@EdnaLegume: maybe I should clarify... I wouldn't buy a high end electronics item from them due to the trouble I might run into should my high end electronics item have an issue that I need to have dealt with. I'd rather buy from a mom and pop that would help me in the event my tv blows 15 days after I buy it.

People have enough trouble returning hand mixers from them... god forbid I have to return a $400 tv.

turkeys? no. just no.

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suburbancowboy

@EdnaLegume: Regardless of price, I will never buy a single thing from Wal-Mart for as long as I live.
Never have, never will.

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supercereal

@suburbancowboy: Congratulations on fooling yourself into thinking you're a better person because of it. I guess that leaves more deals for the rest of us.

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ben

@EdnaLegume: I'd rather buy electronics than turkeys from Walmart.

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giggitygoo

@ben:

I misread this comment as \"I'd rather buy electronics from turkeys ...\" which gave me an interesting visual.

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zandar

@ben: same here. Walmart doesn't have much influence over the quality of the Samsung TV that I bought there (other than perhaps the opportunity to drop kick it before I buy it) but their meat purchasing is a bigger, scarier unknown.

I recognize some meat brands at Walmart. The ones I don't make me more than a little hesitant.

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Cant_stop_the_rock

@zandar:

Walmart DOES have influence over the quality of electronics and every other product they sell, because Walmart has the purchasing power to demand lower prices. Cutting prices can mean improving efficiency (Walmart is responsible for significant increases in efficiency), and it can also mean reducing quality. Both of those things often carry over to other stores as well - other stores pay lower wholesale prices than they might have if it weren't for Walmart, but they also get Walmart-grade crap. In some cases it's hard to find a good product anywhere, because manufacturers have all been forced to cut costs either directly by Walmart, or to compete with Walmart's suppliers. Most people won't dispute that the overall quality of consumer goods has decreased in the last couple of decades, but most people don't realize that it's at least partly a result of \"Always Low Prices.\"

In a product category like electronics where manufacturers have several products with similar capabilities but various levels of quality, you can bet that the Walmart probably sells the worst product. Sometimes it pays to pay a little extra.

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Cant_stop_the_rock

@Cant_stop_the_rock:

My comment should not be construed as criticism of Walmart for using their size to achieve a result (lower prices at the expense of quality). Ultimately it is our fault for expecting to pay so little for so much. Walmart just gives us what we want.

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sonneillon

@zandar: Agreed having a new LCD TV go out sucks, but catching botulism is worst.

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bohemian

@sonneillon: Walmart meat is a scary game of low grade food poisoning roulette.

They devil is in the details. They don't mention what brand of turkey they will price cut. I bought an off brand Turkey at the grocery store last year because they were 88 cents a pound. There was a noticeable quality difference in the finished product. It would have been worth it to pay 99 cents a pound for the Butterball ones they had instead.

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Outrun1986

@bohemian: I agree, the quality of turkey does make a difference. We bought a Wegmans brand Turkey and it was much more greasy than Honeysuckle brand. This made for very difficult clean up after cooking the turkey, which was not fun. The meat tasted fine but probably had more fat than your average turkey. It didn't make me sick so that is good and I usually get pretty sick from greasy foods. For thanksgiving we are getting a brand name turkey.

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dragonfire81

@zandar: There's a regular commenter on here who likes to point out that Wal-mart electronics are often of a lower quality than similar devices at other retailers.

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The Porkchop Express

@dragonfire81: doesn't make it so though.

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yungjerry703

@dragonfire81: i thought i had a curse on me. wal mart has done me wrong on everything from a mp3 boombox to a 56k pc card have gone bad on me in a matter of weeks. shopping somewhere else really isn't an issue since i live in the land of shopping centers (n.va). so now its a rule in my house. if it plugs into the wall don't buy it at wal mart.

