, I’ll purchase smaller accessories at Walmart.
For example—those hoop earrings that I love so much. Why on earth would I spend hundreds of dollars on them when I can purchase an entire card of hoops for less than five bucks. Believe me. If anyone dares to come up close and personal to inspect my earrings, they are entering into my private space and I will get physical to make them exit my personal space. Nobody can get close enough to me to be able to tell these earrings are dirt cheap.
In addition, I am the queen of misplacing earrings. If I misplace an inexpensive pair–it is nothing to stress about. The necklaces to the left are perfect for vacations because you don’t have to worry about ruining “good” jewelry while swimming or touring!
I don’t care what kinds of people shop at Walmart and I don’t judge. Many Walmart shoppers cannot afford to shop at upscale stores or fancy name-brand supermarkets. So what’s wrong about the Walmart shoppers? Just because they look different doesn’t mean they aren’t nice people.
Personally, I think this older woman’s get up looks no different than those ensembles of the oftentimes “Advanced Style” site. Challenge me if you don’t believe me! And look how happy she is! What’s so bad about the socks and boots on the woman in the photo on the right? Don’t judge a book by her cover!
I actually feel safer in a Walmart store than in a mall. Why? You ask. Well, because if some nut comes in to bang, bang, shoot ’em up at random, I know that somewhere in another section of Walmart, is a guy or woman with a bigger weapon just waiting for their moment to become a hero! I rest my case!
I have never and I mean never come across a rude employee at my local Walmart. The Walmart in Norristown rocks!
I can find inspirational quotes at Walmart.
Now THIS is not only inspirational, but it is a very pragmatic quote!
During the holidays, Walmart has the best stuff! The embellishments for Christmas wrappings are ridiculously inexpensive. In addition, fancy stores are very stingy with their gift boxes. At Walmart, you can get a ton of boxes for next to nothing. What’s in the box is more important anyway!
Walmart is my Christmas wonderland….
…and I load up on the great and very real poinsettias that Walmart has available every Christmas season!
Although I won’t purchase shoes or bags at Walmart, I’ve purchased bathing suits, underwear and some seriously cute shift dresses!
Walmart has GREAT shapewear. Less expensive than SPANX and sucks the fat in!
Walmart has, hands down, the best back-to-school supplies selection and prices. I wish the kids were still in school just so that I could load up on loose-leaf paper, rulers, highlighters and scientific calculators!
I have no idea what these are, but they were in the school supply area, I almost bought one because I like the 88 cent price!
This electronic calculator is eight bucks at Walmart. It’s so …scientific!!!!!
While waiting on the line at the cashier, I can find exotic gourmandise snacks to go with some intellectual reading…
I don’t care HOW long I have to wait on the line as long as I get to munch on a bag of these while reading…..
…..this! Obviously the Walton family are not Hillary fans. I sure as shit hope they ain’t supporting Trump!
I am not a snob. Nor am I an elitist. I go where the bargains are. And they are here.
And even though I usually make sure I look nice when I go shopping at Walmart or any other store…
Whether it is Nordstrom or Walmart, I always like to look nice when I’m shopping. Pearls to look classic. A denim jacket to be on-trend. Neutral makeup…makes me feel good. But…
It warms my heart to know that I can go shopping at Walmart dressed like this and nobody will give me a second glance!
….if need be, I can leave the house like this and know that I can enter through the automatic glass doors of Walmart to get a tube of toothpaste and nobody will think I’m weird–I’ll fit right in! I love Walmart!
And speaking of school supplies, Walmart has the best back-to-school commercial. Whitesnake–can you believe it????????? I got chills! Chills!
When I was in high school lunch at the Woolworth’s counter was still acceptable, although probably not the coolest thing ever. Still they have great sandwiches for cheap!
Any five and dime with a food counter is epic. My personal lunch fave is Grilled cheese and a glass of chocolate milk. Oh Heaven! BTW, I got a Seville wig from Ace. I’m bringing it to Adam on Saturday to have the bangs trimmed. I love the wig. It’s so natural and I got it for ninety-two bucks! XOXOXO!!!
Awesome! Be VERY CAREFUL using Ace Wigs though. The owner is a scammer. I’ve paid for wigs from him that simply never arrived, and when I would try to call and talk to him about it he would hang up then never answer the phone. LOTS of others out there with similar stories, some that are even worse.
Thanks for the heads up on that Cynthia. After I ordered the wig I got really nervous because I read a ton of bad reviews on the company. I ended up receiving the wig less than a week. I got lucky. I’ve been checking out Brand Name Wigs on your referral on one of your posts. I”ve been checking out Sam’s–those are dirt cheap wigs!!!
