Can you live without Wal-mart?

If you're pressed for time, I'll make this very quick: YES. Yes, you can live without Walmart.

If you have a few more moments to spare, I will provide proof!


It all started when...

I went to Walmart one day to pick up a few groceries.  At this stage of my life, I had already learned that my trips to Walmart didn't really save me any money...not after, in addition to the groceries, I added a cd I found on sale, a pack of socks I wasn't sure we really needed, and swimming-goggles for the kids for a vacation we'd be taking...next year.  I would usually spend the same amount at Walmart as I did at the regular grocery store - I just came home with more (clutter) for my money. 

So, I'm in Walmart, and I picked up what I needed.  Then (and this was before the "Walmart receipt challenge") I looked over my receipt to see all my savings.  I was in for a surprise.  My most purchased, "non-milk & bread" groceries actually cost MORE!  I remember specifically paying $2.98 for Nutri-grain bars (which are frequently 2 for $5 at the pricey grocery stores), and they had 12 packs of name brand soda "rollback priced" at $6.97...when at that very moment, a sale across town had the sodas regularly priced at $5.99, buy two get THREE free!

So that trip was very disappointing, and a few other issues began to surface that built my current discontent with the super-chain:

1. Clutter - Clutter can easily accumulate in the homes of Walmart shoppers.  How many times have we all picked up a few random things we didn't need because we saw them for a good price?  While this is not a Walmart-specific occurance, I can assure you - I've never come home from Food Lion with 2 yards of fabric "because I really want to learn to make my own curtains".  Am I EVER going to make my own curtains?  Maybe, but probably not.  And how long will that fabric sit around wasting usable space in my home?  Would I even have been thinking about curtains if I hadn't been in a store that sold fabric beside the paper towels?
I had empty picture frames, cheap holiday decorations, fake "Keds" - all things I didn't need, but bought at Walmart anyway because the price was right.  But - if I didn't need them, was the price really right?

2. One word - CHINA.  First, let me say that I respect China for its culture and its determination to be a world power.  I am sure it is a beautiful country filled with fascinating people.  However - I live HERE.  People HERE are hurting financially - and currently, the way they ease their money pain is by shopping at Walmart (and the Dollar Store, but that's another topic) and buying things mostly made...IN CHINA!  We are perpetuating our own vicious cycle! 
I am trying diligently to slow down how much money I personally give to China.  If I pick up a white t-shirt, and one costs $5 "Made in China", and one costs $10 but is made in the USA, I suck it up and spend more money for the USA!  Sadly though, not everyone is in the position to do this - so China is kicking our economic butts and we're bending over for them.
I tried and failed once in an attempt to purchase a can opener from anywhere but China (and I wasn't even at Walmart).  I went to Target and decided I would spend any amount to buy any can opener that was NOT made in China.  Guess what? NOT ONE SINGLE can opener of any brand, electric or handheld, was made anywhere other than China.  Oh well.

Walmart is infamous for associating with China - I've seen many different statistics as to what percentage of their inventory is "Made in China", which leaves me feeling uncomfortable to quote them for fear of presenting inaccurate information.  But just walk through Walmart and pick up almost anything and you will see what I mean.

3. Crowds - Visiting Walmart first thing on a weekday morning, you might not find any crowds.  You may actually get a good parking space and have a pleasant shopping experience.  Go there any other time of the day though, or worse, during the weekends, and you'll be parking far away, walking through a trashed parking lot, and waiting in long lines to check out.  Which brings me to my next issue...

4. Cashiers! - Where are they?  I'd see about 15 people stocking the shelves, a very nice old lady who welcomed me as a I walked in, 2-3 people at Customer Service (where many unhappy people are waiting in line)...but for the whole store, there will be only 3 cashiers with lines 4-5 people deep (carts stuffed full) in each!  So once they know your cart is full and they have you prisoner with your melting ice cream - they've somehow run out of cashiers to assist you?
Beyond that, I can count more than one occurrence where the cashier has actually told me she has either been denied a break, or has been on her feet for more than 8 hours and was supposed to get off 30 minutes ago.  If she HAD gotten off 30 minutes ago - they'd only have TWO cashiers!  So in order to have adequate staff, they have to mistreat the cashiers?  I don't get it.  Which brings me to my next issue...

