Affordable Luxury at Wal-Mart: We're in Love (Really!)
Categories: Decorating, Everything Under $100, Solutions, Shopping, Design, etc, News & Trends
Poor Wal-Mart. It gets such a bad rap, and in actuality, the big box retailer is making great strides to abandon their evil ways. In an effort to congratulate Wal-Mart for its eco-responsibility, I thought it might be fun to round up a few of my favorite products from the inexpensive giant. And I can pretty much guarantee that if this post didn't have "Wal-Mart" in the title, you'd have a hard time coming up with the source for these goodies. Let's see how a few of my favorite finds fare next to its competitors, shall we?
Wal-Mart vs. Domestic Modern: Rugs
Don't lie -- this room looks straight out of a magazine rather than our favorite love-to-hate retailer. Yes, these products are indeed Wal-Mart, and my favorite piece is this spectacular damask rug for less than $40. Insanity! It appears the look does not deceive either, as product reviews on the site sing its praises. And with Domestic Modern showcasing a similar find for over $300 more, I can safely say I'll be running to Wal-Mart for this one...
Domestic Modern's Price: $345
Total Savings: $305
Wal-Mart vs. Pottery Barn: Lamps
This particular lamp looks to be straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog, and I actually (dare I say!) like this model better than PB's replica.
Pottery Barn's Price: $150
Total Savings: $117
Wal-Mart vs. West Elm: Curtains
That's right, another Walmart find. I love these panels so much, and I don't think the styling could be more on par with the trend. I'd swipe these up in a heartbeat, and at just $20, I could even afford that lovely antique cabinet in the corner! After all, West Elm's version of the look is almost $100 more!
West Elm's Price: $109
Total Savings: $89
Wal-Mart vs. Hayneedle: Room Dividers
I love the idea of using a room divider as a headboard, and I'd definitely build my room around this jewel-toned screen that's just $100, as opposed to a woven look-alike for almost double the price at Hayneedle. I can imagine the space now -- lots of lush, green plants and nature-inspired accents. Gorgeous!
Hayneedle's Price: $299
Total Savings: $199
Looks like Wal-Mart's faring pretty well these days...Go Wal-Mart!
Find additional savings and affordable products below. Read more:
-The Country Living Collection at KMart
-Top 10 Coolest Design Items Under $25
-Under $100: Vases
I spy affordable luxury! Photo: Wal-Mart
Don't lie -- this room looks straight out of a magazine rather than our favorite love-to-hate retailer. Yes, these products are indeed Wal-Mart, and my favorite piece is this spectacular damask rug for less than $40. Insanity! It appears the look does not deceive either, as product reviews on the site sing its praises. And with Domestic Modern showcasing a similar find for over $300 more, I can safely say I'll be running to Wal-Mart for this one...
Domestic Modern's Price: $345
Total Savings: $305
A chic lamp for the price of dinner-for-two? Unheard of! Photo: Wal-Mart
This particular lamp looks to be straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog, and I actually (dare I say!) like this model better than PB's replica.
Pottery Barn's Price: $150
Total Savings: $117
I dare you to find a more inexpensive (and beautiful!) curtain... Photo: Wal-Mart
That's right, another Walmart find. I love these panels so much, and I don't think the styling could be more on par with the trend. I'd swipe these up in a heartbeat, and at just $20, I could even afford that lovely antique cabinet in the corner! After all, West Elm's version of the look is almost $100 more!
West Elm's Price: $109
Total Savings: $89
Wal-Mart vs. Hayneedle: Room Dividers
I love the idea of using a room divider as a headboard, and I'd definitely build my room around this jewel-toned screen that's just $100, as opposed to a woven look-alike for almost double the price at Hayneedle. I can imagine the space now -- lots of lush, green plants and nature-inspired accents. Gorgeous!
Hayneedle's Price: $299
Total Savings: $199
Looks like Wal-Mart's faring pretty well these days...Go Wal-Mart!
