Here is today’s Frugal Report! Today we are looking at changes at Target and Walmart and bizarre story involving Walmart and a horse. Remember to check out our sponsor and grab some $5 Jewelry and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
This is Aarn Farmer with Grocery Shop for FREE at The Mart and here is the news that caught my attention today.
Target announces a Major Grocery Revamp
The running joke about Target is that’s where you shop when you don’t mind paying a little more to not have to deal with Walmart shoppers. Unfortunately, Target’s higher prices have put the chain in a long, slow, steady decline in sales numbers for years. To combat this, Target announced the planned elimination of several thousand jobs, most at the company’s Minneapolis headquarters. The expected $2 billion cost savings will be invested in technology, new store formats and revamped product selection in several key categories.
Target wants to compete less with with Walmart and more with chains like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. The focus will shift to more natural, organic and gluten-free products, specialty coffee and tea, wine and beer, local brands and fresh food. Their chief merchandising officer Kathee Tesija said. “Food is something that our guests shop for while they are at Target, not why they come to Target. And that has to change.”
It will be interesting to see what happens.
Man buys Walmart.horse and gets sued
You may not know this but you are no longer confined to just buying websites with .com, .org, or .edu on the end. There are now hundreds of different website endings, or Top Level Domains, TLDs for short, you can buy. One gentleman, the artist behind Questionable Content.net, decided to buy Walmart.horse and park a picture of a Horse in fron\t of a Walmart on the page. Predictably, Walmart is sueing him, claiming he violated their Intellectual Property. The artist contends that it is a parody and falls under fair use. I’m not sure how this will turn out but I’m willing to bet Walmart’s lawyers have deeper pockets than the ones hired by a webcomic.
On the Blog
We have Crisco Shortening for just $.18, the Ibotta matchups have been updated, as well as the list of what’s FREE at Walmart this week. Also, in case you missed it, we put up an article this weekend detailing a new change to Walmart’s Online Price Matching Policy you are going to want to know about. Links are in the description below.
And finally, our story of the day
Walmart announces 2 new changes to their payment system
The first change is relatively minor. Starting soon, you will only have to type your PIN number in at the register if your purchase is $50 or more. These PIN-less transactions will still be treated like debit card purchases, as opposed to credit card card purchases, you will just get to skip the step of typing in your number. If you’ve been at a fast food restaurant lately, you’ve probably already seen this in action.
The second change is a little farther down the road but will be here quickly
.Walmart is rolling out their CurrentC program which will enable their customer’s to pay by pulling up a QR code on their smartphone and letting the cashier scan that. The QR code will be linked to your credit or debit card and should speed up the check out procedure and get you on your way quicker.
Here is the Question of the Day
How do you feel about paying for your stuff with your phone? Does it make you nervous or are you excited about the possibilities. Leave your answer in the comments, be sure to subscribe to this YouTube channel and give us a thumbs up. Talk to you soon!
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