5. Employee treatment - For many years, Walmart was in the hot seat over alleged mistreatment of its employees, especially its female employees.  I have a horror story that happened to a cousin of mine, but since I have not asked her permission, I will not share her story.   I tried to find current articles or information to support this, but I didn't see anything that was "big news" after 2006.  So I will leave it at this - I don't know if things have changed for the workers of Walmart.  If they haven't, then that is reason enough to never go there again.

6. Personal issues:  We had Shawn Jr.'s first baby portraits done at a Walmart in Charlotte (which has since closed).  We were on a budget and wanted "professional" photos to send to family.  THEY LOST THEM and made us come back to retake them...and then we weren't as happy with the end product, yet still had to pay for it.
Another time, we went in for an oil change (different location) and they FORGOT to put the cap back on.  When my car started acting up, I stopped into an auto parts store to see if their diagnostics could help me before I had to pay a mechanic.  The clerk said "I can literally see the problem and we don't need any diagnostic equipment - your whole engine is covered in oil and your cap is missing."  So I returned to Walmart to make them fix their own mistake, and the manager very kindly said he was sorry and gave me three free oil changes. Yay, right?  Wrong!  When I went back for the "free" oil changes, they would only honor one of them because that manager no longer worked there (type in "Walmart employee turnover rate" into any search engine and you'll understand why this is no surprise to me).  Seriously?  All I got for all that trouble was the one decent oil changed I'd paid for from the start!
(Sorry, I'd forgotten how angry I was about that! I'll move on now...)

As a side note - You will notice that I have not listed "Community Killer" as one of Walmart's faults. The discount giant is constantly accused of killing the small businesses with unrealistic price comparisons. This is not one of my reasons for disliking Walmart and here's why: WE KILLED THE SMALL BUSINESSES by choosing to shop at Walmart. Walmart does what all companies do - they try to grow, increase their revenue and make their stock holders happy. But it is you and I who make the decision where we will shop - and we shopped at Walmart because they were cheaper. Then we cried when our local grocer went out of business and now complain about the empty storefront where the local grocer used to be.
In short - we are killing our own communities to save pennies on the dollar and I blame us for that; not Walmart.


For all these reasons, I decided to go on strike - no Walmart for one year...just to see if it could be done. It can.


My Year Without Walmart...

There were only a handful of times we had any issues with it - times when grocery stores are closed and you think you "need" something, times when you need multiple items and do not have time to travel to multiple stores, and when you're out with friends and they just need to run in Walmart for a quick second with you along for the ride. Truth be told, my husband DID go to Walmart a few times during the year (against his wife's wishes!), and I did enter the store from time to time if I was with friends who needed to stop in for just a couple things. However, I MYSELF did not purchase a single thing in any Walmart store for 12 months solid.

My year without Walmart was in a word, uneventful. I didn't miss it, we didn't go broke, and we didn't have to do without anything. I felt better supporting other entities and much less stress at the check-out counter. We handled all the major holidays and birthdays, school projects, illnesses, oil changes, photo printing, and clothes shopping perfectly fine without Walmart.


Does Walmart actually save you THAT MUCH money?

Today, I went on a mission: I searched 4 local grocery stores including Wal-Mart for 15 items I typically buy and compared the prices. I shopped for the following items:

Nutri-grain Bars
Cheerios (14 oz.)
Quaker Oatmeal (individual packets)
*Frozen, cooked Shrimp (16 oz.)
Weight Watchers frozen Entrees
Kraft Shredded Cheddar (7 oz.)
12-pack Coca-Cola products
Goldfish crackers
**Ortega Whole Grain Taco Kits
Mott's for Tots juice
Skim Milk (store brand)
Bread (cheapest loaf, store brand)
***Bread (Merita SmartWheat or SmartWhite)
8 Pack of Juicy Juice boxes (6.75 oz.)
Fiber One 90 calorie bars

The stores I shopped:
Walmart
Harris Teeter
Target
Food Lion

The results:

1. *I had to throw out the results for the frozen shrimp because not all stores had a 16 oz. bag. 
**I deleted the Merita bread (which is a staple of mine) from the results because Walmart didn't carry it and Harris Teeter was currently out of stock. 
***I also had to delete the Ortega whole grain taco kit (another staple to which I'm typically brand loyal) because Walmart and Food Lion don't carry Ortega kits at all.

