I am a member of a lot of different FaceBook groups where couponers get together to post deals and hauls and ask questions.  Some of these groups are more helpful than others and I see several couponers doing deals that don’t follow Walmart’s written policies and they don’t always get the best advice from the other couponers in the room.  So in addition to my regular FaceBook page, the group page where Dian and I both share deals and the group for people that have gone through our classes, we have decided to open a new room just for Walmart Couponing and Ad Matching.

Sometimes Walmart Ad Matching can be a little tricky just because it can be confusing as to what exactly you can match so I thought we could just take a beat here and run through a few common issues and how to handle them.  Please note that everything in this post is according to the written policy.  If the management at your particular store has decided to do things a little different and be a little more lenient in some cases, great!  Just know that this is what the policies say and is all your Walmart is required to do.

The first thing you should do before Ad Matching is to read Walmart’s Official Ad Matching Policy.  It’s always nice to know the basics.  So first up is a deal like the one above where you’ve got a card price of $4.99 then a $1 coupon from online or in store subtracted for a final price of $3.99.

The first thing we need to know is that Walmart will gladly ad match “Preferred shopping card prices for specific items that are in a printed ad” so the $4.99 price can be matched but what about the coupon?  Well, if you have the coupon (and it’s a manufacturers coupon, and not a store coupon.  Here’s the difference) you can use it to get that $3.99 price but you can’t match the $3.99 price directly.  You will need a coupon to get the price to $3.99 at this store so you will need a coupon to get it to that price at Walmart.

What about the final price after Register Rewards, ECB’s, Balance Reward Points or giftcards?  The policy states that Walmart will not Ad Match “Items that require a purchase to get a competitors’ gift card” and that’s basically what each of those items listed are, just by different names.  They don’t allow you to take money off your purchase but give you a kind of “store credit” to use on the next purchase and Walmart’s policy specifically forbids this type of match.  So if you see something like this and you have visions of walking into your local Walmart and clearing the shelves and not paying anything, just think again.

BOGO (Buy 1 Get 1) deals are a little tricky if there is no final price listed.  In 49 states in the Union, Walmart won’t match this deal because no final price is listed.  The policy says they will not match “Buy one, get one free (BOGO) ads with no actual price given” but there is a loophole if you happen to live in Florida.  And by “Loophole”, I mean you have an entirely different policy.  I go into more detail here, but if you are in Florida and there is a BOGO deal without a price listed, Walmart will match it at the Walmart price.  So in the example above, if the Purex is $2.99 on the Walmart shelf and you try to match this ad, you will get 2 Purexes for $2.99.

This is the kind of deal that following the Walmart policy is designed to prevent.  I know that there are people that will see this deal, try to ad match the final price listed of $.99, then use a $1 coupon on top of that and get FREE Crest Rinse with a little overage to boot but you shouldn’t be able to do it.  You can match the $4.49 price but the $2.50 RR can’t be matched, then you can use the $1.00 coupon on the $4.49 price making it $3.49.  There is no way to make this free if you are following policies at either Walmart or the store the ad is from.

Now here is an example of a deal you CAN do.  This is from a Kroger Mega Sale where when you buy 6 items, you get an additional $.50 off each item.  Since we have to match the ad exactly, some Walmarts will require you to buy all 6 items to get the discount, however most won’t because that discount is basically a loyalty card discount that they will match.  Just know that if for whatever reason your cashier asks you to buy all 6 items, that’s their prerogative.

The rule of thumb you always need to keep in mind is that if you can walk out the door of another store paying a certain amount for an item (not including other forms of payment like coupons, RR, etc) then you can usually match that price at Walmart.  Now usually when something like this is written, I get push back of “Well MY Walmart will match anything on the ad” and all I can say is that if you asked your store manager and they said that they want to do that in their store, more power to ya.  That’s awesome and stock up.  However, if you are just telling them that a store has something on sale for a price after a discount or something, then your store’s management didn’t really OK it, you just got away with something.

I really believe we have an ethical responsibility to coupon within the boundaries given to us, whether those boundaries are found in the online policies for a store or in the fine print on a coupon.  I know it feels like that mindset is in the minority in our couponing world at times but I’ve talked with enough of you to know that it really isn’t.  It’s just that the couponers who do things right generally don’t make as much noise.  So if you would like to hang out with other couponers that are looking for great deals done right, come join our brand new FaceBook group for sharing Walmart deals and ad matching scenarios.  Hope to see you there!