I’m going to upload one in a bit showing how to spruce up the shorties that are so cheap 😉 The long ones I don’t have as much luck with.
Hey Catherine, are there any cheap wig stores near you? You know, the kind of stores that sell wigs and ‘genuine’ (yeah right!) Victoria’s Secret fragrances for cheap? I used to buy all my wigs from these cheapo stores. All my wigs were long curly/wavy ginger ones – they almost looked like my real hair. I’ve never paid more than £20 for a wig – and I never had reason to complain about the quality. They also always let me try on the wigs in a back room when I asked for privacy to try them on. I’m sure you could easily find simple, natural looking black wigs for cheap in these stores. And don’t forget to buy a cheap detangling spray for quick and easy maintenance of your wig! xx
Hi Strawberry! Yes. There is a wig store about a mile from me. And they are cheap. I’m going to head over there later this week. I want to get a cheapo lace front to play with. I want to cut the lace and do that tweezer thing to make a more natural part! I don’t want to experiment with a good one! XOXOXO!!!
Yay! Let me know how it works out. xx
I LOVE Walmart! Some of my best household and clothing purchases come from there, and I get a crazy ton of compliments on those items. I also stock up on my art supplies, they have good quality and great prices.
Lori. I LOVE Walmart. I’m a bit upset right now because I just received a copyright infringement notice from a post that I wrote a long time ago. I had a PUBLIC pic of a chili place. 99.9 percent of my pics are mine. Can you believe this? I’m trying to iron this mess out. Shit like this makes me appreciate the people of Walmart so much more than that of self-righteous assholes! Long live Walmart!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
That’s crazy! They should be thankful for publicity instead of going after you! The world is full of idiots. I’m sorry you have to deal with this.
From a corporation or some self important person? Just remove the pic and ignore it. Read this! – http://copyright-infringement-notice.com/
Some self-important guy who thinks he’s Bonaparte’s grandfather! WordPress took the photo down. Just my luck the one time I do that without mentioning the photo’s creator and I get called out—and the post is almost a year old. Oh well, a lesson learned! XOXOXO!!
That last pic….Love it and YOU!!!! Maybe one of these days our carts will collide in an aisle at Walmart!!! I happily shop there!!! 😄
Linda. I would welcome the fact if our Walmart carts collided!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
XOXO 😘😘😘😘😘
The very first Walmart I ever went into was in Hawaii, we were with an American friend and I needed a hairdryer, he took us to Walmart. I had never been there before, this was 1996, a British girl who knew nothing of Walmart or what it sold! I was blown away by the amazing fish counter, I still remember it today, we bought everything for a perfect picnic and then headed to a small deserted beach! Living in Florida far more recently I did become a huge Nordstrom fan in the past few years and here in France I am a Galleries Lafayette fan! But then again I also love the bargains in Monoprix!
I’m also a fan of Galleries Lafayette–but I also love shopping in the little boutiques along Rue Bonaparte! And Monop!! OMG. It’s gotten expensive over the years, but the deals are still there!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Shamelessly Hilarious! Walmart…ah, Walmart…it certainly has everything. After coming from a NYC retail background where there was no Walmart and moving West, I was amazed that you could go to one store and purchase shampoo, a bicycle lock, tinsel for the Christmas tree and cake mix in one fell swoop…one stop shopping…bizarre yet perfect for keeping all the balls juggled in the air. This is a very funny post…funny and true…doesn’t get any better than that. Thanks!
Exactly!!! WHERE else can you go to carry on with one-stop shopping??? I LOVE Walmart because of that. I can go into Walmart for eggs and come out with a can of paint or a TV set!! Walmart rocks!!!XOXOXOXO!!!
It’s so nice to read a positive post about Walmart. My husband has worked there for 20 years, and it is also one of my favorite places to shop as well. You are right about their grocery and beauty prices. The Walmart near me also has a huge selection of organic food and products priced well below other organic stores. Thank you for making me laugh, and reminding me that I am not the only one who loves Walmart!
Oh. My daughter works in Bentonville, Arkansas. The first time I went into a corporate Walmart, I almost kissed the ground. The store was amazing. The produce was incredibly good, the meats were excellent, and I was able to load up on shampoo, toothpaste and fake tan. What’s not to love??? I don’t like the elitist tone that some people have. Walmart is a great store!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Brilliant post! And what’s wrong with Walmart?? Here in the UK people can be supermarket snobs too. I love to shop at Asda, Tesco, Home Bargains, Bargain Buys, B+M Bargains, Poundland, Poundworld… you get the idea. 😉
And I know I’m financially better off than every single one of my snobbish colleagues who moan about every bill they have to pay – while I’m saving wads of cash every time I shop.
