For the past few years I have purchased my boneless skinless chicken breasts from places like Albertsons, Costco and every once in awhile even Walmart.
The last few times I have come home from Walmart with a package of chicken breasts I got this feeling like something just wasn’t right.
The styrofoam package and the little juice-soaker-upper thingy (I know… real technical) felt almost as heavy as the chicken breasts inside. I had this nagging feeling that I was getting ripped off.
So last week when I brought home another package of chicken from Walmart I decided to go with my gut and actually weigh the chicken and package.
In the store the price said $2.09 per lb. That’s an okay price – I usually get better deals at Zaycon.
Here is the package I brought home.
I paid $10.74 for the package. It says there is 5.14 lbs of chicken inside. At $2.09 per lb the price is correct.
So the first thing I did was to set the whole package on the scale to see if it was 5.14 lbs.
Ummm…nope! It weighs 4.938 lbs. So right there the price is off. I measured a few other items to make sure my scale was accurate first and it was.
I did read on the packaging it says “Contains up to 15% natural chicken broth.” I was assuming that it was injected into the chicken breasts or something, but I noticed a TON of chicken juices in this package. I think that is kind of weasly, don’t you?
Next I decided to take out all the chicken and see how much that weighed by itself.
This is all the chicken in the package. I tared the scale and then put the chicken on the scale.
3.97 lbs.
I knew it. Oh the humanity. I was irritated and annoyed at this point. I should have only paid $7.92 for this package at $2.09 per lb.
Still, I wanted to weigh just the package and juice-soaker-upper thingie.
This weighed almost exactly ONE pound.
So…that $2.09 per pound price is now $2.71 per pound.
Sneaky sneaky packaging.
I feel cheated. Duped. Bamboozled (yeah, I just went there. ) I wanted to run to my computer and share this all right away. But I was nervous. I mean posting online that I was ripped off at Walmart? What if I got the Oprah treatment? (sued)
Well, just in case, I will leave this little disclaimer…this problem may have only been at my local store and not chain wide.
One Week Later
I bought chicken again, this time I happened to be at Winco. The chicken was priced at $2.09 per lb again.
On the package it says it should be 4.04 lbs, but it was actually 4.15 lbs! Way to go Winco…you actually considered the weight of the packaging!
When I weighed the chicken it was spot on at 4.04 lbs. Their styrofoam package was not nearly as heavy as the Wally world one. Sheesh.
So anyways, I was going to say to always avoid these kinds of packages and just go for either the frozen bags at Costco or fresh from a deli. But Winco surprised me that they actually are honest in their policies of weighing the meat. (Big slow clap for Winco!)
As for Walmart – I didn’t call customer service or complain to them in store. We ate the $3.00 lb. chicken and it was tasty. No problems in the quality of the product, the problem I have is the jacking up of the price because of the packaging dishonesty.
I plan on going in again with my scale and see if it happens again. And if it does I will complain.
So watch out for chicken cheats and always try to get what you paid for because if you’re not careful you may end up paying over two dollars for a piece of slimy chicken juice packaging.
Oh and question everything my friends. If you feel something is wrong, it probably is.
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Just Me says
Walmart does not do fresh chicken anymore, they get it all shipped in prepackaged, so this chicken was done this way at the chicken plant… regardless I don’t EVER buy chicken from there, nor do I buy any meat from there anymore.. I get my meat from a store that actually packages their meat on site….
Xmeatwrapper says
I’m sure the chicken is a product of Walmart even if they don’t package onsite. The prices, self life and weight accuracy is Walmarts responsibility to carry. I also will not buy anything especially chicken there again.
FAWNIA says
That’s why I shop at Hy-Vee! Everything I pick out of the case is wrapped in paper!! And I watch them weigh it so I know i’m not getting ripped off!
Fae says
Hey girl! I work at Winco and we are always honest about our packaging and pricing. If there’s a problem, tell us and we will fix it. Glad to hear that we made you happy with your chicken! 🙂
Susan says
Ummm just so you know (as it doesn’t seem as though you do, the weight you pay for is suppose to be for the product itself NOT PACKAGING!!! So Winco actually priced it appropriately. Added juices you can’t do much about (sadly) but the weight of the product should never include any of the packaging – styrofoam tray, soaker up thingy ( 😉 ) or plastic wrap.