The mission of Grocery Shop for FREE at The Mart is to help you spend as little as possible on the things you need at Walmart.  While this blog focuses mainly on couponing, there are many other ways to save and to get the maximum amount for the money you spend.  To that end, we are starting a new series that will cover some of the non-coupon related things that will help you on your shopping trips.  I hope you enjoy these Walmart Shopping Secrets.

5 Money Saving Apps I Use Every Week at Walmart

When I first started couponing, smart phones didn’t exist.  You just clipped your coupons and headed to the store but technology has really changed the landscape.  Here are 5 “Must Have” apps that make my life easier and save me money.  Just click the link to get yours.

Ibotta – This was the first “Take a Picture of Your Receipt” app I ever saw.  Ibotta has rebates available for different items.  If you bought a qualifying item, you will be asked to do something to “earn” the rebate.  It’s usually something like watching a short video commercial or answering a short survey.  In return you will get a rebate refunded to you through PayPal, Venmo or on a giftcard when you hit $20.  You can see a list of possible Ibotta matchups here.

Checkout 51 – Read the description above and everywhere it says “Ibotta”, replace it with the words “Checkout 51”.  The rebates are usually for different products (Although sometimes there is overlap) so you can save on a wider variety of products.  (I do a full matchup of Checkout 51 deals every week)

Shopmium – Shopmium is a new player in the “Take a Picture of Your Receipt” game.  The most important thing to know about them is that in order to unlock all the deals, you need a referral code.  Mine is GMKACYRC, use it to unlock a FREE Lindt Candy Bar this week.  The other cool thing about it is once you connect it to your PayPal account you don’t have to wait to accumulate a certain amount to get paid.  Once a rebate is verified, you get it immediately.

Receipt Hog – This one is unique in that there are no set rebates for specific products.  You take a pic of every receipt you get, in return you get to spin a roulette wheel for chances to win money and prizes.  You don’t win very much but anything is better than nothing.

Favado – This is probably the app I use the least because of how I shop but I can certainly see how it would be useful.  It has all the ads of all your local store matched up to coupons.  My wife is a data contributor for this app so I know a lot of time and care go into it.

Flipp – Flipp is one of the cooler apps I use.  Every weekly ad in your area is scanned and searchable.  Makes price matching a snap.

Walmart App – Upload every receipt into the Savings Catcher app.  Here’s a few reasons why you should be using Savings Catcher

Bonus: SavingStar – This app just added the ability to take a pic of Walmart receipts like Ibotta and Checkout 51.  Exciting stuff!

Double Bonus:  There is a new app called Snap by Groupon.  You can do most of their rebates multiple times so you can really save big! UPDATE: Snap became the first of these apps to fall.  Now it’s basically just a Groupon Lite app with almost no grocery deals.  I’d skip it.

At this point, is it really a bonus?:  Mobisave –  This is another new one.  Take a look and see what it can do!

The mission of Grocery Shop for FREE at The Mart is to help you spend as little as possible on the things you need at Walmart.  While this blog focuses mainly oncouponing, there are many other ways to save and to get the maximum amount for the money you spend.  To that end, we are starting a new series that will cover some of the non-coupon related things that will help you on your shopping trips.  I hope you enjoy these Walmart Shopping Secrets.

Don’t Buy in Bulk on the Produce Aisle

As consumers we are programmed that deals are better when we buy in bulk.  You can get on tube of toothpaste for $2 or get 2 for $3.50.  It’s pretty clear what the better deal is there, right?

Not on the Produce Aisle

For reasons I can’t begin to understand, these tried and true laws get thrown out the window when we get to the produce area of the store.  On a recent trip to the store one avocado was $.58 but a 10pk was $6.  1 green bell pepper was $.68 but a 3pk was $3.  There were a few exceptions, buying onions and potatoes in bulk was a little cheaper than buying singles, but don’t take it for granted that just because you are buying something in bulk the price is cheaper.  Take a second to do the math and you might be surprised!

Walmart Savings Catcher

I posted about this a few days ago but it’s such a cool thing that I thought it merited another post.  A member of the Savings Catcher launch team reached out us to this weekend and was nice enough to answer some of my questions.  Let’s review exactly what the Savings Catcher program is before we get to that.

