Hy-Vee Vs Walmart

[travcoman45]

Used ta buy all my ribs at walmart, they carried Smithfield spares, an excellent rib! Price was 1.89 a pound, tyson ribs er tough, very little meat an 2.44 a pound!

Well, in walmarts infinite wisdom they have decided to quit carryin the smithfields. In the past I've had a good workin relationship with the meat manager, well they got a new one a them to. She ain't nothin but a button pusher, not interested in workin with nobody but the company.

Sooooo, I wen't rib shoppin yesterday, spent a good deal a time talkin with meat managers. Hy-Vee's meat manager has 38 years of experience an wan'ts ta work with us in the worst way! He is offerin up Bob Evans trimmed ta St. Louis style ribs by the case. Said the price will varry from time ta time, but the average range will be 1.29 ta 1.89 a pound an ifin he gonna order large quantities he would sell em ta me fer .99 a pound! Plus, I can order monday, wednesday er friday an have em on his truck in two days! He will also order year round! We talked meat an smokin fer quite awhile, he wan'ts ta get a smoker fer himself, sooooo, ya just never know, we could get ta be awfull good friends in the future!

Walmart is loosin sight a the fact the customer puts the money in the bank fer em. Ol Sam Walton gotta be spinnin in his grave!

Oh, we got an Armour's packin plant right here in town an they ain't the least bit interested in doin business with anybody!

Gonna order a case of Bob Evan's ribs next week an see how they smoke up. Hope there good, meat manager says they are a decent rib so we shall see.

[daboys]

Tip, I bought a case of the Bob Evans ribs last summer from Hy-Vee. I'll never buy another one again. Very little meat and flavor. I ended up scraping what little meat they had off the bone and grinding it up for sausage. Check the cases 1st before you buy them.

[travcoman45]

Thanks fer the heads up Mark, I wondered, but figured I'd check it out, ifin the test case ain't no good, I'll do some more shoppin!

[davidmcg]

Yup had the same experience with the Evans ribs also. Grocery store here doesn't care them anymore, nobody bought them. Now they carry Praire Fresh. Small bones, lots of meat and sold untrimmed at $1.49lb, trimmed $2.19. I always buy the untrimmed because we like beans and stuff, sometimes we just smoke them without trimming.

[Gunslinger]

I'd get in touch with a salesman from a grocery wholesaler. As long as you have your documentation in order, you should be able to cut deals with them just like a grocer. Try sysco http://www.sysco.com/ I've hauled tons of pork and beef to them back when I drove OTR.

[davidmcg]

Gunny, did ya ever haul to Sysco's place in Lenexa KS? I worked there part time back in 2002 as a dispatcher.

[Capt Dan]

I wouldn't buy a bottle of water from walmart if i was dying of thirst.
Sam Walton has been spinning in his grave for many years. One of the #1 problems with america and where we buy our goods!

Support your local stores folks, they care about you and this country. Walmart cares about bottom line prices and record profits and driving the local places out of business. Some of the stories I could tell about folks I know who use to be vendors for walmart. Sam's club is the same store, won't go there either.

[Gunslinger]

Gunny, did ya ever haul to Sysco's place in Lenexa KS? I worked there part time back in 2002 as a dispatcher.

While I can't be 100% sure, I don't think so. I haven't driven OTR since 1996, so my memory is a little fuzzy. Mostly hauled pork and beef out of Omaha, Dakota City, Council Bluffs, etc. to the east and southeast U.S.
I know I've been to Lenexa several times. Is there a Land O Lakes or something like that there? I know I loaded butter or margarine out of there.

[davidmcg]

I hear ya Dan. Unfortunately some of the things we need around here can only be bought 2 places and neither of them good. Wal-Mart and Dollar General. Both of them "Home of Made in China." But I finally got a gocery store to start carrying the private label of RO Lump so that is just that much more money I don't have to give to Wal-Mart. Dollar General just invaded our county this winter. They have already made a major impact on the country grocery store, hardware store, gas station and convenience store. Not all bad there though. The grocery store did have to lower prices on canned goods and paper products.

[teeotee]

Tip, I bought a case of the Bob Evans ribs last summer from Hy-Vee. I'll never buy another one again. Very little meat and flavor. I ended up scraping what little meat they had off the bone and grinding it up for sausage. Check the cases 1st before you buy them.

Had a similar experince a few year back with some Bob Evans ribs from HyVee. It was a special at .99 per lb if you bought the case. Had to try some, and boy ..... lot a lot of meat, or flavor and no matter what way i cooked the mthey ended up up being tough eating.

Kinda thinking they were labeled as loin back ribs.

Tip - Did you try Fareway? I had a good chat with the guy at our local one about which part of the pig british back bacon (my next project) is cut from. The guy got out a bunch of different cuts and putting them together to show me where they cut them from etc. Personally Fareway in Nevada is my favorite place to buy meat around here. Although like any chain there can be differences bewteen stores depending on the manager.