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WatchOutNow

@yungjerry703:

Huh-huh-heheh...you said 56K...ohhh the memories.. I miss you 14.4 Baud, ohhhh & 28.8k, don't feel neglected, when you first came out, you rocked my world. Bring back TexT only internet & BBS's.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

@dragonfire81: I was just reading somewhere -- I think in consumer reports, actually! -- that the same model may be made with different parts for low-cost retailers. The case in point was a printer, same model, same model # but with an \"X\" on the end ... which the manufacturer told him indicated it had more plastic parts that wore out faster and were more prone to breaking; they were metal for other stores.

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admiral_stabbin

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): It's entirely true...another example is Apex DVD players. They would use a \"W\" in the model # for products that were going to Wal-Mart. However, in their case the products with the \"W\" were cheaper and had more features. My friends and I coveted those POS players...

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treimel

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):

\"same model # but with an 'x' on the end\"

so ... not the same model number, then.

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fantomesq

@dragonfire81: And what do they base that on? If you get two products - one from Walmart and one from anywhere else - that have the same part numbers, they will be the same products... Anything else is unecessary Walmart-bashing

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bohemian

@dragonfire81: This is why you have to check the model number. Sometimes the model numbers have one number off or an extra letter or series of letters before or after the rest of the model number.

If your getting an exact matching model number at Walmart and say, Best Buy then you should be getting the same item. Walmart has quite a few \"made for Walmart\" models. Those frequently have lower quality parts inside. Sam's Club gets some made for Sam's Club computers and TV's also. They had an HP laptop a few years ago that was an utter piece of crap that was a made for Sam's Club model. I didn't buy one but got to hear the tales of woe from two friends who did.

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QuantumRiff

@dragonfire81: Often, the models are slightly different, and not directly comparable. That Panasonic 50\" tv in the electronic stores might have more connections, more types of connections, a better warranty, etc. WalMart is big enough that many companies make a \"special\" model for wal-mart.

Also, I would be scared of returning that expensive of an item to Walmart.

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Applekid

@QuantumRiff: It gets better than that. The actual components are often lower quality to get to that magic price point. From components where a consumer-tolerance version might cost $.03 versus a bulk-tolerance version might cost $.01 to LCD panels with more stuck/dead pixels (Class C versus Class B) or lamps with shorter estimated life.

The big giveaway is that the model numbers don't match with other stores'... but it's only a matter of time before they disguise those and mark of blocks of serial numbers to the substandard items.

Big brands so scared of Walmart not stocking their items that they'd instead allow their brand name to be diluted with substandard crap instead is pretty short sighted if you ask me.

(interesting note: Walmart didn't come up with this. Some companies have been doing it for years already with stores like Brandsmart USA)

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shepd

@Applekid:

Sounds like Sears with Black and Decker tools; I've been told by a former tools salesperson (who was my friend, not trying to sell me stuff) that Sears actually gets B&D to make power tools cheaper for them. More plastic parts, etc on the \"Sears special\".

It isn't just Walmart that does this.

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zandar

@dragonfire81: so my Samsung TV has special Walmart-only innards? That explains why the darned thing shows so many Walmart ads.

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madanthony

@EdnaLegume:

I ended up buying my flat panel from Walmart - 42\" Vizio LCD, 1080p, $600.

Used ship-to-store, so I did have to go in there, but I got a good TV cheaper than I would have anywhere else.

I had previously ordered one online from Fry's, and had FedEx destroy it and then lose the return, forcing me to file a chargeback, so I'm reluctant to ever order a big screen TV online again.

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WatchOutNow

@EdnaLegume:

REGARDLESS OF PRICE, I'D NEVER BUY ANYTHING.... FROM WALMART.

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cuchanu

@WatchOutNow: I don't really shop there, but I also don't fool myself into thinking that other chains aren't doing the same bullshit they are.

Since nearly all mom and pop electronics places are out of business (or have moved to the high end to survive) I don't have any problem with buying an LCD TV from Wal-Mart over Best Buy.

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tonberry

@WatchOutNow:
and that sir is your right.

isn't it great to live in a free country!

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WatchOutNow

@tonberry:

I just wanna say that everyone who followed-up on EdnaLagume's initial comment are the most rockinest posters today ! Keep up the good work people !

