The grocery test: Walmart vs. Publix

Last week when I went grocery shopping, I seemed to have very little in my cart, yet left with a larger than normal bill. We have been going to Publix since we moved down to Florida, as I am a self-proclaimed Walmart hater. I would rather support the little guy...because I am a little guy, er...gal..myself. However, I decided to give it a go and head to Walmart this week and see if we could save anything on our growing grocery bill. I just returned and am undecided. The total was about the same, actually, and I am not sure if I got more food for my money. Here's why....

First, Walmart has bigger carts. They want you to fill 'em up. Publix carts are smaller. I did notice the meats were cheaper at Walmart, but had to wait a lifetime to get any help at the deli. As I expected, as I walked into Walmart, I was greeted by a chorus of screaming children that seemed to be sounding off in unison from different parts of the store. There are always unattended children running around in there. I won't even put a guess at that one. Another way it makes it harder to tell if you got more things, is that Walmart totally over-bags. They will put 1-2 items in a bag, then go on to another one. Looking in my trunk as I was unloading it, you would've guessed I had enough food for 5 people, not two. The one good thing, is I found Malto-Meal at Walmart, and they don't carry it at Publix. My grandma used to make it for me as a little girl and called it "porridge." However, I got my one-donut-a-month today, and Publix donuts are far better. I also found I had to buy weird named brands I haven't tried before, and don't know if they will measure up to the Publix brands I am used to.

So, as you can see, I am undecided. I do know one thing for sure. I am 99% more likely to have my car dinged by a misplaced shopping cart at Walmart, because the shoppers and the workers seem to be too lazy to put them in the right cart return and round them back up.