Shopping at Walmart is not something I regularly do. It's been that way for well over a decade. It was okay in a pinch, but I wasn't happy with how the store had less and less of what I needed. Their lack of items that they used to sell was a consequence of the rise in online shopping. I understood it and I was one of those people that fell into the convenience of online shopping.
We are Amazon Prime subscribers and have been for 20 years. That's not changing anytime soon because we use so many of the other benefits besides "free shipping." Since I'm retired from photography, I don't pay for a website to host my images. I use Amazon Photos. We're avid readers so we heavily use Prime Reading, as well as Amazon First Reads which gives us one free book (digital version) each month. As movie fans, we enjoy all that Prime Video offers. So two day shipping, and free shipping aren't the top reasons we subscribe to Amazon Prime.
With that said however, we're actively trying to break the addiction to the convenience of ordering nearly everything from Amazon. Before Amazon, we made a list of things we needed and then planned a shopping trip to get it all. In 2026? Need it? Order it. Which creates the cycle of instant gratification.
The cycle of instant gratification is a self-reinforcing loop where the brain seeks immediate pleasure or stress relief, leading to a temporary dopamine spike that quickly fades and leaves a person craving the next quick fix. - Boonmind YouTube
We shop once a month for groceries and sundries. The bulk of that is done at Costco. We renewed our membership last January and then I want to try Sam's Club for a year. My daughter-in-law shops there and loves it. I definitely want to compare the prices. My d-i-l said she'd take me anytime I want to I'll have to do that soon before we have to decide about renewing our Costco membership.
That brings me to the surprise I had when shopping at Walmart in town. I was so surprised at how many new items are in the grocery area! After a 3 month remodel/upgrade to the store this year, they did a grand reopening but I didn't go. Over the past few months I've zipped into Walmart to pick up vitamins, or medicine but didn't shop the entire store. I'm so excited to about the changes, even though I'm late to the party. This means being able to pick up all the things we use in a month, that Costco doesn't carry or what they carry isn't really the best deal available.
It's good to see the new improved store, because there was a time when the company wanted to put a Super Walmart in our town, but it got voted down by the residents. Not this resident, I thought it was a great idea and would have brought shoppers into the area to check out the wonderful family run restaurants and small shops.
I'm falling in love with our local Walmart again and breaking the cycle of online ordering that really exploded during the pandemic.
Peace,
B
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