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Jeremy82465

@EdnaLegume: Had to be said:
I build my own high end electronics at home!

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Con Seannery

@Jeremy82465: I grow my TVs out back organically. It takes a little longer and costs a little more, but it's better than WalMart and Micro$oft getting all over it.

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The Porkchop Express

@Jeremy82465: and turkeys!

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Starfury

We're going to be replacing the old tube TV at Christmas this year because we expect there to be major discounts.

I will not buy one from Wal-Mart or Best Buy. My money will be spent at Amazon or Costco for a TV.

3 replies

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Nekoincardine

@Starfury: Costco TVs are very win - they have a 23\" Samsung which is now my computer's 2nd monitor, plus the screen for every one of my game systems, with excellent frame rates, (somehow!) lower latency than the equal-sized CRT from before - and all for $260.

Wonderful.

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drjayphd

@Nekoincardine: Costco is deep-fried, beer-battered, bacon-wrapped win in a win demi-glace. Parents bought a 42\" Vizio from them a year and a half ago, and the backlight went out about three weeks ago. (This is allegedly a fairly common occurrence with this model.) The manufacturer's warranty ran out... but Costco's didn't. Got a refurbished model about a week later, free of charge.

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Con Seannery

@drjayphd: We got a 42\" Vizio about 2 years ago from them and a 37\" a few months back. Both solid, no problems.

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bohemian

@Starfury: We are really happy with the one we bought at Target. It is 3 or 4 years old and never had an issue so far.
I don't think they make Olevia any longer.

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pecan 3.14159265

We want a new TV, but we really don't want to pay for one. Ours is just fine, even though it weighs about 300 pounds and probably won't survive another move.

What would happen if Wal-Mart cut prices on turkey? I'm buying my very first turkey this year and I have no idea what constitutes as a good price - I pretty much just plan on buying one I can find in the right weight range. I don't think I can spring for a free range bird for the amount of people I'm feeding.

15 replies

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Toffeecake

@pecan 3.14159265: We fry our turkey every year. I usually inject it with a butter/Cajun seasoning mixture, although once my uncle fried a turkey injected with Tobasco. It tastes sooooo good, and best of all, once I season it, I can hand it over for the husband to cook outside!

Last year, we did a turkey at my in-law's house, while they baked their own. My turkey \"won\" hands down, but nobody wanted to say anything so my mother-in-law wouldn't feel bad....

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bohemian

@pecan 3.14159265: The final death of our CRT TV was what forced us into buying an LCD TV. They didn't have any CRT TVs left when we were looking.

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Outrun1986

@pecan 3.14159265: We usually get a frozen turkey from the grocery store. I would recommend brand-name over store brand because of a recent experience with a very greasy store brand bird. You won't like cleaning up after all that grease (plus it will probably cost you more in cleaning supplies). Most grocery stores will have a good price if you buy groceries along with the turkey. If your going the frozen route you have to buy it at least a few days ahead of time and stick it in the fridge to thaw out. If its a good sale and you have a big freezer you can buy more than one turkey and save them for the future, they will keep for at least a year when deep-frozen and taste fine afterwards.

Make sure you know how many people you are cooking for, a 12lb bird (a smaller one) will probably feed about 6-7 people. We have 4 adults eating about a 12lb turkey and we get A LOT of leftovers. They have really huge 30lb'ers in some stores, which would be ideal for a big family.

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webweazel

@Outrun1986: Another good option for thawing turkeys is to put them into a large Igloo-type cooler submerged in lots of water with a little bit of ice, and let it thaw over a few days. Keep the temperature at 36-38 degrees (no higher than 40) by stirring the water, and then adding more ice every day, as needed. At the very least, you can stick it in the garage or laundry room and saves room in the fridge.

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh

@pecan 3.14159265: Ditto for me too. Our tv went out (as in, busted.) right before they stopped selling the big CRT tvs.. so we ended up getting one because that is what we could afford at the time.

I'm hoping my dad will get me a new TV for Christmas, but I'm not holding my breath. If they really do go cheap though he might go for it.