Jen says
Tray should be weighed separate from the meat. No matter what the store is, the weight of the tray should not be accounted for when buying something. You pay for product, not wrapper. I worked in a candy store and we had to weigh the tins before we put the candy in and then after to get the correct weight. Totally agree this person was ripped off. This is why I buy frozen chicken.
Rissalynn says
Yeah, seems like people probably aren’t “zeroing” out the scale. Most food scales have this option. You weight the packaging, and “zero” out the weight. So when there is nothing on your scale, you won’t be at zero, but if the packaging weights say 1 pound, your scale will read negative 1 pound. So when you do weight your food item, the scale automatically deducts the weight. Just one click of the button would have saved this!
Karrie says
I totally zero’d out the scale – I just don’t think they did.
joe says
You may have, but I see 2 problems here. 1) you have too small of a scale plate using a lid of some sort to balance it on the scale. This can cause a error in the weight as the simple kitchen scale you are using uses a single pressure point to determine the weight load. If you are not correctly centered it can cause a variant and you should have moved he bag around a couple times on the scale to ensure a true read. 2) You are not weighing all of the product. It is clearly labeled up to a 15% solution and you have no solution in your bag of chicken you are weighing. I also notice you compare a solution added product to a 100% natural product, this is like comparing apples and oranges. You should have a much closer weight with the natural chicken as no solution means much less to leak out so of course you should get closer results with your simple test. I live in a rural area and the chicken I get at my local mom and pop store is the same packaging as what you show you bought from Walmart, which leads me to believe that you were “ripped off” by Tyson but choose to blame a specific retailer. I would bet you could buy the same product from another local store that you got at that Walmart store and doing the same test find similar results since your test has a couple of flaws that I can think of and am sure others that I am unaware of as well. I will take it in good faith that you did your best to investigate the weight much as the retailers take it in good faith that the pre-packaged pre-weighed items are correct. I wouldn’t think to dismiss your efforts and hope you look for either that same Tyson product in another store or compare it to another 15% solution product and see if there is actually an issue with the 15% solution standards or if it is with this company or this retailer. I would at least hope you see the point of which I make hope before you accuse someone of ripping you off you at least do your due diligence and see if you truly were. I have no issue with people speaking out when they were wronged just as I am sure you have no intentions of jumping to conclusions.
Deb says
“Zero out” the scale is known as tare. Sounds to me like someone got lazy and didn’t tare for the weight of the packaging, and the balance of the discrepancy was that juices possibly leaked out. My action would have been to contact the store manager and then let him/her know that I was also contacting the state dept of weights and measures. If you got an inadequate response from the store manager, call a local TV station’s investigative reporter. They LOVE doing stories like this – especially during “sweeps” (ratings) weeks. Like you, we prefer buying our chicken from Zaycon. We get ground beef, etc. from them, too. Our last order was supposed to be 40 lbs of ground beef. We packaged 38 1 lb packages. We shrugged it off – hubby figured we’d over packed a couple of packages. Got an e-mail from Zaycon within 24 hours that THEY made an error and we got a credit for 2 lbs of ground beef. 🙂
Carol C. says
Yes, that’s precisely her point. Packaging should not be weighed with the meat.
xmeatwapper says
Added juices inside the meat is one thing, the blood/juices in the tray are not eatable. The “Tare” taken for packaging should include an adjustment so you don’t pay for this waste product. Although, they must state on the package that they have added what ever percentage of solution to the meat and that usually is a preservative because the meat has been pre-packaged somewhere else.
Chris Wright says
Most of these places pump the chicken breasts with a solution. This is not anything new. All this chicken you buy and you’re just figuring this out now??
Karrie says
Well, I am new in this whole real-foods organic grass-fed type of lifestyle. Baby steps for me…I am trying. But I haven’t really started into meat as of yet..but might have to soon after hearing all these comments. 🙂
John says
2.09 a pound was nothing close to organic chicken raised properly. Also, chickens don’t eat grass…
If you want to eat a healthy organic whole food lifestyle you probably should also not buy food from walmart.
