Loss Leader Listings

[Taitertots]

Is there any way to find out and list the items that Walmart sells at a loss or at cost?

That way a website could be created that allowed conscientious shoppers to rake Walmart over the coals with shopping carts filled with loss items.

This would work better at Sam's Club, where you could go once or twice a month and stock up on below cost items.

Basically use the invisible hand of the market to bitch slap Walmart by using their competition busting tactics against them.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. doubt you can find that online, it changes sale by sale...

stick to buying only what's in the ads really cheap. They put things on sale to lure you in thinking that you will purchase other items at the same time.

[david13]

2. Dude, I realy don't know where you been. I've been doing this

for about 40 years now. As does anybody who wants the lowest prices.
The main problem is that the human race and particularly the american comsumer is ... lazy. And won't go to more than one store.
You buy all the cheap items at your first stop, then ignore the high priced items. Same at the next 1 or 2 stores, and thus you get all the loss leaders, as best you can.
It is impossible to find out what their cost is, as they buy in such volume they get super discounts. Usually they take little or no loss that way.
Mom and pop stores, buying the smallest of quantities pay top price and have to charge top price. Does not help the consumer.
This process is part of an economic reality called 'the economies of scale'.
There is a certain optimum volume you can manufacture and deal in to optimize the delivery system at the lowest possible price. Do that and everybody benefits.
But because of laziness or limited time most people get all their items at one store. Also, more stores means more gas, more driving, more air pollution, more accidents, more congestion on the road. I avoid that by riding a bicycle, but then my carrying capacity is limited.
I thought this debate was settled 35 years ago.
dc

[Taitertots]

3. I'm talking about something different

You are buying what is the cheapest for You. I want to buy what is the most expensive for Walmart.

What Walmart sells for the cheapest, doesn't mean they don't have high margins on it. They could undercut Mom and Pop while still making high profit margins.

By having a website with a following, the data could be extrapolated to what items have low profit margins.

It is not about saving you money per se, it is about breaking Walmart.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

5. no offense...but breaking walmart by PURCHASING anything

is not going to work...they don't offer enough items of that nature to be able to be brought down in that manner...

sP

[xchrom]

4. it should be possible to compile that data --

there are possible complications because a lot of items are purchased overseas -- but i'm guessing the wholesale data exists.

one post in this thread exmplifies how americans work against their own economic interests -- big box stores have largely reduced economic diversity in this country with their 'low prices'.

taking away two economic opportunities -- one for people who want to work in manufacturing of some sort and second by destroying the 'mom and pop' operation.
it all goes hand in hand with the declining wages that's been in place since the 70s.