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katia802

@pecan 3.14159265: Keep an eye out on your local grocer's circulars. Don't know bout where you live, but there's always at least one of the three major stores here offering a free turkey with a minimum purchase (eg spend 250.00 get a free 10 lb turkey) One year we ended up with 6 of em. Remember if you're buying frozen ones to be very careful with the thawing process and allow yourself extra time.

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sonneillon

@pecan 3.14159265: How many pounds of turkey do you need? At the various grocery stores you should be able to get a decent sized bird for under 10 bucks. If you need to feed a hug number of people then you will probably need to spend more. And I do recommend going to a grocery store because as much as Walmart tries to sell food they are a discount retailer and do not do food items as well, but on the plus side walmart lowering prices means that everyone will do so to compete so your local Giant, Albertsons ,King Supers,Safeway, etc will have to have a low price on their turkeys too.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

@pecan 3.14159265: Just go to your local competitively-priced grocery store and they all have decent prices on turkeys leading up to Thanksgiving. If you have a big enough freezer, you can get a frozen one, but I've always gotten a good price just buying it a few days before. (Also, if you're cooking for just a few people, a turkey breast is good.)

My other tip is, if you roast your turkey with bacon draped all over it, the fat in the bacon will baste the turkey for you and you don't have to do any basting. Plus it's freaking DELICIOUS. Plus it's the cook's prerogative to eat pieces of bacon that fell off the bird while carving the bird before serving.

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drjayphd

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): ...and here I was going to say that Walmart's strategies to get you to buy more turkeys and TV's was the same: wrap 'em in bacon.

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pecan 3.14159265

Good tips, everyone. Thanks for all the advice! I'm not sure how many people I need to feed - at least ten.

I have the Nov/Dec issue of Cooks Illustrated and I think I'm going to follow that advice on cooking thr turkey - it's just that I don't think there were any instructions on buying the turkey.

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floraposte

@pecan 3.14159265: They don't have hugely strong preferences, but they've liked kosher turkeys, especially Empire, in the past. The brands they tested also don't match up real well to what's in my supermarket, but they were okay, if not thrilled, with yer basic Butterball.

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pecan 3.14159265

@floraposte: I know Cooks is more discerning because they contrast turkeys with each other. I'll buy a brand name in my price range, even if it is a ho hum Butterball. I'd like one that tastes the best, but if my guests aren't taste testing various turkeys, how are they going to know that I didn't spring for the best turkey ever? :P

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treimel

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):

I'm gonna try that bacon tip this year. bacon = added deliciousness.

Oh, and OP, I've got to echo the other commenters on this one--at least around the Philly area all the large grocery chains seem to have loss-leader type specials on Turkeys for the big day. Check sunday paper circulars.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

@treimel: I usually use about a pound of bacon for a big turkey; half a pound for a breast. (I'd buy 2 lbs. and just eat the rest later on!)

What I love is that it makes the turkey \"set it and forget it\" so I can prepare other things while it roasts instead of dorking around with basting.

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become

@pecan 3.14159265: Oh I'm in the same boat pecan. I have a 32\" tv that is far too large for my livingroom (a 32\" widescreen would be about the right size because its actually only about 27\" wide left to right) but I just want to get rid of it because I dread having to move it the next time. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it - its only about 5 years old and I got it for $150 on craigslist last year. But yeah. Huge.

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AnthonyC

@Oranges w/ Cheese wants it to be winter already: @Outrun1986:

Agreed. With computers in particular, they don't even tell you what parts are in their, other than a few selling points. Sure, you know the cpu and graphics card you get, but who made your ram? WHat kind of power supply is in there? Ever try to find out the specs for your motherboard?

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blandname

Best Buy won't tell you the motherboard specs or RAM speed either, and for most consumer uses (web browsing, word processing, etc) it really doesn't matter. Oddly enough, the computers I have seen at Walmart really weren't very good deals, either more expensive or with lower specifications than models at Best Buy or Fry's. @acvicari:

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AnthonyC

@Oranges w/ Cheese wants it to be winter already:
Um... a 32\" non-widescreen TV would be 25.6\" wide. 4:3 versus 16:9 and all that.