Karrie says
Hello John, thanks for your comment. I had to correct you though..Chickens DO infact eat grass. Mine do all the time! They love it.
Judy L. says
I have chickens too and I was thinking . . maybe he needs to talk to my chickens because they love grass . . and most any thing else that’s green.
Melinda says
I’m cracking up at this comment!!! Chickens totally DO eat grass! 🙂
Hans says
That just shows he doesn’t have any idea how his food is produced. Doesn’t mean he is dumb, just means he is ignorant about the subject.
Mid says
Chickens eat just about everything they can get close to.
Mahana says
I am a retired meat wrapper from various supermarket chains and I’ve wrapped and packaged meat for more that 20 years. I can tell you that the person who was in charge of packaging the chicken did not take the tare off for the tray and the pad. I don’t believe Walmart intentionally adds weight to the package, I believe its laziness human error or laziness. They really need to keep an eye on that!!!
nixy says
They selling it to others so its their failt, they took money and scammed people. If they sell product let them check it first then, not just put blame on others
rick says
um . do you always carry a food scale in your pocket??
jim b says
Always an asshole comment in the crowd.
Diffee says
No but Walmart has produce scales, usually near the section containing the chicken. (not exactly recommended b/c of sanitation, but w/e)
Brenda says
Were talking Wal-Mart now days, I go in there to shop and ALWAYS having to pull bad food from the fresh vegetables and fruit/produce isle… I hand it to them and half way turn and yet can still see and the employees set it right back on the shelf.. as to say you found it bad but no one else knows it and they will sell it… You also want to check the exp. date on ALL your foods they don’t ROTATE the way I was taught to do it.. I’m 54 so I guess its OLD SCHOOL and they have better ways of stocking shelves now days. LOL Just saying!! I also use to work in the meat dept, and we always took off for the tray and soaker. Sorry this happened to you.
Mid says
I poke holes in the plastic before I buy it. If it is good then no problem I am buying it, if not then the next customer can see the hole and smell it as well.
Scott S says
They are taught to properly rotate food and to take care of spoilage. Those who do not do it properly are just lazy and need to get the boot.
Kathy Kelch says
I work for a large company of Grocery stores, and I will say, I have to agree with Mahana, it’s the packager not the company, with all the laws and policy’s the stores have to follow, my advice is to complain to the store you got it at before complaining about a company that is not aware what is going on…. Just Saying!!!!!
Amanda says
Here’s an even better idea. Record your findings, which you have, get your friends and relatives to do the same, show a pattern and report it to the FDA. Let big govt. handle the hand slapping of big corp. They are there for situations just like these. Wash your hands of it. You’ve been a fine upstanding human being by telling the rest of us. You’ve made good use of your first amendment rights and there is nothing illegal about that. Cuddo’s!
Karrie says
Thanks Amanda, great idea!
Traci says
Ummmm, big government is what got us into this mess of a nation we have right now. FDA sits right in their back pocket and if walmart wants to continue doing this to the people who shop at their store, then the FDA will look the other way. I for one stopped shopping at walmart many years ago and will NOT set foot in their store. They continually rip off the customer and think nothing about it. Back when the store first began, it was an amazing way to save money and it was run by a great man, since his death it is now a money grubbing company that cares nothing about saving the American people money, only saving money where they can, example, slave labor in China. Nope, I shop now at local stores and make what I can homemade, or buy from a different national store if I cant find what I need local or homemade. Not trying to bash on you, I just don’t trust big government or walmart.
Hans says
You are so wrong, its NOT big government that got us into this mess, its people like you who point fingers at others and in the end buy chinese cap, consume like there is no tomorrow and if it goes wrong blame the rest of the world.
The citizens of this country have only their own stupidity to thank for were this country is. Without everyone glamoring for the cheapest item, taking out credit were they can’t afford it and screaming every time someone raises the prices or taxes. The citizens being cheap, greedy and irresponsible got us were we are…nothing else.
