I talk about Publix a lot but what can I say? I like shopping there. However, not everyone has a Publix in their neighborhood so a lot of this discussion has been irrelevant for them. Walmart on the other hand is pretty much everywhere.
Walmart has been making some environmental news of its own. They have vowed to be “good steward of the environment” by being more energy efficient and cutting down on waste among other things. Walmart has also made news with its product offerings from organic food and clothing to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
All that good press is one thing, but what does it actually translate to? What about your average Super Walmart in North Augusta, SC?
I went into the North Augusta Walmart looking for a few specific things that are available at Publix and what I considered good indicators for green shoppers. I included food and regular household items. Here’s the list:
- organic milk
- organic produce
- veggie burgers
- natural peanut butter
- “green” cleaners
- recycled paper products
- compact fluorescent light bulbs
The results were disappointing. The only areas I were impressed in were natural peanut butter and compact fluorescents. Walmart stocked my favorite brand of natural peanut butter and had it at a lower price than Publix. They also carried CFL’s at a reasonable price. They had organic milk but it was more expensive than Publix and they had a little organic produce but it was all pre-bagged and looked pretty pathetic. That was it. Walmart struck out on everything else. I was especially let down by the lack of recycled paper products.
Here’s the breakdown:
- organic milk – yes
- organic produce – yes
- veggie burgers – no
- natural peanut butter – yes
- “Green” cleaners – no
- recycled paper products – no
- compact fluorescent light bulbs – yes
Now how much of this is dependent on location? The Walmart in a place like Asheville, NC would probably have a better stock of green products. This doesn’t even take into account other factors like shopping into pleasure either. It could be a nice, quiet day outside or a nasty thunderstorm; either way every Walmart I have been into felt like chaos. Once I get inside one I immediately want to leave. In contrast I could spend all day in a traditional grocery store. For the time being I’m a Publix man.
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Nice Post. That’s what we expect from Organic Snatch.
Good post. I did this not too long ago and found about the same results here in Atlanta.
Zach, my name is Marvin Yates and I run a green shopping website. I’m interested in getting your advice on a few products we are writing about.
Marvin,
I’m glad you’re interested and I’d be happy to help. You can get my email off my contact page or just click on my name in this comment.