Unless there are manufacturers out there that report widths rather than diagonal measurements, if your TV is 32\" wide, it is NOT a 32\" TV.

A 32\" wide non-widescreen TV has a 40\" diagonal. A 32\" wide widescreen TV has a 37\" diagonal.

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coren

@Oranges w/ Cheese wants it to be winter already: I don't know a ton about widescreen, but I thought it was actually, well, longer? No?

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Mr_Human

Somehow I'm sure you could have gotten a cat into that picture.

1 replies

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WatchOutNow

@Mr_Human:

bRilliAnt ! Walmart sells kittens & neutered cats !

*BUMP*

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downwithmonstercable

Aren't turkeys free most anywhere during thanksgiving? Like, spend $25, get a free turkey?

2 replies

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ponycyndi

@downwithmonstercable: I've seen these deals in the past, either spend $20-$50 and get a free one, or accumulate coupons to get a buck off for every $10 you spend. Last year, I didn't see a single free turkey. The best deal I could find was .29/lb with an additional $10 purchase. I expect the deals to be worse this year.

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lilyHaze

@downwithmonstercable: I think it's more like $200 or something over the course of a month or two.

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sir_pantsalot

Sometimes I get the feeling that the products sold at Walmart are of less quality then those purchased elsewhere. Even if it is supposedly the same item from the same manufacturer at two different stores. Due to Walmarts aggressive buying tactics I think some manufactures skimp on products they will sell to Walmart to make money on the item. Am I crazy or are there others that get this same impression.

5 replies

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Outrun1986

@sir_pantsalot: It depends on what you buy, for your average prepacked stuff, its probably the exact same item, like foods and dish soap and detergent. Paper goods will vary pretty much everywhere. I seriously doubt that a bottle of Windex brand cleaner is of lower quality at Walmart than the grocery store.

Electronics, small packaged items like webcams, ipods and speaker docks will probably be the same. I bought an iHome speaker dock last year there for $20 and it was the same one every other store had. Again I don't think they are manufacturing 2 different sets of products, one for walmart and one for other stores. Microsoft isn't gonna make 2 different mice one for walmart and one for other stores. Apple isn't making iPods specifically for walmart.

For big items like TV's, computers and laptops its going to be different, but its pretty much like that at every store. Seems to me it would be pretty hard to find the same exact laptop in 2 different stores.

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giggitygoo

@sir_pantsalot:

Walmart does get products made exclusively for it, which may be of lower quality. If you're comparing with other stores it's important to compare model numbers to make sure you know what you're getting. However, I'd be less concerned with TVs since the Walmart version may have fewer connections or other features, but I doubt that Samsung is making a lower quality lcd panel just for Walmart. On the same topic, it is difficult to find reviews for Walmart-specific products due to the exclusivity, which doesn't help if you like to research products before you buy.

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Hoss

@sir_pantsalot: Still, Walmart electronics seem like a safer buy than Walmart turkey.

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Changed my name to \"I like potatoes\"

@Hoss: @econobiker: A lot of people are questioning the quality of WalMart food on this post, but the grocery department at my local WalMart is so much nicer and cleaner than my local supermarket. The aisles are nice and wide, the selection is far better AND fresher. You can knock the quality of a lot of WalMart items, but I have never had a problem with their food.

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pecan 3.14159265

@sir_pantsalot: They do it for Levi's jeans, why not TVs?

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Hoss

Wally should ignore Thanksgiving. Any mix of Walmart and the holiday makes us remember death by stampede

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Blueskylaw

Nothing says luvin like a Walmart turkey from the oven.

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supergaijin

The thing is, the TV prices aren't even that great. The Panasonic Plasma is second to the bottom in the Panasonic line (U series) and 720p. You can get a 1080p version with MUCH better specs (S series, NeoPDP, anti reflective coating, less energy use) at Sears for only about $60 more.

Walmart will have to try harder.

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coren

Yeah, make Best Buy drop their prices so I can use this gift card I got. Then probably remember in six months why we all hate Best Buy so much here...

