Joe,
I'm a little , no sorry, a lot irritated by this. I live in the the Powellville area so I'm in between both the new Walmart in Berlin and the North Salisbury Walmart. Yesterday I was in the North Salisbury Walmart to pick up odds and ends. I was going to buy a 24-pack of Coke products and noticed that they were $6.98. I remembered when the store in Berlin opened that they had the 24 packs of Coke products for $5.98. I knew I was headed in the Berlin direction today so I waited to purchase the Coke product there. While I got to the Berlin store today, sure enough the price was $5.98. While putting the drinks in my cart, there was a really sweet lady there and we began talking. She said she lives in Hagerstown, Maryland and guess what?? The Coke drink price in Hagerstown, Maryland for a 24 pack is $5.50.
So needless to say I'm very irritated by this whole situation. So here we are with 3 different Walmart stores and 3 different prices. Shouldn't they all be the same?? Maybe someone can explain to me why there is such a difference. God knows I don't get it.
Sincerely,
Beth
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
27 comments:
Well Beth it appears you need to take an economics 101 class. There are a multitude of factors that contribute to the pricing of items in different stores and in different areas. Supply and demand are contributing factors, as are current promotions in an area, cost of delivery and shipping, etc. etc. etc.
Its called supply and demand, cheeper prices bring customers in the door. The population may not be as high in the areas that have cheeper prices. All Stores do it, Foodlion does it a lot but most of the time its not on vendored iteams, mostly on grocery iteams, such as private lable (store brands).
Not so much supply and demand as careful studies done by retailers as to maximize profits.
It's now become alot easier to do as they can track sales with computerized registers and reward cards. If sodas aren't selling like they should they will lower the price.
Generally though store will have higher prices in an area such as Berlin/OC because of the seasonal nature and having to make up for the slower winter months. Believe it or not grocery store prices are a bit lower in Northern VA/DC suburbs which is a more affuent area than Worcester/Wicomico, so it's not so much as who can afford it more, but an attempt to maximize profits.
I wish the price of cokes was all I had to worry about....
9:02
Can you explain why the prices are MUCH higher at the Fruitland Walmart than they are at the Salisbury?
While your reasoning makes sense on most things, it does not account for why Fruitland is more expensive on many items
You have to be careful how many cans are in those cases now. We are all used to seeing 24 in a case. They have not started to put 20 in a case and lower the price just enough to make you notice. It got me once...and that was it.
cheeper?
Some just don't get it. There are price differences between the North Walmart and the Fruitland Walmart.
9:36 could be because they have noticed some items in Fruitland are selling more than in Salisbury so they raise the price.
If an item is a good seller, they will raise the price slightly and keep track to see if it still sells as well at the higher price. If sales significantly decrease, the price will be lowered again.
Well they can raise the price all they want a Fruitland now. I haven't been back in that store in over 2 years now. I wonder if they ever take that into account? People stop shopping there because of the higher prices.
Want to know why? It is not "Supply and Demand" it is because we the people pay the prices they set wherever that may be. The reason it is 6.98 at Salisbury and 6.50 in Fruitland, or whatever the case is, it is because the people in that area are paying that price. If you were trying to make a profit wouldn't you charge as much money as people woould pay?
9:59, if overall profits are down, yes they will take into consideration and possibly research to see if it is because of lost shoppers.
It's a science to their madness and seemly inconsistancy.
Is is possible that the prices in Walmart in Salisbury are cheaper than the Fruitland location because the Salisbury one is much closer to the mall, Target and the numerous other stores that are located in that area giving them more competition to bring shoppers to their store?
I shop Pocomoke, North Salisbury and Fruitland Walmarts. I cannot discuss sodas because they are not on my grocery list but I do find some items cheaper in Pocomoke, some cheaper in Fruitland and some cheaper at N Salisbury. From my shopping over many years, every item on my list is not cheaper in one particular store.
Competition has alot to do with pricing.
What it amounts to seeing the most profit out of each individual item. Things that tend to sell better at a store can and will be priced higher if it means more profit on that item.
The long and the short of it-Pricing by retailers is an ongoing process in which it is determined a price and an output level that returns the greatest profit.
I will tell you why Beth, Its not supply and demand, its Wicomico County, City of Salisbury and the city of Fruitland. Property taxes and the water bill is always going to be higher in business friendly Salisbury and Fruitland.
I've found cheaper in both the North & Fruitland Wal marts. It's not worth running back & forth just to get a cheaper price on one item.---Delaware has no tax of course & I think in the long run----on a long list of grocery shopping --- it most likely evens itself out anyway.
It's still ridiculous though. In the Salisbury and Fruitland store, the prices should be the same. They are 2 close together and I shouldn't have to ride back and forth between the 2 to get the one that is cheaper. Plus with gas prices who the hell wants to waste gas. We all know the Berlin store is going to put their prices up because of it's location to Ocean City. You would think the price of drinks would be cheaper in Salisbury stores.
You also have to watch at checkout that you are properly charged. I have caught things on many, many occasions of their computer system charging more than the price listed under the item I purchased. I have held up lines so many times and I don't have a problem doing it. Of course the Manager always says they are going to fix it and never do.
For example I needed some pasta noodles for a party I was having the next day. I went and purchased the pasta noodles and they scanned wrong. The manager assured me that the issue would be resolved.
Then I went back the following week and needed the same pasta noodles. Well guess what, they overcharged me again. When I said something to the cashier about what happened the previous week he said it happens all the time and most of the time it doesn't get corrected.
So think about how many people in a week's time overpaid for pasta without even realizing it.
So what I do now is make a list of what I need to purchase and then write down the price of the product next to the item on my list. If I add an item to the list then I write the product as well as the price.
Somebody must be on a fixed income to be quabbling over such a small disparity in price.
120 That's what you took from this?? There are 3 stores within 25 miles of each other. It should be that all 3 Walmarts should have nearly the same pricing whether it's Fruitland, N. Salisbury or Berlin. A few cents is one thing, but $1.00 more in Salisbury??? So everyone who buys drinks in Salisbury is basically being ripped off. In our economy and our area every dollar counts. No one should have to run all over hell and creation to get the best deals.
It also irritates me because of all the t.v. ads they run about their low, low prices and nobody can beat them. Plus they say "If you see an ad at a cheaper price we will match it". Well they need to look in their own back yard because God knows they aren't ad matching at their own stores.
So, all of you economy experts, explain to me how Wal-Mart is a "price matching" store when all of their prices vary. Technically Beth should have just bought it in Salisbury and said, "I want the Berlin price."
Also - Wal-Mart does not require receipts for return. So if you wanted to make a few cents, buy it in Berlin and return it in Salisbury.
Allow me to explain it to you, 3:19
Rule #1 of Price Matching says they will match any local COMPETITOR's price.
If it's not rule #1 you can bet your bottom dollar it will be rule #2 or #3.
Also when returning merchandise without a receipt a photo ID is almost always required and this is to keep track to see if someone is scamming the store such as in the way you mentioned.
You do realize Walmart price matches, right? Take the cokes to customer service, tell them you know they're cheaper elsewhere (even better if you have photo evidence!) and bada-bing, you'll receive the lowest advertised price.
4:00, while they claim to only price match with competitors, I know for a fact that they will price match with other wal mart stores. But how can this be? It's their way of keeping you as a customer, and a happy one at that. All you need to say is that you'll take your business elsewhere. They really will price match against their own stores. Give it a go :) I did it often while in college and on a fixed income (which there's nothing wrong with, 1:20! Obviously we're on a fixed income. We're discussing Walmart of all places! Observant much?)
Hey Beth, drink water
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