Find additional savings and affordable products below. Read more:
-The Country Living Collection at KMart
-Top 10 Coolest Design Items Under $25
-Under $100: Vases
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Daniel 10-15-2009 @ 7:27AM
Wal Mart can charge anything they want but what you buy there is never the same quality as the real merchandise. None of the products Wal Mart sells are made to the same specifications as the regular products. For instance, Levi's, sold in other stores, contain 20 once denim while the Levi's sold at Wal Mart contain 14 once denim. Lawnmowers sold at Wal Mart are specially made with cheap steel about as thick as tin foil. You get what you pay for, JUNK MADE IN CHINA.
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MW 10-15-2009 @ 9:01AM
You get what you can AFFORD to pay for and, in this economy, people can't always afford the best of everything. I would love to buy high quality jeans that cost $60, but, having been laid off from my job since last October, I can't afford them! I CAN afford jeans at Walmart that cost $16.99 and look almost identical to brand name jeans.
That's the point of this article. Nowhere does the author say the stuff is going to last you for the rest of your life, but Walmart allows those of us that can't afford the fancy stuff to buy things that we need for the home.
dld 10-15-2009 @ 10:06AM
I agree, I remember when Walmart touted the fact that the products they sold were made in the USA and how they were responsible for so many American jobs. Then, you could get a quality product made in the USA at an affordable price from Walmart. But, then Walmart realized they could purchase sub-standard merchandise from China and we would continue pay the same price. American factories started to close as factories were being built in China. Many of them built and owned by Walmart. They decided a long time ago that profits are more important than American jobs. What would happen if we decided to should show them that American jobs are more important than their profits?
Sally 10-15-2009 @ 11:29AM
I agree. I bought a table lamp and the pole was crooked. Very disappointed.
Lori 10-15-2009 @ 1:27PM
I'm glad you can afford the good stuff. Congratulations. But not everybody can, so why should it matter to you since you don't shop there anyway? BTW - Wal Mart doesn't even sell Levi's. They sell LEE. If you're going to badmouth Wal Mart, at least have your facts straight!
CK 10-16-2009 @ 12:57PM
Most of us are "making things work" in this economy. It seems that several big name companies are directing us to a "new" way of shopping/saving: buying at thrift stores. Ummm yeah, I've been doing that all my life and its a great deal! You CAN afford to buy quality and for far less. Somebody outgrows it (ex: good quality jeans), somebody gets tired of it (ex: a vase, a lamp, an end table) and it ends up at a thrift store. This sort of shopping is also more "green" because if its usable, it won't end up at your local landfill. If it can be washed, dry cleaned, repainted, repurposed, redesigned, it'll save you money and it won't end up in the garbage heap. I'm an interior decorator and you'd be amazed at the bargains I've found for my clients (and my own home) at thrift stores. Try it out. You may be surprised at what you'll find and how much you can save. :)
Ed 10-15-2009 @ 9:15AM
Wal-Mart. Made in China.
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tss2912 10-15-2009 @ 11:05AM
Target, KMart, Sears, Kohls are all Made in China.
shanebill 10-15-2009 @ 9:49AM
Wal-Mart continues to put the "small" retailer out of business. What really annoys me are the musical aretists that team up with Wal-Mart to have their CD sold exclusively through their stores. Nothing like teaming with Satan. A word to wise, if you team up with Wal-Mart for an exclusive, I will never, NEVER buy that product even if I want it. If some middle class guy like me can go without, rich musical artist can certainly forego the greed money they're getting paid.
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Ben 10-15-2009 @ 9:56AM
Maybe MW who is complaining about being laid off should think of whether its because of walmart getting all of their stuff from china, and not whether they are giving you low prices. loss of jobs here in the u.s. is tied directly to walmart having everything made overseas. you can't pay for quality products if you are not working. they have you coming and going.
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Arlene Neal 10-15-2009 @ 10:38AM
MW and unfortunately many more like MW aren't thinking that far ahead.....he/she has not linked Walmart to the loss of their jobs or the loss of anything else...our nation has been 'dumbed down' by immediate gratification , convenience, and laziness.
