Walmart customers

MzPix

It is logical that you see more overweight people at Walmart than Abercrombie or other designer label stores. People don’t shop at stores that don’t carry their size. Also, Walmart offers a wider selection of merchandise rather than just clothing, so it stands to reason that when a store offers a larger diversity of merchandise you will see a larger diversity of consumers.
There actually is a positive correlation between poverty and obesity. The OP is correct in that statement. That is one of the devastating things about urbanized nations. Junk food is cheap. Processed and refined foods are cheap. GMO food is cheap. However, healthy, local, organic, nutritious food is often expensive. This is long standing knowledge in numerous fields of scholarly study, not really a debatable point.
By the same token, if people learn sustainability, they can grow food FOR FREE. We grow food both indoors and outside and we own less than 1/4 of an acre. We still have room for a chicken coop, rabbit hutches, bee hives, herb gardens, berry bushes, fruit trees and mushroom logs. I highly encourage people to learn and teach sustainability and self-sufficiency.
Equally as important, there is a negative correlation between education and obesity. Those who are more informed or educated about nutrition, multi-national corporation practices, fitness, sustainability, population, finances, etc. are statistically more likely to understand their options and make healthier choices. In addition, as education increases, so does income.
I personally don’t give a rat’s *kitten* what people are wearing in public and I find it odd when people even think about it. I wouldn’t care if all of society wandered around in togas (and I think bras are an absurd invention). I don’t believe people should be judged by their clothing, weight, or income. Some of the most socially aware and positively impactful people I know, and throughout history, are unkempt hippies, nudists, vagabonds, and bohemians.
Walmart provides our society with a place where people can go dressed however they please without ridicule or refusal. Our schools, work-places, parks, libraries, universities, and other public areas should be so accepting. Persecuting people based on those things seems superficial and pointless to me.
All of that being said, I don’t patronize Walmart at all because I disagree with their ethics on numerous levels. I also try to only purchase used merchandise and grow my own food as much as possible so that my footprint on the Earth is minimized.
Regardless, statistics don’t determine who and what we are. I don’t shop at Walmart. I’m highly educated. I’m of middle-income. I’m still fat and wear used clothes and often pajamas outside the bedroom. I also don’t shop at Abercrombie or Whole Foods or GNC either. I buy my clothing at thrift stores and my food from neighbors, local farmers or at the farmer’s market. I don’t wear jewelry or make-up often. I don’t paint my nails. Not because I’m lazy or don’t care about myself, but because my life is dictated by my moral compass, not the fashion industry.
I’ve enjoyed reading the diverse points of view in this thread even though I’m not sure at this point what the argument even is or on which side of it I stand. I think we need to be having these types of conversations as a society because it leads into more important topics. We need to understand what we see in society, the causes behind those trends, the impacts on ourselves, others, and our Earth. We can only do that by opening a few cans of worms. It’s a shame some people got mean and some got butt-hurt.

momzeeee

If there is any chance in saving this thread, I'd love to hear ideas from people on how to SOLVE the complaint that eating healthfully is more difficult with a lower income. How would YOU feed a family of 4 on $50-$70 a week?

I had a couple ideas:
- Plant a garden, use a topsy turvy, or use a community plot. Strawberries and tomatoes grown at home could help in a pinch.
- Buy in bulk, cook in bulk, and freeze - A LOT.
- Get creative with cheap staples like brown rice and beans. Puree to add to soups and stews, mash to make "meatballs", serve whole as a side.
- Purchase produce when it's marked down and on sale only. Use immediately or chop it up and freeze to use in casseroles, smoothies, soups, and more.
- Look for sales on lean meats like chicken. Buy only when on sale - portion and freeze.
- Resist the temptation to buy packaged sweets and quick snack foods. Make a large batch of a treat (oatmeal cookies, granola bars, etc) at home when ingredients are on sale.
- Outside of this budget, purchase a big0box-store membership (CostCo, Sam's Club). While the initial $50 investment may sting, you can buy staples SO much more cheaply the membership pays for itself within a visit or 3.
- As with any eating plan, add in exercise whevever possible.

I amy very sympathetic to folks who express this as a barrier to a healthy lifestyle. I honestly don't know how some manage to do it. I look at how much I spend for my small family, and I can't imagine doing it easily for less.

Who else has good ideas?

