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So you saved $4.40 to go to Walmart. * There's a non-zero chunk of the population not near a Walmart or similar. * It costs time to go there * It costs vehic

So you saved $4.40 to go to Walmart. * There's a non-zero chunk of the population not near a Walmart or similar. * It costs time to go there * It costs vehicle depreciation So if you were going to Walmart anyway, or walked there with nothing better to do you saved the money. But if you didn't then let's say the average wage is $25/hour or so and you spent 30 minutes there and back, and fully loaded vehicle depreciation is 50 cents/mile and it's 5 miles away then you spent $17.50 to go there. I totally realize we could argue all this back and forth but just pointing out that most of the time the "savings" aren't real if you value your time and transport. And yes, I realize most people don't value their time and treat their transport as a sunk cost even if it isn't entirely. edit: I was assuming going to walmart in person as opposed to online, because that's what most people appear to do but I'm happy to be wrong :-)

shawabawa3 8y ago
You can order online from walmart right? I assume that's what he meant
- arbuge 8y ago
  Yes, it is.
bgorman 8y ago
Walmart actually has a pretty good online shopping experience. They even give free 2 day shipping on orders of 35 or more IIRC.
- twothamendment 8y ago
  Twice I've gone to walmart.com to load up my cart and get free shipping. Both times I ended up leaving empty handed because I got to the checkout and one or more items didn't qualify for free shipping. I get that there will be exceptions, but they could sure work on telling me that before I get halfway through the checkout. In both cases I ended up back on amazon.
Finbarr 8y ago
Walmart has a major online shopping portal that competes directly with amazon. My assumption is the OP was talking about buying online from Walmart, particularly given the other example was eBay.
- arbuge 8y ago
  Correct.
etatoby 8y ago
I suppose GP used some Walmart e-commerce site, otherwise they would be comparing apples to oranges.
Bartweiss 8y ago
I agree with this, but it's also true that until recently Amazon usually had all those advantages and lower prices. The change is meaningful both as a revealed strategy, and as a new datapoint about the fear of stores becoming "Amazon showrooms". For quite a while, it's been true that even after you're at Walmart or Target, comparing multiple items you couldn't evaluate well online, it was cheaper to drive home empty-handed and buy from Amazon - which is obviously unsustainable for someone. If that ceases to be true, we might see a more natural dichotomy where stores retain an edge on "see it in person" and "want it now" items while drawing back on their competition "any one will do, whenever" goods that are more convenient via Amazon.
- SteveCoast 8y ago
  I agree if the prices are now really higher. They don't "feel" higher to me. Here's cat litter that's $17.49 (one of the root comments mentioned this but it might not be the identical product): https://camelcamelcamel.com/Dr-Elseys-Premium-Clumping-Litter/product/B0009X29WK?context=search https://camelcamelcamel.com/Dr-Elseys-Premium-Clumping-Litte... Looks like the price has been going sideways for 4 years with some noise up and down, and before that, come down a lot?
  - alyandon 8y ago
    I buy that exact litter on a regular basis from Amazon. What happens is that Amazon periodically runs out of stock and the price jumps because all of the 3rd party sellers have much higher prices than Amazon.
elhudy 8y ago
You did a great job nailing the fiscal loss associated with going to Walmart - but with those aside, I would gladly pay $5 to not have to show face at Walmart.
- tjr225 8y ago
  Amazon is equally repulsive.
  - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
    As a company, yes. As a customer experience, not really. At Walmart, I have to interact with employees who never seem happy to be there. A good quarter have no real reason to do more than minimum. I have to wait in line most times. Now, it has been over 5 years since I've had a walmart in the same country as I am, but I remember the horribleness of 2am walmart, mostly because they would only open one or two registers, no matter line length. I also have to deal with other customers. That can be worse. Amazon? I click a few times, possibly put in some information, and I wait for my package.
    - tjr225 8y ago
      > Amazon? I click a few times, possibly put in some information, and I wait for my package. You can do the exact same thing at walmart.com - not that I advocate shopping with either company.
      - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
        I was pretty sure the comment was referring to going to a physical store. Doesn't actually matter much to me anymore - I now live in a country with no wal-mart and no native Amazon. I'm pretty sure one doesn't ship here and when the other does, they usually are expensive (shipping) and do not include Norway's Vat in the price.
    - vel0city 8y ago
      To be honest, with the growth of self-checkout at Walmart the times I actually interact with a Walmart employee directly is now probably close to 30%.