Co 10-15-2009 @ 10:57AM
Ben, are you really that stupid to believe that Walmart is to blame for loss of jobs? Pull your head out of your ass and look into the facts. You seem like the type to hate something just to hate.
shado528 10-15-2009 @ 11:21AM
Ben,Ben,Ben.....You are are ignorant!!!!Do you read the paper,watch the news,or even live in this world ?? You should abide by what Abraham Lincoln said....."it is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it"....But at the same time Ben,I should'nt single you out,'cause you are not alone....
mkitty760 10-15-2009 @ 11:21AM
I work (or I should say WORKED) in an industry that has nothing to do with products made in China or anywhere else. I was recently laid off. And I shop at WalMart because that's where I can afford to go. Not everyone has had the opportunities that apparently you haters have had to strike it rich early, invest, save or otherwise be independently wealthy - and in this economy, if you are still able to pay your bills even though you've been laid off, you ARE wealthy.
Ann 10-15-2009 @ 10:03AM
Wal-mart has made life alot easier for me as I raised my three boys.
The bottom line is saving money and finding all
items under one roof!!!!!!!!!
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Lori 10-15-2009 @ 1:34PM
Amen Sister!! For those of us not independantly wealthy or awash and foundering in loads of cash, Wal Mart makes raising a family possible. I was laid off in March from a job that paid 35k a year. After being unemployed for 6 months, I finally found a job making about 23k. If I had to shop elsewhere, I would have gone under long ago. Stand on your principles, if it makes you feel better. Refuse to shop there if righteous indignation is your thing. But don't b***h at those of us for whom Wal Mart is making life much more affordable. Your principles and righteous anger won't make feeding my kids any more affordable, so STHU already!
Wise Buy 10-15-2009 @ 10:24AM
Wal Mart is not the only retailer pushing made in China products. Banana Republic, Gap, Levi and many other all are made in Vietnam, China or India. Before everyone ranks on big box Wal Mart you should look in your closet and home.....bet 90% of it is forgien made. Wal Mart sells cheap so DUH the quality is going to be less than a retailer who cost twice as much. Outlet stores (Levi, Timberland, Gap ect.) work on the same principle....same "look" or "style" as a higher end store but the fabric weight is less....even if it is the same name brand. You do get what you pay for. If you don't mind "disposable" designer clothes by all means go to the outlets and Wal Mart.... and save too. If you want quality you have to open your purse more and for God's sake READ where your stuff comes from. I want to support my country and its work force so I do the best to buy stuff made here. Even better if it is a "local" product. Nothing is cheap to save the consumer. Its only cheap to benefit the big business behind it. But as consumers we can choose not to fund this kind of scam if we want to.
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shado528 10-15-2009 @ 10:57AM
Thanks,Ann...I'd like to know who these stupid people are....they need to be slapped out of they're ignorance !! Maybe they could sell made in America items if more items were made in America !!Corporate America sold us out to foreign workers(cheap labor),and we suffer higher unemployment.Go buy a pair of $150 Nike shoes that cost 0.35 cents to make.And you know what ? I bet these Walmart bitchers drive foreign cars.!!!!
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Julia 10-15-2009 @ 11:32AM
If you want to by cheap crap at WalMart, then i guess you are going to. I will never set foot in one. I'll sew my own clothes before I purchase from them. Their products are manufactured in China under slave-like conditions. When Sam Walton was alive, their big marketing push was that they sold affordable products, made in America. Once he died, his relatives have sold their American workers and customers out. Sam must be spinning in his grave. Between the slave labor jobs it takes to produce the sub-par products in their stores to the local businesses they run out of town, to the government breaks they demand, to the contracts they extort from their vendors... everything about WalMart is dishonest and exploitive. I will never spend my money there.
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Ron Cohen 11-05-2009 @ 9:54AM
I agree WalMart is JJunk , Wear it or use it once then throw away go back buy it again repeat cycle all over again. Fill all the dumps in this country with more junk from across the water. Buy American last a lot longer save on car expence from many return trips to repeat purchase of the same junk all over again.