Only half tongue in cheek, and completely agreeing with you.
If your wealth is such that food cost is a fairly negligible part of your expenses, USUALLY the Walmart will be further away located on less expensive real estate, roaming around the Walmart supercenter can literally take more time (both of these points are, to be fair eliminated by curbside pickup/delivery), the variety might be good but it's of foods that might not necessarily be worth the cost savings, the meat & produce might be alright but it's rarely going to be exceptional. It's not that any cook worth their salt can't go to Walmart and cook some fantastic food, it's that the real fancy store can be the path of least resistance.
I patronize both stores, tending to make runs to Walmart type stores for mostly non-perishables sold at superior prices. Honestly I feel more uncomfortable among wealthy patrons can poor ones. I can feel a miasma of snootiness around me in an upscale enough shop.
For people beyond a certain income level, a few dollars in savings aren't as attractive as shopping in a place where people seem to be more "happy". Many of these stores also tend to have an attached gourmet cafe where you can grab a "healthy" bite post/pre shopping. The whole foods in Downtown Austin even has yoga classes (an other fitness activities) on its terrace.
I agree that Walmart can be extremely unpleasant compared to a regular grocery store for many reasons.
However, I’ve found Whole Foods staff to be extremely unwelcoming unless you seem like you fit in regardless of how much money you make.
Can definitely recommend wegmans for a more upscale shopping experience (Eg fancy cheeses, meats, selection of fish) without any of that “too cool for school” factor if you’re not in an “in” group.
Edit: Trader Joe’s is also pretty cool but it reminds me a bit of Aldi.
Well, not originally, but they’re owned by Aldi Nord for a while now.
Maybe if some branded it as 'willow leaf pain relief' they'd carry it. It's natural and it rhymes!
People at Wal-mart have a bad day all the time. It's about the customer service. I have less anxiety knowing that if I do run into problems in the store, the staff would be more approachable.
> what class you are and should have shown more reverence
I didn't read the original comment this way. It sounds like you are projecting a bit
I shop at the wally all the time, and I am just calling an elitist a spade free of any strawman you want to pile on.
You're probably white and haven't experienced casual racism that exists at Wal-mart and less worldly venues
> dog whistle
> calling an elitist a spade free of any strawman you want to pile on.
Is it an elitist dog whistle when less affluent people also avoid Wal-mart on the sentiment that it's not actually a better value proposition such that customer service is a differentiating factor ? There is extreme poverty where people have to squeeze every penny out of their expenses even if it means trading their time for those pennies, but I'd hardly call a family in the middle ( below the middle class ) vying for Costco or a Target as having elitist preferences.
You're the one who sounds like an elitist white knight suggesting less affluent people have zero options and necessarily have to shop at Wal-mart. For example, Dollar Stores have great service, not actually cheaper, but is perceived as a cost saving to less affluent people.
I love you. Fight the hate!
Not going to comment on the ethics/politics of it, but if people like shopping alongside people in their own stratum, then they have to accept that they have to pay a premium for it (i.e. shop at Whole Foods). You can't really say "I want to shop at the discount store but I also want only other wealthy people to be there".
If you accept that premise, then perhaps Walmart doesn't have an image problem, it's simply the fact that it's the cheapest place to shop in the neighborhood, so lower income folks will more likely shop there.