shawabawa3 8y ago

You can order online from walmart right? I assume that's what he meant

arbuge 8y ago
Yes, it is.

bgorman 8y ago

Walmart actually has a pretty good online shopping experience. They even give free 2 day shipping on orders of 35 or more IIRC.

twothamendment 8y ago
Twice I've gone to walmart.com to load up my cart and get free shipping. Both times I ended up leaving empty handed because I got to the checkout and one or more items didn't qualify for free shipping. I get that there will be exceptions, but they could sure work on telling me that before I get halfway through the checkout. In both cases I ended up back on amazon.

Finbarr 8y ago

Walmart has a major online shopping portal that competes directly with amazon. My assumption is the OP was talking about buying online from Walmart, particularly given the other example was eBay.

arbuge 8y ago
Correct.

etatoby 8y ago

I suppose GP used some Walmart e-commerce site, otherwise they would be comparing apples to oranges.

Bartweiss 8y ago

I agree with this, but it's also true that until recently Amazon usually had all those advantages and lower prices. The change is meaningful both as a revealed strategy, and as a new datapoint about the fear of stores becoming "Amazon showrooms". For quite a while, it's been true that even after you're at Walmart or Target, comparing multiple items you couldn't evaluate well online, it was cheaper to drive home empty-handed and buy from Amazon - which is obviously unsustainable for someone. If that ceases to be true, we might see a more natural dichotomy where stores retain an edge on "see it in person" and "want it now" items while drawing back on their competition "any one will do, whenever" goods that are more convenient via Amazon.

SteveCoast 8y ago
I agree if the prices are now really higher. They don't "feel" higher to me. Here's cat litter that's $17.49 (one of the root comments mentioned this but it might not be the identical product): https://camelcamelcamel.com/Dr-Elseys-Premium-Clumping-Litter/product/B0009X29WK?context=search https://camelcamelcamel.com/Dr-Elseys-Premium-Clumping-Litte... Looks like the price has been going sideways for 4 years with some noise up and down, and before that, come down a lot?
- alyandon 8y ago
  I buy that exact litter on a regular basis from Amazon. What happens is that Amazon periodically runs out of stock and the price jumps because all of the 3rd party sellers have much higher prices than Amazon.

elhudy 8y ago

You did a great job nailing the fiscal loss associated with going to Walmart - but with those aside, I would gladly pay $5 to not have to show face at Walmart.

tjr225 8y ago
Amazon is equally repulsive.
- Broken_Hippo 8y ago
  As a company, yes. As a customer experience, not really. At Walmart, I have to interact with employees who never seem happy to be there. A good quarter have no real reason to do more than minimum. I have to wait in line most times. Now, it has been over 5 years since I've had a walmart in the same country as I am, but I remember the horribleness of 2am walmart, mostly because they would only open one or two registers, no matter line length. I also have to deal with other customers. That can be worse. Amazon? I click a few times, possibly put in some information, and I wait for my package.
  - tjr225 8y ago
    > Amazon? I click a few times, possibly put in some information, and I wait for my package. You can do the exact same thing at walmart.com - not that I advocate shopping with either company.
    - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
      I was pretty sure the comment was referring to going to a physical store. Doesn't actually matter much to me anymore - I now live in a country with no wal-mart and no native Amazon. I'm pretty sure one doesn't ship here and when the other does, they usually are expensive (shipping) and do not include Norway's Vat in the price.
  - vel0city 8y ago
    To be honest, with the growth of self-checkout at Walmart the times I actually interact with a Walmart employee directly is now probably close to 30%.