Walmart vs. Walmart

Has anybody been to the new Walmart that is not a super center, but only a grocery store? It is called something like the Walmart Family Market or something. I am not sure if they have these everywhere, but we have just gotten one, and there is a second on its way. Now, I was really excited about this entire idea. You see, I hate shopping at Walmart. There are never enough checkout people, the lines are terrible, they always need to restock, can't find a parking place...bla bla bla. I go there for one reason and one reason only...the prices.

I wish I just went to Kroger. I love it there, I think everything is perfect, but I just cannot justify spending more for the exact same thing. It does occasionally make me feel like a sell out for not supporting the little guy, especially since my brother in law works for Kroger, but in the end the pricing wins out.

So, I hear about the new stores, and I am really pumped. Here is this great chance to get my bargain basement grocery pricing at a store that has that home town grocery atmosphere. No more shopping in a warehouse! I head off to the new store yesterday with very high hopes. I walk in and I am instantly in love. There are no crazy crowds! The produce looks so fresh! There is an actual ceiling and not just the light gray abyss of a super store. They actually paged twice while I was shopping to let people know there were check out lanes with no wait. AMAZING!

Then I head to the checkout. Ummm...excuse me, but if they are called Walmart, and they use the Walmart bags and what not, don't you think the prices should be exactly the same? WRONG! Well, I am thinking it is wrong. The truth is that I don't really pay attention to what I put in my cart and I really don't know the individual price of items. What I do know is what I usually spend...about $150. Give or take $30 it is in that ballpark. This trip had nothing special. I would have assumed it would be on the higher end of the average what with the need for dog food and things, but nothing crazy...not like second cart crazy or anything. Grand total...$240! That is nearly $100 more than normal! So, I did try to look on Google to see if they are suppose to have the same prices, but I can't find anything. Has anyone else been to one of these stores? Was it a crazy one time fluke or is it really just more? Any input would be greatly appreciated. If I am going to spend that kind of money, I would much rather go one second from my house to the Kroger store!