2.  In Walmart's defense - most items were, in fact, cheaper.  ONE CENT CHEAPER.  ALSO, the prices seemed static - meaning that they weren't on sale today to be potentially marked back up tomorrow.

3. All four take coupons.

4. Walmart also honors a "lowest price guarantee" IF you can produce an advertisement with the lower price IN PRINT.  I admit that I didn't attempt to ask if they would match other prices based purely on my word - Walmart is supposed to be the great time-saver, having everything you need under one roof, so fitting in time to negotiate prices with management does not fit the time-saving model.

5. Harris Teeter doubles and sometimes TRIPLES coupons. 

6. Walmart was NOT THE CHEAPEST for the remaining 12 items on my list!  I went, not by the regular prices, but by what I would have spent TODAY only.  Here are the comparisons if I bought these 12 items today, Thursday, May 10, 2012:

Walmart
$32.03

Harris Teeter
$39.87

Target
$29.56

Food Lion
$36.24

Due to in-store specials, Target was the cheapest by at least $2.47! 

A few other facts:

1. The cheapest milk today was actually at Harris Teeter - on sale for $2.77, compared to Walmart's next cheapest at $3.48

2. Harris Teeter's 12 packs of Coca-Cola were buy 3 get 2 free, however if I only wanted to buy one, I would have to pay the regular price of $6.39, compared to Walmart's lower price of $3.98, and Target's sale price of 4/$11 (or $2.75 each!).

3.  Food Lion had the cheapest Quaker Oatmeal (on sale 2/$4), but had the most expensive milk ($4.08).

4. Harris Teeter was the most expensive on 8 of the 12 items.

5. Walmart's prices were lowest on 10 out of the 12 items, but typically by 1-3 cents only.

Where I went to lose 100 pounds

When you need to lose 100 pounds, where can you go?

I'd heard of it before.  It was a place I'd associated with shame, a place I'd associated with those who'd let their lives get out of control, a place where idiots with "no fat chicks" stickers on their trucks would go to get a good laugh.  I'm talking about "fat camp".

I did NOT go there to lose 100 pounds.

There are physicians who can help you when you're considered "obese".  They can perform surgeries, give you shots, insert devices into your body to control your hunger. 

I did NOT go there to lose 100 pounds.


I went...
...to my kitchen.


I controlled my portions.  I made healthier choices.  I ate mainly what my body needed and not what my sweet tooth craved.  Most importantly though, I had support and I had help.

The support came from all directions - and it was immediate as soon as I admitted that I knew I needed a change.  I signed up with Weight Watchers, and instead of hiding it, I let all of my close friends and family know.  My family has been on this journey with me - trying new foods, accepting that junk foods would not be readily available, and choosing restaurants based on where I could eat and stay focused on my goals.

My Weight Watchers "family" has provided further support...they provide accountability, meal ideas, and the constant reminder that I'm not alone on this journey. 


It can't just be about what you're doing.  It has to be about who you've become.

Weight Watchers, to me, is not something I "joined".  It is not something I'm "doing".  It is the help I needed to get control of my own life, my own body and my own bad habits.  But let me make one thing very clear - Weight Watchers did not lose 100 pounds. I DID.  Weight Watchers did not cook for me.  Weight Watchers did not follow me around and go out to eat with me.  Weight Watchers did not grocery shop for me.  All WW provided were tools for me to do this MYSELF.

The first time I walked into Weight Watchers, I wanted to cry (I think I did!).  They were closing for the day and I knew if I walked out the door I wouldn't return.  Thankfully, the staff let me sign up and walked me through the program - they stayed a few minutes later than scheduled and those few moments probably saved my life.  I doubt they'll ever truly grasp how thankful I am for the few moments they spared me that Saturday afternoon.