UPDATE: I got my first Walmart Savings Catcher Rebate

What is Walmart Savings Catcher

It’s really hard to overstate how incredible this program is.  If you are in one of the selected beta test markets (Atlanta GA, Charlotte NC, Dallas TX, Huntsville AL, Lexington KY, or San Diego CA) you can upload your Walmart receipts and they will check them against your local sales ads.  If you paid more at Walmart than what your local stores have them on sale for, they will refund you the difference on an eGiftCard.  Wow.  You can see the program for yourself here.

My Interview with a Member of the Savings Catcher Launch Team

1.  Where are you getting your ad information from?  I assume there isn’t a master database of all weekly ads, have you contracted a company to enter the info in a database?  I would love a LOT more info on exactly this process is.

The ad information is provided through an industry leader in gathering data from ads. Working with our Global eCommerce team, we have developed a system for matching the ads to items customers have purchased. We welcome feedback to help us make it better.

2.  How did this idea begin?  It’s absolutely brilliant but seems incredibly data intensive.  Who thought of it?  How was it implemented?

The idea for Savings Catcher came from our continued efforts to help our customers save money. It was a team effort to bring it to life and is an example of the way Walmart is bringing physical and digital even closer together.

3.  What are you plans to increase the testing areas?  I love that DFW was included in the initial list but it would seem like the goal would be for this to be nationwide.

As you’ve noted from our FAQs, we are testing Savings Catcher in several markets. This is actually something that Walmart does all the time. We frequently test new ideas in markets to learn and improve.

4. Is this scalable?  Again, it just seems like a massive undertaking, data-wise.  (I do price match lists for my area every week.  I know how difficult it is.)

It is indeed a complex project. We will continue to test and evaluate.

5.  What is your role in the project?

I’m on the marketing team that helps drive the project strategy and communication to customers. It’s really exciting to be working on something like this that brings Walmart’s mission to life: saving people money so they can live better. We focus on that every day and (hopefully) this is a great example of that commitment.

6.  What does the future hold for this project specifically or Walmart in general?

We are going to win at the intersection of digital and physical, and Savings Catcher is just one example of that – this tool could lead to things like eCoupons, automated shopping list and more. We are well-positioned to innovate and lead in the tech space, and you’ll see more of this.

7.  How automated is this process?  Is this a computer program going over our receipts or is this an actual person comparing our receipts to the ads?

The comparison is automated.

8. Will your program also catch deals on produce and meat?

Currently it excludes store brand items, deli, bakery and weighed items like produce and meat.

Conclusion

First I want to thank Walmart for reaching out.  I had a lot of questions rolling around in my head and he cleared up some of the confusion I had.  Here’s a couple things to keep in mind.

Not every store is checked

Here’s a list of the stores they are checking in my area. (DFW) Albertsons, Aldi, Brookshires, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, HEB, Kroger, Target and Tom Thumb.  While that is an incredible list, it leaves out some of the smaller stores in my area like El Rancho, Elrods, El Ahorro, Fiesta, and a few others I can think of.  I’ll still need to be sure to price match those at the store.

Price Matching Produce and Meat is Tricky

Although I forgot to ask about this specifically, price matching produce and meat is always tricky.  I’ll be curious to see how accurate Savings Catcher will be on these items.

UPDATE: He got back to me and I added question 8 above.  As I suspected, we will still need to manually price match produce, meat, deli, and bakery items.

It’s in Beta

They are still working out the kinks so I don’t know how much faith I’d put in it yet.  Don’t get me wrong, every single receipt I get from Walmart from now on will be uploaded.  Heck, I might upload receipts I find blowing around in the parking lot.   But I think I’ll still do my own price matching at the register until I feel comfortable with how it’s going.

Bottom line, everyone in the test markets needs to do this every time they shop.  For those of you that don’t already price match on a regular basis, this will be a great way to save more money with almost no effort being put forth.

The mission of Grocery Shop for FREE at The Mart is to help you spend as little as possible on the things you need at Walmart.  While this blog focuses mainly on couponing, there are many other ways to save and to get the maximum amount for the money you spend.  To that end, we are starting a new series that will cover some of the non-coupon related things that will help you on your shopping trips.  I hope you enjoy these Walmart Shopping Secrets.

Beware of Endcaps

If you aren’t familiar with the term “Endcap”, it’s the shelving at the end of an aisle at a grocery store.  They are usually filled with one specific product and have a big sign with the price.  Here’s an example.

You’ve seen these and no doubt you’ve picked up something because you thought it must be a good deal if they are displaying like that but be careful!  Here’s what you need to know.