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econobiker

Chinese raised and Mexican processed turkeys preloaded with toxic contaminants?

1 replies

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drjayphd

@econobiker: Oh, come on, the arsenic was for added freshness.

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suburbancowboy

I spoke to several people who worked at a company that negotiated with Wal-Mart, and this is how it works:
Wal-Mart gives you a book called \"How To Do Business With Wal-Mart\". In that book, the first thing they tell you to do is move factories to China.
Wal-Mart tells you what price they will pay you for the product. If that price is lower than your cost, they do not care. They will automatically tell you to make the product with cheaper parts, or of a lower quality. Wal-Mart only cares about price. They do not care about quality of goods sold.
When this company refused to make shoddy products, or close their US factory, Wal-Mart simply got another company to make a cheap knockoff of the product.

If you are a patriotic American, you would never shop at Wal-Mart.

6 replies

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wasabipeas

@suburbancowboy: @Greasy Thumb Guzik: Weird. I was wondering how Walmart could afford to price so low (if they profit, it's marginal, otherwise it sounds like somebody is taking a bath here), but they know that shoppers never show up just to buy one box of stuffing -- they're going to buy other things while they're there, from groceries to clothes to electronics to hardware. They can advertise a few low-priced items to get in bargain-hunters and then profit when they buy other items.

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ecwis

@wasabipeas: Using loss leaders is not really Walmart's approach. Their profit margins are very small on all their products but they make their money based on the massive quantity that is sold. There may be some exceptions but in general, Walmart does not use loss leaders.

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harvey_birdman

@suburbancowboy: I'm calling you a liar. Such a guidebook totally does not exist. If such a document, with \"Rule 1 - Move to China\" really existed it would have been scanned and put on the internet already. Nice try.

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Smashville

@suburbancowboy: I refuse to listen to anyone that tells me that doing something is \"patriotic\" or \"unpatriotic\".

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shepd

@suburbancowboy:

Sounds to me like \"How to do business in a capitalist economy\".

Seriously, do you think the Mom & Pop shops would tell their wholesaler that they've been lowering their prices too much?

As the former owner of a such a business, I can assuredly say \"No\". In fact, we pressured our wholesalers to give us better deals all the time. The difference is we didn't have the ability to help them lower their prices--they were on their own. And if they couldn't meet another wholesaler's price, we took our business elsewhere.

This is absolutely normal. In fact, Walmart is nice precisely BECAUSE it tries to help failing businesses fix their problems, rather than just letting them fail and moving on.

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ecwis

@suburbancowboy: Your bias leads me to believe that you embellished that story. Most products sold at Walmart are exactly the same as ones sold in Whole Foods, Best Buy, or other stores. While it's true that they often sell the cheapest item in a line of products, so do many other stores. All TVs are made outside of the USA so I don't understand how buying a TV at Walmart is unpatriotic...

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Brazell

If WalMart could beat NewEgg or Amazon this holiday season, then I'd buy from them. I'm in line for a mid-sized TV for my basement... and if WalMart delivered a good product for a solid price, I'd happily purchase from them over, say, BestBuy.

But, likely, I'll go the Amazon or NewEgg route.

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Brazell

If only Wal*Mart would come out in strong, vocal support of the Government Option in Health Care, it'd definitely cause the Consumerist and the bulk of its readers to come out against it.

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riroon

I get the same vibe. I'm a big game video nut, and -- don't ask me why -- I have to buy my games at Gamestop or Target. Something about putting my Madden 10 or Arkhan Asylum in a wal-mart bag that tarnishes the buying experience. Silly, I know.

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chipslave

Makes me think of Turkey TV. I used to watch it on Nickelodeon as a kid. Good times...

1 replies

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Real Cheese Flavor

@chipslave: Thank you for that sudden burst of nostalgia from out of nowhere.

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ionerox

Who buys turkey? It's free at grandma's house....

