The Walmart in Vienna is great for basics. I have Walmart + free delivery through one of my credit cards and we use that a lot. Their prices on household basics like canned beans, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, cannot be beat. They always have great variety and pricing on grapes, which can be ridiculous at other stores. Even some halal options.

I do most of my grocery shopping there except nuts and cheeses.

Putting aside the ethics of Amazon and Walmart, because if you think Walmart is unethical, you’re not shopping there regardless of the quality…

Wonder Nation is great for basics. Most of my 11 yo’s school clothes are Wonder Nation. My son also really likes the Wrangler cargo pants and shorts with the XL pockets, also sold at Walmart. They are designed to hold a Nintendo Switch, and while we don’t often need to carry the Switch around, that size of pocket is helpful for other things (like his silent reading paperback).

Also in the “questionable ethics but good for basics” category: Amazon Essentials. Most of my “weekend” clothes are Amazon Essentials (T-shirts, cotton sweaters, linen shorts and pants, button downs, some dresses). Their jeans and chinos don’t fit me well though.

Back to Walmart (from someone with a background in food and ag)…because of their market share, their buyers get first pick of produce and meat. Which means that overall your freshest produce comes from Walmart. I think this might vary a bit by store. My local grocery Walmart has the best produce in the area, but I have heard other stores are not great, and haven’t investigated.

You’re also not getting the same variety of product at Walmart than you might at Safeway or Whole Foods. Walmart sticks to the basics: apples, tomatoes, spinach, strawberries, etc. Nothing exotic. But it does the basics well. Same for the meat: you don’t get a lot of different types of steak, but the NY strips are good.

Last Walmart tip: use the curbside pick-up option. Going inside Walmart is an adventure that I am not up for most days.

Anonymous wrote:Some Walmart goods have reasonable quality. Others do not have reasonable quality. I am obliged for the PSA.

I bought some stuff to check out. Very thin material. Leggings and shirts are much thinner than Targets Cat & Jack. More shrinkage too. But a much higher percentage of cotton than C&J, which might account for the weight and shrink.

Anonymous wrote:🙄 rich person discovers Wal-Mart. Literally millions of people shop there. Do you really think this is news?

You sound pleasant

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:🙄 rich person discovers Wal-Mart. Literally millions of people shop there. Do you really think this is news?

I’m not rich and I have no interest in shopping at Walmart. They’ve destroyed too many small businesses.

I grew up in a small town (not rich) and this was the general outlook of everyone in town when the Walmart went in on the edge of town, which really shaped my view of the company. Though 25 years later, I actually don't think they destroyed any small businesses -- the places we all thought would be threatened by the Walmart all survived. Turns out what Walmart sells actually has very little overlap with most small businesses. I think the ones that were most at risk were the local hardware and auto parts stores, and both survived. Though eventually the hardware store was put out of business by a Lowe's.

Now in 2025 I am "discovering" Walmart for the first time as we go hunting for bargains thanks to price increases. I know a lot of people have shopped there for years, I just had this negative association with it that stuck I guess.

My small town experience was that Wal Mart destroyed a significant chunk of our town's businesses when it came in the late 1990s, but also destroyed small business in two nearby, even smaller towns. Some places held on longer than others, but the end result was the same. Main Street was hollowed out and more jobs were lost than what Wal Mart replaced. Three towns had their commercial hearts decimated, Wal Mart isn't just an option, it's the only option to buy clothes, auto supplies, pharmacy,, shoes, etc.

And now Amazon is putting even medium and large sized retailers out of business. Walmart may have been the bad guy in the 90s, but those businesses wouldn’t have survived until today regardless. The only difference between Walmart and Target in this regard is people’s perceptions of class and wealth. Target is just a middle class big box alternative for folks who think Walmart is just for the poors.

Anonymous wrote:I agree, my kids have a bunch of their stuff. We also like their Athletic works line. Their girls shorts with the liner have lasted longer than their Nike shorts. I haven’t been to Walmart in person in years but we buy online and I’ve never noticed a smell on the clothes.

Op here. Thank you for letting me know about the Athletic Works line. That was where I was hoping to grab those basketball style shorts for my 11yo for summer. Great to hear!