That Endcap Space is Sold

The store isn’t just putting what ever they happen to be overstocked on those endcaps.  Supermarkets sell that space to brands to promote certain products because they know you are more apt to impulse buy if you see a big display.

You Can’t Compare Prices on an Endcap

The beauty of an endcap is you are seeing a product out of it’s “natural” environment.  When you see a product on a normal shelf, you also see competing brands and store brands and can comparison shop.  When you see it on an endcap, it’s much harder to get a sense of how that product compares in price to other products.

Be a smart shopper.  When you see a product on an endcap, don’t just mindlessly put it in your buggy.  Make sure it’s a good deal and something you need before you decide to buy.

The mission of Grocery Shop for FREE at The Mart is to help you spend as little as possible on the things you need at Walmart.  While this blog focuses mainly on couponing, there are many other ways to save and to get the maximum amount for the money you spend.  To that end, we are starting a new series that will cover some of the non-coupon related things that will help you on your shopping trips.  I hope you enjoy these Walmart Shopping Secrets. 

Buy Discounted Giftcards

There is one way to save on groceries that I rarely see people talk about.  There are several places online where you can buy giftcards for less than what they are worth.  The savings aren’t significant, in the most cases you will only be saving 3-5% per card on a Walmart giftcard, but it is something.

I’ve met people who tell me they buy cards $500 at a time and spend about $475 each time.  Again, those aren’t significant savings but every little bit helps.

Here’s a list of a couple places you can look.

• Raise
• Giftcard Rescue
• Giftcard Bin
• Giftcard Granny

The mission of Grocery Shop for FREE at The Mart is to help you spend as little as possible on the things you need at Walmart.  While this blog focuses mainly on couponing, there are many other ways to save and to get the maximum amount for the money you spend.  To that end, we are starting a new series that will cover some of the non-coupon related things that will help you on your shopping trips.  I hope you enjoy these Walmart Shopping Secrets.

Your Shopping Cart is Disgusting!

Most of us don’t think about what went on with a shopping cart before we used it but let’s take a minute and discuss the average day for a cart.

• It holds raw fish, chicken, and pork
• Bloody juices from meat products pour all over it
• People touch raw meat and then grab the handle
• Babies sit in the front and drool all over the handle
• Babies have “accidents” that 5 diapers couldn’t contain
• People sneeze and cough on them

Long story short, shopping carts are practically petri dishes for all kinds of horrible germs.  How bad is it?  One research study found 50% of shopping carts have e. coli and 72% have coliform bacteria.  All that coliform bacteria tells us that fecal matter is involved in contaminating these carts.

Even if you aren’t a germ-o-phobe, you have to admit that those numbers are terrifying.

I’m not telling you this to scare you but to make you aware of the issue.  Fortunately, there is a very simple solution.  Just sanitize your cart before you use it.

Sanitize Those Carts!

Most stores have a sanitization station set up near the carts with wipes or a bottle of sanitizer and paper towels, use it.  If you just have the wipes, scrub the handle down well and then be sure to only touch the handle.  If your store has the spray, be sure to cover the whole cart in a fine mist and then wipe down the handle so your hands don’t get wet.

You can also carry a package of Clorox wipes with you if your store doesn’t provide any, and don’t forget to wipe down the handles of baskets if you’re shopping with those instead of a cart.

Also, be sure to wash your hands after touching a cart, even if you’ve sanitized it.  Better safe than sorry.

How to Save Money on Produce

I get so many questions about produce here at GSFFatTheMart HQ.  Everybody wants to buy it but nobody wants to pay for it.  Unfortunately produce rarely ends up on my FREEbies list (Or the $1.00 and Under list) but when shopping at Walmart, there are a few tips you need to know to save money.

Price Match

I cannot tell you how important it is to get in the habit of price matching your fruits and vegetables.  A few years ago, some medical issues caused Dian and I to have to make some changes to our diet.  The most important being that we we now eat a small Spinach salad before dinner with tomato and avocado every night.  Guess what, that get’s expensive!

I went on a mission to figure out exactly how to get these as cheaply as possible and was surprised to see how often grocery stores will put tomatoes, avocados, and a bunch of other produce on sale at deep discounts.  There is a little store near me called El Rancho that routinely has Roma Tomatoes 5/$1 and Avocados for even cheaper.  You should see what this store sells oranges for when they are in season!