I fed a family of five on $50-$60 a week and it was doable with a bit of planning.
I shopped a lot at Aldi (which is cheaper than Walmart), cooked and baked a lot from scratch-right down to the cream of soup I needed for recipes, and cut out things that weren't truly necessary like paper towel etc. Also, during the summer I shopped a lot at farmers markets and also U Pick farms and then flash froze produce for the winter months. Also did things like batch applesauce and jam when prices were low/fruit in season, and then froze it (plastic canning jars are the best invention ever!).

Today family of five and we have $90 a week for groceries. I also pack two lunches a day for my girls at school because it's cheaper than the school lunches. This fall I'll be packing three lunches when my youngest heads off to kindergarten

stealthq

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Think of it as inspiration.

So why would these women only be shopping at wal-mart? Why would we not expect to see them in a Nordstroms, LL Bean, Abercrombie and Fitch, Williams & Sonoma, or a Whole Foods? Sorry my argument is not quite fully formed, but I see a class/racial thing developing.

Because there is a direct correlation between poverty and overweight. Not only in the US, but in many other places.
Poor people are forced to buy the cheapest items as far as food and consumer goods are concerned and maybe in the US ( I don't know for sure ) that is WalMart. People who do not make a living wage or live of government assistance just cannot shop at l.L.Bean or Whole Foods.

True enough, but frankly, the distribution of people shopping at Wal-Mart depends almost solely on the population that lives in easy driving distance.

In my area, which has a good mix of poor/middle class/wealthy, there are just as many people who are not poor as there are poor shopping at Wal-Mart. Part of the reason people have money is that they don't spend it foolishly (or at least try not to). The Wal-Marts around here are clean and well-kept, frequently have the best price for the exact same goods you'd buy elsewhere, and have a wide variety of products so you only need to go to one place to get your shopping done. You WOULD find lots of women who shop at Wal-Mart at Nordstroms, LL Bean, Abercrombie and Fitch, Williams & Sonoma, or a Whole Foods.

On the flip side of the coin, I often see people in my local Whole Foods buying with food stamps. So, yes, those on government assistance can certainly afford to buy there.

TorrizzleWillSizzle

Oh yeah forgot to add, I'm going to Walmart when my husband gets home, I shop there 90% of the time because yeah it's cheaper and a big plus is they price match so I don't have t go to a million stores because we only have 1 car and the gas we use every week is for WORK not driving around to random stores.... and right now yes I am a fatty but I DARE you to judge me for it! I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU!!!

On that note... Have a great day!

MaydayParadeGirl

I think that people set out to look for these "Walmart People" subconsciously, and then when they see someone at Walmart who fits this bill they immediately recognize it and remember it.

It's like people who say ...ummm idk of what a good example would be...they hate how immigrants to America don't know English. When in fact, they have this stereotype in their head so every time they see an immigrant who doesn't speak English they immediately remember it and it strengthens the correlation in their head and further promotes the stereotype in their own head, where as when they see an immigrant who does speak English it doesn't make as big of impact on them.

I remember reading something along these lines in a psych class...may be off but could also be part of it.

I have to agree my Wal-Mart is nothing like these 'walmart people' I mean honestly it's almost always a bunch of teenagers causing a ruckus or older ladies. I can't imagine going anywhere without brushed hair and you know...looking decent. The only place in Walmart I see the rugged looking people are at the pharmacy and I don't blame them, I go everywhere in my star wars jammies if I don't feel good!

Caperfae

This must only be an American phenomena in Canada I have yet to see these "Walmart people"

Exactly!!
I've seen the website "People of Walmart" .. what a riot.
I've been in A LOT of Walmart stores from Nova Scotia, Ontario and Alberta and I've never seen the stereotypical American version of shoppers in any of them. Not saying they don't exist but just not in the same ratio as the States reports (thankfully).

The quality of the Walmart clothing is terrible though, IMO.

Lyerin

People on low incomes need to work hard to stretch their money every month. Foods with lots of carbs but little of any other nutrients are cheap and filling. If you were a parent of 4 young children, and you had only $25 for groceries, I bet you would be buying a lot of bread, macaroni, and other starchy foods to fill those little tummies. I agree with the poster who said that the OP knew this would be inflammatory. If the OP is too "depressed" when going to WalMart and seeing these people, I'm sure he is free to go elsewhere.

I have no sympathy for a woman who had four kids she knew she couldn't afford.

And no compassion or empathy for the children, apparently.

WeakCalves

wow, things got ugly in this thread, name calling and everything.

SlimJanette

I don't have that issue here at the Walmart that I go too. It just looks like the UN and I am the minority.

madworld1

lots of people in pajamas

I HATE this. This is one of my peeves- people going out of their house in pjs. They are officially saying, "I give up on life. I just don't give a damn about myself or anyone anymore!" It's the epitome of lazy. It's one of the signs of the downfall of society when people can't even get dressed when they go out of the house.