1 replies

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Smashville

@ionerox: +1

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Greasy Thumb Guzik

Walmart ran a n ad in the Chicago Tribune today & is selling Stovetop Stuffing for 78¢ a box.
That would be a minor thing, but that's cheaper than we can buy it at the Kraft employee stores here in our Kraft office buildings!

4 replies

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pecan 3.14159265

@Greasy Thumb Guzik: I implore all of you, make your own stuffing, please! Don't succumb to buying Stovetop stuffing!

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wasabipeas

I have no idea why I have suburbancowboy in there -- I think I was going to reply to something s/he said, then realized I have nothing to add.

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Greasy Thumb Guzik

@pecan 3.14159265:
You're missing my point!
Walmart is selling the stuff cheaper than Kraft is & the Kraft employee stores, there are three in the northern suburbs are always the cheapest place to buy Kraft products.
This is even cheaper than Aldi's no name brand.

And I'm too lazy to make my own stuffing!

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wasabipeas

@Greasy Thumb Guzik: Weird. I was wondering how Walmart could afford to price so low (if they profit, it's marginal, otherwise it sounds like somebody is taking a bath here), but they know that shoppers never show up just to buy one box of stuffing -- they're going to buy other things while they're there, from groceries to clothes to electronics to hardware. They can advertise a few low-priced items to get in bargain-hunters and then profit when they buy other items.

(Augh, this comment system is making my head hurt!)

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Fanboy1217

@pecan 3.14159265: my fiance's mom makes the best cornbread stuffing from scratch. my mom can also make a good stuffing from a box. the key is to not make it by itself. she kind of puts the stuff in the pan and then the turkey on top of it. Delish! It is even better the next day when it has congealed in the fridge.

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working class Zer0

\"Walmart said it reduced prices on seven items, including turkey, canned vegetables, cranberry sauce, stuffing, a five- pound bag of red potatoes, dinner rolls and a pumpkin roll cake, for a $20 dinner serving eight people. A $20 meal for 8.\"
You can bash Wal-Mart all you want but this is a big deal to a lot of people (especally this year) who otherwise would not be able to provide a traditional Thanksgiving meal to their family.
As for Wal-Mart meats I find the Sam's Choice frozen meats are some of the best quality foods of that kind on the market.
I have some issues with Wal-Mart but when it comes to their food (selection, quality and prices) I'm a big fan.

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catnapped

@working class Zer0: Then they raised the prices on everything else to make up for it. Might be different elsewhere but they're definitely NOT cheap around here...I can go elsewhere and buy a lot of what Wally supposedly \"shopped the competition for\" cheaper.

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VagrantRadio

@working class Zer0: If you can buy a thanksgiving meal for 8 for under $20 at Wal-Mart, I'll pay you the $20 to shop somewhere else.

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pecan 3.14159265

@working class Zer0: I understand if you have to skimp a lot, $20 to feed 8 people is a huge deal. And it really is a huge deal. but just for a little more than $20 you can have Thanksgiving dinner without canned vegetables, canned cranberry sauce, and real pumpkin pie too.

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DoubleEcho

\"Oh my God....Turkey. With pillowly mounds of mashed potatoes..\"

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henrygates

We always buy local, free range turkeys. We get to know the farmer and we get to meet the turkey before we eat him. A happy turkey tastes better than any frozen store brand turkey, no contest. The price really isn't that much different and since we're talking once a year here, it's not exactly a budget buster.

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gnoswal

@henrygates: I'm sure the turkey feels much better having known you before it dies. Personaly, I have a meet and greet with the whole meal before I sit down for thanksgiving dinner. I have everyone introduce themselves and we get to know each other a little better. The mashed potatoes and gravy...very personable...the cranberries...very standoffish...just thinks he's better then everyone else.

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wasabipeas

@gnoswal: Unlike the rule about happy meat, the opposite is true with produce. Cranky cranberries taste much better than happy ones. I only buy from growers who regularly blast loud rock music at their fields at 3 am and make their fruits and vegetables sit in rush hour traffic.

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Darkneuro

I try not to buy food at WalMart. They're fine for toilet paper, but I've seen the state of their back room. I won't buy veggies from them, much less meat!