Long live the discount stores!!
Hi Strawberry. Right????? Discount stores are a necessity. If snobs don’t like them, fine–but don’t disrespect the people who DO shop there!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Exactly!
I LOVE Walmart and I also go to Paris twice a year – how’s that for a stereotype? LOL!
The first supercenter/hypermarche I ever encountered was back in the day in Annecy – it was a Prisunic (later acquired by Monoprix) and I was in heaven. Living in Chicago, there was nothing like that anywhere in the city.
Monoprix is my happy place in Paris and my first stop to supply the apartment. Not WM cheap but they have a great selection and I don’t have to run all over the place.
Oh.Joanie. I LOVE that you go to Paris AND Walmart. LOL. When I’m in France–whether Paris or other parts, I’m constantly looking for the cheapy bargains. That’s why I love CityPharma, Geant Casino and Monoprix so much. I feel so at home!! There’s another place on Rue du Rennes but there’s more of them La Vaissellerie that has a ton of cheap kitchen stuff. I love that place! XOXOXOXOXO!!!
Nothing wrong with discount shops – I figure if you have a set of rules that you live by then it applies to any shop of any type (they treat the staff well, the staff are happy and pleasant to the customers and each other, the place is clean and cared for) then it is up to you – who can tell once you have taken the price tag off where you got something??? I read the labels in posh shops as much as the bargain shops – posh shops can sell crap things. As for buying foodstuffs – again, read the label and the date. I like making most food from scratch, the posh shops do not necessarily sell better – just better known, at least in the UK.
My 88yr old mother is a raging shop-snob, my sister and I still get excited when we go into a discount place – we really feel like naughty kids that have snuck out of school – umpteen years later we still get a kick out of this small act of rebellion
Hi Juliet! Oh. I have friends that are somewhat shop snobby. But every now and then I can see their eyes light up when they see a good bargain! I agree that sometimes the posher shops can sell garbage but it’s more like pedigreed junk because of the price point!! I need to do some discount shopping soon! XOXOXOXO!!!
Hi Catherine, I have been shopping on Walmart online since arriving here. I bought a fabulous table lamp that was $53 and over $200 on other sites. (It looks fab with the mid century Danish pottery I have bought on eBay.) Also found Italian shampoo to somehow get back to my daughter in Australia that is so expensive there and also sells here at Barneys!!! Yes. As we do not have a car I bought a year’s worth of laundry stuff as the top loading machine in our apartment assisted with the extremely hard water is my absolute nemesis. Forget missing my children – its my Asko front loader I want. I realise Walmart is replicating the Amazon model as it does not stock these products but goes to secondary suppliers. I did go to Walmart in DC on 1st and was very disappointed as expected to see lots of interesting people – but will keep trying. Have to go there soon as an assistant in a fashion chain (I was buying a AC DC tshirt with Angus cira 1974 in seventies surfie powder blue for my son and all the cousins in Aus) was wearing a great tshirt of Spongebob and pineapples which he told me he bought at Walmart.
On another matter I am in Room 101 with your blog – I get nothing even on Bloglovin’. Are you not allowed to stick my email on your list somehow so it is delivered to me. Anyway, I will follow you on Instagram.
Your musical knowledge continues to astound me. We saw Rickie Lee Jones at the Sixth and I synagogue last Saturday. Amazing concert and last time we saw her was at the Sydney Hordern Pavilion in 1985.
Cheers
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne. I saw your pic on IG of Rickie Lee Jones. I LOVE HER!!! And thought she dropped off the face of the earth. I’m glad to know she’s still kickin’ it around musically. You know, someone else had an issue with the email thingy for subscribing. If you go to the sidebar on my blog page scroll to the top. On the right hand side you can subscribe via email. I don’t get much love from Bloglovin’. I think the site is hard to navigate–or maybe I’m just a moron–LOL!!
I just got back from Walmart. Picked up some decent produce for my WW journey to leanness!! Oh….and I’m looking forward to the holiday home decor because I can get very similar pillows, throws that are at Crate and Barrel for tons more money!!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!
I tried subscribing via email weeks ago as that is my usual way to subscribe, not Bloglovin. But I never get the confirmation email. I get directed to WordPress and this is the message:
“Trouble Activating?
If you’ve signed up for an account but haven’t gotten an activation email, just enter the email address you used to sign up and we’ll resend the activation for you.”
Then I do that and get:
“We were unable to fetch your activation record. Are you sure you specified the email address you signed up with?”
So I truly give up.
When should I look out for the holiday home decor as I need pillows (I think that is what we call cushions) for my new couch? Is it the Labour Day weekend?
Cheers
Y