Scott S says
Hans is correct. Further, in your ignorance, you have blinded yourself to the fact that Walmart is one of the leading retailers that sells American Made when American Made is available in said product line. Dont blame the retailer because corrupt unions forced manufacturers out of business due to excessive labor costs. The United States has changed from a manufacturing base to service based economy, so where do you think all the products you buy are going to come from? this is the result of runaway labor costs. And any business will base it’s net profit off it’s gross, and part of that gross is labor cost, so when you jack up the cost by demanding higher wages, the company is still going to make it’s 10-12%, but you just increased the net dollar figure that it is
Lorenzo Poe says
Except that the FDA doesn’t do weights and measures. It is usually done by the state department of agriculture.
Miggy says
You’re kidding me, right?
Both Hillary and Moochelle sit on the Board of Directors at WallyWorld.
Jeanne says
Fact check. Michelle Obama has not served on the board of directors of Walmart. Hillary Clinton was on the Walmart board from 1986 to 1992.
Tony says
Weights and measures issues are handled by the state, so contact the agency in charge. Most likely the agency is required by law to follow up with an inspection.
Ranea says
I wouldn’t trust the FDA further than I could throw their headquarters … these are the people that allow unlabled GMO foods, high fructose corn syrup, and toxic additives into what we purchase to eat. I give kudos to Wal-mart because they have taken steps to correct their rather poor image as employers, have started carrying more organic and even gluten free products, and are working toward quality and accuracy in their food packaging and marketing. No, I don’t work for them. But I am a consumer who is gluten intolerant and diabetic and who has learned to read labels and shop very carefully. You can find damaged goods and inaccurate labeling in any store, I don’t care who they are, because it’s true that they get those products from someone else who packaged them. Take your share of the responsibility for what you buy – ‘let the buyer beware’ is an old saying and it has lost none of its truth.
xmeatwrapper says
I too am a retired meatwrapper that worked for multiple store chains (except Walmart) and you are absolutely right about “Tare” adjustments we make to the scale before we weigh it. It takes in the packaging as well as the type of meat (how much it will general bleed or lose juices as it sits in the case for sale) to also factor in how many days it is given before it has to be pulled from the case called shelf life. So Chickens have a longer shelf life but get can lose more weight in juices why so many soakers in the wrapping, and depends of what part of the chicken like legs will not lose as much weigh as a boneless breast will. Then there is boneless fresh fish like fillet of Sole or frozen thawed Orange Roughy that has a lot of Tare taken and only 3 days shelf life. A Top Round Roast or London Broil (Top Round) is another one that bleeds like crazy so those cuts will typically have more tare taken on the scale. The bottom line, is the weight of what you buy and take home should not be less than what is on the label and don’t confuse solution added because it has to be inside the meat to count.
Seth says
I actually used to work at a plant that froze, weighed, and packaged chicken usually for Tyson. All the “chicken Juices” in the package, are actually your %15 of Natural Chicken Broth; which is a solution added for preservation and what not, its (not sure if i am violating some kind of non disclosure agreement ) water, salt and Phosphate. The salt is usually from Cargill, the phosphate is from a company called Kena. The don’t inject this solution into the meat, the marinade the meat in the solution in a vacuum tumbler, something like a concrete truck with the barrel spinning and tumbling the chicken. With the vacuum the Solution is forced into the meat. after ward it is frozen then more water added, they call it a “glaze” it supposed to be like a protective shield for the breasts.It ends up bloody looking “chicken juices.” So that is why the weight is off, not to mention that when the chicken thawed some of those juices may have leaked out of the packaging.
Steve Philpot says
It was intentional dishonesty I can tell you that, and Wal-Mart does get their meat from an outside source. It was probably just a scale not having the tare weight inputted. Tray pack chicken is injected, not tumbled marinated, yes there is some seepage naturally due to the pores of the meat not being able to hold all the marinade. You should have just called the store, that’s what they are there for, instead of making a blog post indicating Wal-Mart (which I absolutely hate from having worked there in highschool) is trying to rip you off.
Sarah says
Walmart has the WORST customer service. Good luck getting a person, let alone any kind of response if you ever have a problem with them. It is why I no longer shop there.
Judy L. says
I’m not saying ALL Wal-Marts have good customer service but some do and it is wrong to throw every store into a “bad customer service” bucket. Some of us live in small towns and have few options and we’re thankful to have Wal-Mart. We’ve lived many places, most of them small towns, and we’re always thankful for Wal-Mart, since it’s often 100 miles or more to a decent sized town.
