Superstores Versus Neighborhood Supermarkets

I've wanted to know how much grocery shoppers save at WalMart compared to their neighborhood supermarket. Or is there a difference?

Apples to Apples

I randomly picked and then made a list of a dozen grocery items to compare. Three were in the produce departments: apples, spring mixed salad greens, and slicing tomatoes. I was surprised to see two United Foods employees checking produce prices. “We do this every week,” one told me.

I'll come out ahead at WalMart I thought, especially when I noticed apples for 99¢ per pound. Wrong. Later at home, comparing pound for pound and package for package, United’s produce cost 3¢ less than Walmart’s.

Who has the crème de la crème?

United also undercut WalMart on Plains Dairy whipping cream by 9¢. But it wasn't easy to compare other whipping cream brands. WalMart handles Gandy’s, while United Foods stocks Red River Farm’s whipping cream at 2¢ more per 8-ounce carton.

Two cents makes little difference between products, but quality does. I recently bought a carton of Red River Farm’s whipping cream, and had to use scissors to open it. How annoying when trying to make supper in a hurry. It’s also potentially dangerous. A person using a knife to pry the spout open could slit a hand open instead. In reporting the defective packaging problem on United’s Website, a glitch prevented my sending the message. More time wasted. I phoned. United’s phone rep apologized, but 

didn't ask for product identification or batch numbers. Strange.

What is Service Worth?

On the other hand, United Food’s store employees make up for the unprofessional telephone worker. They excel in service. And what’s that worth? A panhandler approached me in WallMart’s parking lot today. With a strong employee presence at a United Foods facility, would that man have been so brazen?  

All in All

Differences between the two store’s grocery prices balanced. I purchased a number of generic products and plan taste tests. That may be the subject of another blog.

© 2013, Bernice Simpson

    

Going Bananas

You like bargains, right? Look around the supermarket, and you’ll discover bananas are among the few good-for-you foods priced under $1.00 per pound.

How good are they? Several sites on the Internet would have you believe they are a miracle fruit. They show a picture of bananas with a few dark spots. The photo’s caption says bananas so marked are better for you than greener ones. It goes on to mention a Japanese study which states the TNF in ripe bananas fights cancer.

Before you grab the last banana from the dining table's fruit bowl, think about what Mother said. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

Off I went, hopping along rabbit trails in search of the truth. On Face Book “theunknownbutnot hidden” included the banana claim. If not skeptical to begin with, I certainly was when I discovered a captioned photo of wheatgrass on the same site. That one encouraged me to drink wheatgrass to turn my gray hair to its youthful chestnut brown. Oh, for a fairy godmother! 

Another site, funzug.com, repeated the banana story. How much credence to you give something found on a site named Funzug?

I continued to look. Who exactly conducted the study? What is the substance TNF? And how many miraculous fruits must you eat to enjoy their wonderful properties?

Hoax or Fact provided a few answers. TNF is an acronym for Tumor Necrosis Factor. The site which says “And yes, you can share this healthy information with everyone,” did not answer all my questions about the subject. It does, however, include positive and negative facts. The article cautions readers against overindulgence: bananas are high in calories and sugar. It also states that overripe fruit loses some of its nutrients.

The article at Hoax or Fact may lack complete information, but is less simplistic than much of the hype found elsewhere. Check it out. When reminded of all the good bananas have to offer, I believe you’ll agree they represent a great value for your shopping dollar.

© 2013, Bernice W. Simpson