I lost weight SLOWLY.  1 pound here, 2 pounds there, and then I'd gain some back.  Month after month, this was the routine.  Then we'd celebrate because I'd lost 5% of my body weight.  Then 10%.  A few months later, we celebrated 50 pounds!

To be honest, I didn't enjoy the celebrations - I didn't like the spotlight being on me (I still don't!).  I felt as though I should never have let myself get to a place where I even needed to lose 50 pounds.  I was still ashamed and embarrassed, despite my accomplishments.  The only reason I allowed the group to celebrate is that I hoped maybe I was inspiring someone - maybe someone else was fighting my same battle and if they saw me do it, they would believe that they could do the same.

Then I lost 65 pounds...the wardrobe I started with was completely gone.  The jeans I'd held onto since 1999 fit again.  Dressing rooms were now places of exhilaration as smaller and smaller sizes began to fit, and shopping for myself was actually fun!  I was getting around so much easier and faster -  it finally occurred to me that 36 wasn't as "old" as it had felt.  I was getting "carded" again at restaurants.  I was getting second glances from strange men.  I started to feel my self power return. 


Do you have to lose yourself to find yourself?

Where had this person gone?  The whole time I was at my largest, I still thought I was "me".  To some extent, I've always been "me", but I'd forgotten part of who that was.   I'd grown up a moderately confident woman, and though I'd kept on at least 20 pounds after each of 3 pregnancies, I would tell myself I was a good person, a good mother, a good wife, and that I was doing all I could do. 
People think "society" and "the media" teach us to hate ourselves - and I think the contrary is becoming more and more true - that a different sect of society is teaching us to praise our smallest accomplishments and stop "kicking ourselves" all the time - we're doing the best we can, aren't we? 
Well, what if we're not?  What if what I need is a swift kick in the butt and the only person not afraid to kick my butt is me?  What if someone needs to say, "no, Leilani, you are most certainly NOT doing the BEST you can do.  You are capable of more and better things. Do them. Do them NOW."  So I shut out the voices who were telling me that I was "fine" and started losing the weight that was suppressing my confidence. 


100 Pounds Lighter

Soon my 1999 jeans were too big, then the size down from those was too big, and now the size down from THAT is getting a little roomy!  I've never been a tiny person, and I don't have any plans to be tiny now.  I want to be curvy and healthy.  I want to look like a woman - the kind you think of when you picture soft beauty.  I do not want to be a supermodel and I do not want to look like someone who could kick your ass in a dark alley. 

100 pounds lighter, I do not feel like a "new" me - I feel like an improved version of the original me.  I feel like I'm closer to the image God had in mind when he created me.  I feel like I'm a better example to my children.  I feel like I'm more deserving of my husband.

100 pounds lighter, I'm now upset when people ask me how much weight I've lost because I feel like they're asking "damn, how fat were you?"  I hope they find me an inspiration, but I will forever fear they're only asking about my weight loss because they want to make fun of me.  I'm finally fairly happy being me - and some people just don't like it when you're happy with yourself.
It is largely my own fear that leads me to think people are not happy for me, but laughing at me. That last part, the shame of the years of feeling like the biggest person in the room (whether I was or not), will be my last hurdle to overcome; and it will be much more difficult then losing my last few pounds and fitting comfortably into a size 8.

NOW WHAT?

 My journey continues, and I have 18 pounds to go before I can be considered an "ideal" weight for my height.  I will never "go off" Weight Watchers - portion control must be a part of my life forever and I'm ok with that.  I'm actually hoping to work for WW so that I can help others who have been in my place - and I can help them learn the power of doing it THEMSELVES.

So now I've bared my soul - shared my dirty laundry with the world.  I can only hope that it meant something to someone - that my triumphs and struggles, embarrassing moments and proud moments can bring others to a place where they too desire something better for themselves than their status quo.  Start somewhere. Do something!

If I'd done nothing, then I shudder to think how many pounds I'd need to lose now!

At the beginning of my journey...God bless Shawn for loving me no matter what!!!

60 pounds lighter on our 10th Anniversary European Cruise

100 pounds lighter!!!