I am being overly dramatic, but I HATE THAT.

I have no problem with people doing this. I don't know their situation. Do they have a sick kid at home and needed medication? Have they been studying long and hard for an exam or writing paper after paper for school?

SF2514

I don't think my Walmart is that bad. I've not see any POW lol. I'm there every week =\.

Alison12121

WOW WOW WOW, i was already expecting the post itself to be awful but to read all those judgmental,nasty, stereotypical comments was unexpected. What have we come to? You shouldn't judge people by the way they look and that is the most important thing you can teach your child! You don't know the individual person's story. You don't know if they have a medical condition, maybe they had an injury that lead to bedrest and weight gain, maybe they just gained weight as a consequence of a depression. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN THROUGH. What bothers me the most is by the way you wrote your post, that you clearly consider obese or overweight people to be worth lessf or less-than because of their size. If you think you help the situation with your judgment, well you don't.

You too the words right out of my mouth. I couldn't agree with you more.

blondageh

I AM one of those people of Wal-Mart. Today my boss had to tell me my sweater was on inside out before we had a big meeting. Lets face it, I am broke, can barely afford food let alone new clothes and I hate the way I look. I avoid mirrors at all costs and quit caring if I offend people by the way I look when I am out shopping.

Jackson4590

Apparently there is a backlash against stating the fact that a majority of Walmart customers are overweight (as it has been pointed out a majority of people everywhere are overweight). Are you mad at that fact or mad that people are pointing it out? The original point was that *for me* Walmart is more depressing than, say, Macy's, Whole Foods, or even Target(!).

Not sure why people get offended at an opinion that is based in a fact that the company even acknowledges.

Bearbrat

I find this comment to be totally judgmental and ridiculous. You must be so focused on your
own weight that is all you see at your Walmart. Our community has 2 big Walmart Super Centers,
our basic source for groceries. LOOK AROUND AGAIN AND NOTICE ALL PEOPLE OF ALL
SIZES. FIND COMPASSION AND KINDNESS!!
Uplift all those who use Myfitness to better themselves.
We should all come to this forum for kindness, compassion, understanding and encouragement.

This!!!! Kindness goes a long way and judging people really shouldn't be your job,

Bearbrat

WOW WOW WOW, i was already expecting the post itself to be awful but to read all those judgmental,nasty, stereotypical comments was unexpected. What have we come to? You shouldn't judge people by the way they look and that is the most important thing you can teach your child! You don't know the individual person's story. You don't know if they have a medical condition, maybe they had an injury that lead to bedrest and weight gain, maybe they just gained weight as a consequence of a depression. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN THROUGH. What bothers me the most is by the way you wrote your post, that you clearly consider obese or overweight people to be worth lessf or less-than because of their size. If you think you help the situation with your judgment, well you don't.

You too the words right out of my mouth. I couldn't agree with you more.

And both of these comments :drinker:

blondageh

Agreed, but what about the sheer quantity of food that they're eating? Who do you blame for that?

It's because what they are eating is NOT food. It is chemicals. They eat more because they are deficient in nutrients and never satisfied. It is a cycle.

Pixi_Rex

This must only be an American phenomena in Canada I have yet to see these "Walmart people"

hahah come to my walmart... no seriously come see the people in my walmart they are hilarious. Not that they are over weight and unhealthy but the things they wear OMG.... I had to go there one night closer to close and I was in my PJ's and I made a point of changing before going and my roomate laughed at me because he said "dude, you will look normal no one will even notice you are in your pj's. just go" he was right no one would have ever known.


Oh and also... I shop at walmart... I actually buy majority of food at walmart and I eat really healthy, but if I can buy it for cheaper there I will - I tend to stay out of the inner isles but I do that at a regular grocery store too.

sk_pirate

This must only be an American phenomena in Canada I have yet to see these "Walmart people"

Come on over to Saskatchewan LOL!! They're EVERYWHERE!!!! Especially the older Walmarts, that haven't been made over to the Supercentre yet :huh:

marywilsoncline

Concerning yourself with other people's deemed "questionable" lifestyles won't do anything except make you a food/store snob.

ETA: I just reread what I wrote, and I want to clarify that I wasn't aiming that directly at you OP. Just in general think that people should just worry about themselves. People will do what they do and we will do what we do.