Anonymous wrote:🙄 rich person discovers Wal-Mart. Literally millions of people shop there. Do you really think this is news?

It’s not our fault - there are no Walmarts near rich people. I was excited when I first got to go to one as a teen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:🙄 rich person discovers Wal-Mart. Literally millions of people shop there. Do you really think this is news?

I’m not rich and I have no interest in shopping at Walmart. They’ve destroyed too many small businesses.

I grew up in a small town (not rich) and this was the general outlook of everyone in town when the Walmart went in on the edge of town, which really shaped my view of the company. Though 25 years later, I actually don't think they destroyed any small businesses -- the places we all thought would be threatened by the Walmart all survived. Turns out what Walmart sells actually has very little overlap with most small businesses. I think the ones that were most at risk were the local hardware and auto parts stores, and both survived. Though eventually the hardware store was put out of business by a Lowe's.

Now in 2025 I am "discovering" Walmart for the first time as we go hunting for bargains thanks to price increases. I know a lot of people have shopped there for years, I just had this negative association with it that stuck I guess.

My small town experience was that Wal Mart destroyed a significant chunk of our town's businesses when it came in the late 1990s, but also destroyed small business in two nearby, even smaller towns. Some places held on longer than others, but the end result was the same. Main Street was hollowed out and more jobs were lost than what Wal Mart replaced. Three towns had their commercial hearts decimated, Wal Mart isn't just an option, it's the only option to buy clothes, auto supplies, pharmacy,, shoes, etc.

Some Walmart goods have reasonable quality. Others do not have reasonable quality. I am obliged for the PSA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:🙄 rich person discovers Wal-Mart. Literally millions of people shop there. Do you really think this is news?

I’m not rich and I have no interest in shopping at Walmart. They’ve destroyed too many small businesses.

I grew up in a small town (not rich) and this was the general outlook of everyone in town when the Walmart went in on the edge of town, which really shaped my view of the company. Though 25 years later, I actually don't think they destroyed any small businesses -- the places we all thought would be threatened by the Walmart all survived. Turns out what Walmart sells actually has very little overlap with most small businesses. I think the ones that were most at risk were the local hardware and auto parts stores, and both survived. Though eventually the hardware store was put out of business by a Lowe's.

Now in 2025 I am "discovering" Walmart for the first time as we go hunting for bargains thanks to price increases. I know a lot of people have shopped there for years, I just had this negative association with it that stuck I guess.

Same experience in my small town a generation ago. This “save the local business” thinking is from a time before Prime two day shipping and online shopping. Not even the big chains are immune from those market forces, let alone the little mom and pops.

Amazon is just as bad. You both must have had loyal customers in your towns for the stores to survive.

Everything in Walmart is from China so who knows what will happen

The truth is that small towns are poorly served by retail, so there is little for Walmart to put out of business. Most small towns getting a Walmart don't have a bunch of thriving small retail businesses meeting all the residents' needs. Most of the retail in my hometown were little tourist shops selling tshirts or kitschy toys, or art and pottery shops. There was no overlap with what Walmart sells. We had a JC Penney for a time where we'd buy clothes and some housewares, but it went out of business before Walmart came in (and isn't a small business).

Before the Walmart, people who could would drive to a larger town an hour away to shop. Rich people would go to the big city 4 hours away. The Walmart enabled people to shop locally, and at least some of that money stayed in the community via sales taxes, property taxes, and paychecks. Walmart isn't great, but for a small, rural community, it's better than the alternative.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:🙄 rich person discovers Wal-Mart. Literally millions of people shop there. Do you really think this is news?

I’m not rich and I have no interest in shopping at Walmart. They’ve destroyed too many small businesses.

How? People go for prices and convenience. I don’t want to go to multiple overprices stores to get the same thing. Walmart gives many jobs.

Anonymous wrote:I've tried to look at clothes there and the clothes section smell so bad. I don't know if it's chemicals used in production or whether warehouses or trucks are sprayed, but that stuff reeks. I don't want it on my kid.

Never had that and bought tons of clothes. Wash them first. If you order online most come in the plastic package.