They aren’t alone.  Kroger often has very good deals, Safeway is pretty good at certain times of the year.  The point is, chances are whatever produce you like to buy, someone has it on sale.  All you need to do is check out your local ads and then go to Walmart and price match to get the best deals.

One important thing to keep in mind is Walmart has one very important rule when price matching produce.  If Walmart sells a type of produce by the pound, they will only match a per pound price.  Conversely, if Walmart sells something by the unit, they will only match a per unit price.

For Example, if Walmart sell Fuji Apples for $.98/lb and Safeway has them on for $.78/lb, you can match that.  If Walmart sells Fuji Apples for $.85 each and Safeway has them on for $.78/lb, you can’t match that.  Clear?

Use Coupons

Produce coupons are rare but they do exist, you just might have to do a little work to find them.  They usually have coupons on their websites but if you will sign up for their newsletters or text alerts, you can get notified when new ones come out.  Here are a few you can check out.

• Driscoll’s Berries – Every month you can get a coupon for berries.
• Fresh Express – Occasionally will have coupons for Salad Mixes, Sometimes the coupons are on their FaceBook site.
• Earthbound Farms – Frequently will have coupons for their Organic Products
• Avocados from Mexico – Frequently have B3G1 coupons for Avocados  (A BIG player in our house)
• Nature Sweet Tomatoes – There is a newsletter you can sign up for that will occasionally have coupons.
• Organic Girl – I’ve only ever seen this at Whole Foods but there is a $1.00 off coupon that shows up sometimes.

Only Pay For the Food

This last tip might be a little nit-picky but I do it every time so I like to think it’s actually saving me some money.  You know how they spray down the produce so it looks good on the shelf?  Don’t pay for that extra water.  I always shake as much of that water off the green leafy vegetables as I can before I put it in the bag.  Not only will it make your produce lighter, it will actually keep fresh longer.

Also, don’t put anything on your bag that will make it heavier.  Most stores will provide metal wire twist-ties or little plastic widgets to seal the bag, these just add to the weight you are paying for at the register.  Just grab a few ties and put them in your pocket if you need them and tie a knot in your bag until after you’ve paid.

The mission of Grocery Shop for FREE at The Mart is to help you spend as little as possible on the things you need at Walmart.  While this blog focuses mainly on couponing, there are many other ways to save and to get the maximum amount for the money you spend.  To that end, we are starting a new series that will cover some of the non-coupon related things that will help you on your shopping trips.  I hope you enjoy these Walmart Shopping Secrets.

Recognizing Deceptive Pricing Tricks

One of the greatest things about my job is that I get to watch how prices fluctuate week to week at different stores.  Long-time readers probably know that my wife and I are brand-loyal to Coca Cola.  That means that we like to have a Coke with lunch (She likes Diet, I prefer Zero) and no other soft drink will do.  We aren’t interested in store-brands or Dr Pepper or Pepsi, just Coke.  So, as you might imagine, I know exactly how much Coke 2 liters are and who’s selling them the cheapest every week.

So a few weeks ago I went to my local Kroger to grab a 2 Liter for my wife because we had run out and was shocked to see the price, 3/$5.  Just in case you don’t follow Coke prices like I do, let me tell you, that’s ridiculously expensive.  If I have to pay more than a buck each I feel like I’ve failed as a frugal-living person.
[Tweet “Is Your Store Tricking You? How to Recognize Deceptive Pricing Tactics.”]
So I elected not to buy any and walked over to the Dollar General in the same parking lot and bought them there.  I don’t remember what I paid but it was more than a dollar.  (I’m not sure when dollar stores stopped selling things for a dollar but it was a sad day.)

So I just kind of filed that away and didn’t think about it again until I went back to the same Kroger the next week,  The 2 Liters were still 3/$5 but now if you bought 3 you got a 4th on FREE, essentially making the 4/$5.

So they jacked up the price to more than they have probably ever been in that store, just so the next week they could drop the price a little (still overpriced though) and their customers would feel like they were getting a bargain.

This deceptive pricing is far from unique and the biggest culprits are those 10/$10 sales that are always so popular.  It’s not uncommon for a can of tuna that is normally $.89 to go up to $1 just so it gets featured on the sale.  Everyone just assumes that because it’s on the sale, it must be a good deal and grab it without thinking.

These pricing fluctuations are why it is so important that you be diligent about knowing the rock-bottom prices of the 20-30 sku’s that you buy most often.  If you aren’t sure how to do that, please check out Dian’s Price Book Sheet and watch the short video explaining how to use it.