I have come to realize this is so true. I use to harp at my family and offer unwanted advice when it comes to what they are eating. I will eat healthy and try to make good food and lifestyle decisions and until they get the "fitness bug", I'll keep my mouth shut from now on and let them continue eating crap.

ldrosophila

Apparently there is a backlash against stating the fact that a majority of Walmart customers are overweight (as it has been pointed out a majority of people everywhere are overweight). Are you mad at that fact or mad that people are pointing it out? The original point was that *for me* Walmart is more depressing than, say, Macy's, Whole Foods, or even Target(!).

Not sure why people get offended at an opinion that is based in a fact that the company even acknowledges.

Well I'm pretty fat I guess a typical people of Wal-Mart, but I've had my fat azz in Macy's buying perfume and jewlery, whole foods, target (glorified overpriced wal-mart), and Nordstroms. I go to "normal" stores and I go to the abnormal wal-mart (more often than not because it's the closest to my town). Makes me want to go into more "normal" stores and dress like a person of wal-mart think miles of rolls and unshaved legs, get my picutre taken and develop a site called "people of abercrombie and fitch."

You dont have to answer this, but I want you to think about this. Where do you live? What is the demographics of your area live? Average income, educational level, ect. Next look at the wal-mart you went to. Where is that in the demographics? Are there many wal-marts in your area? So your observation classifies as fact? interesting I didnt know our perceptions were now called fact. How does wal-mart acknowledge that it caters to obese americans?

here's one site that lists some demos:

http://zipskinny.com/

salladeve

lots of people in pajamas

I HATE this. This is one of my peeves- people going out of their house in pjs. They are officially saying, "I give up on life. I just don't give a damn about myself or anyone anymore!" It's the epitome of lazy. It's one of the signs of the downfall of society when people can't even get dressed when they go out of the house.

I am being overly dramatic, but I HATE THAT.

I have no problem with people doing this. I don't know their situation. Do they have a sick kid at home and needed medication? Have they been studying long and hard for an exam or writing paper after paper for school?

I don't know but it only takes a few seconds to pull on a pair of pants, jeans, shorts. I for one would not want to get into bed wearing clothing that I had worn out in public. It's like wearing the dirty clothes I had on all day to bed. yuck!

lilRicki

BUMP!!!!!!

ldrosophila

lots of people in pajamas

I HATE this. This is one of my peeves- people going out of their house in pjs. They are officially saying, "I give up on life. I just don't give a damn about myself or anyone anymore!" It's the epitome of lazy. It's one of the signs of the downfall of society when people can't even get dressed when they go out of the house.

I am being overly dramatic, but I HATE THAT.

I have no problem with people doing this. I don't know their situation. Do they have a sick kid at home and needed medication? Have they been studying long and hard for an exam or writing paper after paper for school?

I don't know but it only takes a few seconds to pull on a pair of pants, jeans, shorts. I for one would not want to get into bed wearing clothing that I had worn out in public. It's like wearing the dirty clothes I had on all day to bed. yuck!

besides who even wears PJ to bed...theres only one way to go to bed and thats in your birthday suit.

Kimdbro

This must only be an American phenomena in Canada I have yet to see these "Walmart people"

ditto

Jackson4590

You dont have to answer this, but I want you to think about this. Where do you live? What is the demographics of your area live? Average income, educational level, ect. Next look at the wal-mart you went to. Where is that in the demographics? Are there many wal-marts in your area? So your observation classifies as fact? interesting I didnt know our perceptions were now called fact. How does wal-mart acknowledge that it caters to obese americans?

Walmart meeting minutes/reports have detailed a nationwide push to attract more middle to-upper middle income shoppers. That's a pretty good indication they know who their "typical shopper" is and are trying to change that. USDA reports show a direct relationship between income and weight.

I live in a micropolitan area about an hour away from a large city. The average household income here is about $45k. Our income is about double that and we do most of our non-basic shopping in the larger city. We still buy staples like toothpaste and kleenex there because there are no other local options. There are people here that drive 45 minutes away to the nearest Target because they don't like Walmart - we don't do that but I prefer Target if I had the choice. I grew up in an area where Walmart did not exist so I never stepped foot into one until I was 19 and in college in a small rural town.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/403838/phillip-milano/2011-11-07/dare-ask-why-are-walmart-shoppers-so-different-target

BogQueen1

I am fat and we are poor. Our family income for 4 was 15k last year. We do not get any government help either. The cheapest food IS fattening. Dollar menu at Mc donalds and every other fast food restaurant. Hated to eat there but it was cheeper than fresh vegetables and fruit to feed 4. Ramen noodles were a staple. I would add eggs to make it go further. I was and still am one of those Walmart people. I was also one that wore pajamas. Know why? Because I have not bought clothes for myself in 8 years. The PJ's were a Christmas gift (my only gift) from my husband who got them at WM for $4.50.
I am so glad that you pious wealthy, thin people are doing so well that you find entertainment in people who are less fortunate. You stand in judgment and refuse to walk in someone else's shoes. Flame me if you want

I was in a similar situation, it was much cheaper to feed my family off of the dollar menu at mcdonalds than to buy from walmart unless we were buying ramen for a few years. My situation has changed for the better now and so I am trying to get my life and weight straightened out. These people who have never had to choose between getting full off of $1 and paying for medicine or diapers or paying $3-5 for a pint of strawberries will never understand.

See this is where I start to fall apart with it a bit. Family of 4, 4 McDonald's cheeseburgers, $4 bucks, plus tax.

Or. One lb of beans (dry bagged), one lb bag of rice, a 1 lb bag of frozen mixed veggies, and hell, lets throw in a couple cans of tuna fish. For four people that's probably 2 meals easily for the same price as your 'full belly on a dollar apiece' you could have had two full bellies on a dollar apiece. And that's assuming no one got fries. Want fries with that? Well now we can get things like chicken and more veggies to stretch that stuff out further.

It's not a wal mart thing. It's a perception thing. Fast food is really not cheaper. It really isn't.

ldrosophila

You dont have to answer this, but I want you to think about this. Where do you live? What is the demographics of your area live? Average income, educational level, ect. Next look at the wal-mart you went to. Where is that in the demographics? Are there many wal-marts in your area? So your observation classifies as fact? interesting I didnt know our perceptions were now called fact. How does wal-mart acknowledge that it caters to obese americans?

Walmart meeting minutes/reports have detailed a nationwide push to attract more middle to-upper middle income shoppers. That's a pretty good indication they know who their "typical shopper" is and are trying to change that. USDA reports show a direct relationship between income and weight.

I live in a micropolitan area about an hour away from a large city. The average household income here is about $45k. Our income is about double that and we do most of our non-basic shopping in the larger city. We still buy staples like toothpaste and kleenex there because there are no other local options. There are people here that drive 45 minutes away to the nearest Target because they don't like Walmart - we don't do that but I prefer Target if I had the choice. I grew up in an area where Walmart did not exist so I never stepped foot into one until I was 19 and in college in a small rural town.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/403838/phillip-milano/2011-11-07/dare-ask-why-are-walmart-shoppers-so-different-target

Interesting, I wonder how much that would hurt wal-mart in the long run. They would have to raise prices. I dont see them making that change honestly. Be interesting to see where the new wal-mart stores are going up. I bet it continues to be poor neighborhoods and rural areas. I still dont understand this Target is better mentality. It's another super chain. However, when I lived in a prominent area in Las Vegas I often heard about people never going into a wal-mart. I never understood it, but wal-mart and my grandma put me through college.

So I guess you live in the east or northwest since the west and south much more quickly adopted wal-mart chains.

Kimdbro

People on low incomes need to work hard to stretch their money every month. Foods with lots of carbs but little of any other nutrients are cheap and filling. If you were a parent of 4 young children, and you had only $25 for groceries, I bet you would be buying a lot of bread, macaroni, and other starchy foods to fill those little tummies. I agree with the poster who said that the OP knew this would be inflammatory. If the OP is too "depressed" when going to WalMart and seeing these people, I'm sure he is free to go elsewhere.

I have no sympathy for a woman who had four kids she knew she couldn't afford.

^^ ^^ I was wondering when someone would bring this up.

ldrosophila

People on low incomes need to work hard to stretch their money every month. Foods with lots of carbs but little of any other nutrients are cheap and filling. If you were a parent of 4 young children, and you had only $25 for groceries, I bet you would be buying a lot of bread, macaroni, and other starchy foods to fill those little tummies. I agree with the poster who said that the OP knew this would be inflammatory. If the OP is too "depressed" when going to WalMart and seeing these people, I'm sure he is free to go elsewhere.

I have no sympathy for a woman who had four kids she knew she couldn't afford.

^^ ^^ I was wondering when someone would bring this up. lol. Birth control is like $20 a month, pack of condoms $15. Cheaper than 4 kids anyday.

Ouch you people are harsh. Well I hope bad situations never happen to your family. As one economist once said we all are about 2 paychecks away from being homeless.