Actually, these sales and pricing techniques are a strong argument for always shopping at Walmart because you have a second price right in front of to compare it to.  So if Kroger puts their tuna on for $1 and Walmart has it for $.89, you can just buy Walmart’s and know you are getting the better deal.  If Walmart’s price is $1.17, you know Kroger’s price is better and you can price match to get it to the better price.

UPDATE: Of course, since this was written, Walmart has made shopping there even better with the new Savings Catcher app that automatically price matches your local stores.  I’ve written a ton about this so please click here to see everything we’ve said about the Walmart Savings Catcher program.

The mission of Grocery Shop for FREE at The Mart is to help you spend as little as possible on the things you need at Walmart.  While this blog focuses mainly on couponing, there are many other ways to save and to get the maximum amount for the money you spend.  To that end, we are starting a new series that will cover some of the non-coupon related things that will help you on your shopping trips.  I hope you enjoy these Walmart Shopping Secrets.

Some Supermarkets Have Hired Full-Time On-Staff Dieticians to Serve Their Customers!

The supermarket business is very competitive (the average profit margin is about 1.5%) so everyone is looking for an edge.  One of the newest methods some supermarket chains are adopting is having an on-staff dietitian.

[Tweet “Your local supermarket might have a licensed Dietitian on-staff for you to talk to!”]

While no reports have surfaced of Walmart doing this, some national chains (Like Hy-Vee) are enjoying the benefits of having a dietician their customers can talk to about certain dietary issues.

These dietitians are helping consumers learn how to read labels and understand the nutritional content of what they are buying, they are teaching how to cook the food, some are even helping customers manage their food allergies.

This is an interesting step for supermarkets to not only become a place to GET food but to also be the place where you learn how to best prepare and eat the food.

This is an important resource for all of us to be aware of.  Unfortunately, there is no National Registry to search your area for on-staff dietitians so if you’d like to talk to one, you will need to call your local stores to find one near you.

If you have any questions about your food, food allergies, food prep or storage, food education or anything else food-related, you need to avail yourself of this fantastic (and FREE) resource.

The mission of Grocery Shop for FREE at The Mart is to help you spend as little as possible on the things you need at Walmart.  While this blog focuses mainly oncouponing, there are many other ways to save and to get the maximum amount for the money you do spend.  To that end, we are starting a new series that will cover some of the non-coupon related things that will help you in your shopping trip.  I hope you enjoy these Walmart Shopping Secrets.

Your Cart is Getting Bigger for a Reason

Don’t look now but your shopping cart is growing!  Don’t believe me?  Check out this history of shopping cart sizes.  Don’t think for a second that is by accident.  Bigger carts mean bigger shopping trips.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a big cart.  Sometimes when I’m stocking up on something, I need enough room for 30 cans of whatever and I don’t want to have to get a second cart.  However, for an undisciplined shopper having space left in a cart can send a psychological signal that makes you want to fill that space up while a full cart makes you think that you are done.

Don’t be swayed by this subtle psychological attack.  Stick to your plan, buy what you need and get out of there.  Just because you have space for it, doesn’t mean you need that extra bag of chips or 2 Liter of Coke.

The mission of Grocery Shop for FREE at The Mart is to help you spend as little as possible on the things you need at Walmart.  While this blog focuses mainly on couponing, there are many other ways to save and to get the maximum amount for the money you do spend.  To that end, we are starting a new series that will cover some of the non-coupon related things that will help you in your shopping trip.  I hope you enjoy these Walmart Shopping Secrets.

Your Senses Can Work Against You

Walmart knows that a tantalized shopper is a less disciplined shopper so they go to work on your senses as soon as you come in the door.  What is commonly close to the front entrance of most Walmarts?  That’s right, the Bakery/Deli.  That’s no accident.  They want you to catch a whiff of fresh baked bread or rotisserie chicken right as you come in the door.  Those smells get you salivating and give you a sensation of hunger and hungry people buy more food.

Now that you know why it’s there, you can fight against it. Stick to your plan and buy what’s on your shopping list.  (Did you walk into a Walmart without a list?  You will spend up to 20% more on average.  Have a plan.)  Get what you came in for and don’t be swayed by the awesome smell of fresh-baked bread.  Try not to imagine a big hunk of it, still warm with a little butter melted on it.  Maybe a few pieces of cheese or an apple slice.  Well crap…now I’m hungry. 🙂