Our WM here, and the previous WM where we lived had excellent customer service.
BJ Huffman says
I agree not every store is the same, I have been to some that lack good customer service and others where the service is great..but I also agree that when we as consumers uncover a problem with a product, store or price it should be reported and indeed make others aware ..good blog. I will still shop walmart for certain things, but rarely for food….
Jack says
I agree.. to sit on the wayside behind a computer screen, spewing out that they have the worst customer service.. .that just sounds like an excuse/scapegoat for doing nothing.
Typical in today’s society.. blame others and let all self-accountability die. It’s pretty easy to toss out such statements.. but I guarantee that if you were wronged by walmart tomorrow… you would say something. Or, would you say.. “they have terrible customer service, so I’ll let them get away with screwing me.”???
Stupid..
BJ Huffman says
Always report problems or expect to get ripped off…
We can’t rid the world of crooks, but we can dang sure try…
We as consumers already pay way too much, and with the corrupt leadership in this Country we can expect to pay more, but don’t allow yourself to be raped, robbed and walked on, stand up and fight!
HomerJ says
wal-mart shill.. could you be any more obvious?
Steve Nance says
I work for Walmart in Bentonville and only can speak to what I have experienced. Walmart is a stand up company that works hard to do the right thing for it’s customers and the community.
I will look to understand the observation and share perspective.
Tyler says
Stand up company? Really?? How come their employees cannot even live on the minimum wage they receive?
How come Walmart had a food drive during Thanksgiving for their employees who are going hungry….asking the other underpaid employees to bring food to feed their fellow employees?
How come Walmart trains their employees to get public assistance when they are hired? (Which means they get welfare and who pays for that? You and I!)
AND ALL THE WHILE WALMART MADE 15 BILLION DOLLARS IN PROFIT LAST YEAR?
I don’t know too many people who are happy that we are having to pay taxes for Walmart’s employees to be able to make ends meet so that their executive can make record profits!
Does this sound like a ‘stand up company’? Not to me!
The question is….how can anyone in good conscience shop at Walmart?
Denise Yamas says
Yeah, those were all kind of my responses too, Tyler. I am not even going to get into their unethical company employee practices and orientations. Steve Nance… you obviously are a company man, so that automatically makes your opinion biased, especially if you work in the home offices. Wal-mart is a sneaky company that moves into a small town area and literally chokes out mom and pop stores. It used to be one of the better companies, and next to the dime and dollar Chinese chains like Dollar General or Family Dollar, etc., it is still better. That is not a tough act to beat, though. I shop elsewhere when I can. The only thing I can say in defense of Bentonville home Walmart or offices is, if you get bad customer service at one of the chains, tell them, right then that you want the number to the home offices, or you want them to dial it for you right then. Apparently customer complaints to the home office are dealt with very harshly, so they do not like an assertive customer threatening to do so. I have seen many a “manager” change his tune upon that request. (notice I say “him,” as Walmart is also rather infamous for their misogynistic management practices)
As far as the rip off chicken packages, I am not one bit surprised. Know where you are shopping. Buy at Sam’s… they keep quality high there to bring in the more elite and top spending consumers.
Frank Booth says
Mr. Wal-Mart,
Were your knee pads made in China, like most items you sell?
That chicken pricing issue is PURE FRAUD!
Merry Christmas!
ashley says
Sams is the same thing I use to work there quite it is just like walmart
Magginkat says
Got news for you Steve Philpot. They are ripping people off and I feel that it’s on purpose. I have shopped a number of Wal Mart Stores and I find this in every one of them. I had a feeling they were adding salt which really ticks me off because I try to eat with a salt free diet. I asked at one store if they add salt and they denied it but it’s very noticeable. I just purchased a large pkg of boneless, skinless breasts earlier this week. I noticed that after removing the chicken that the pad under the chicken was at least an inch thick. It was very heavy.. I weighed it and that thing weighed over a lb. As the writer said the outside package/tray is very thick and heavy. I did not weigh that. However, here’s the interesting part: I took the pad that was under the chicken which some people think is there to soak up excess liquid, and sat it in the sink. I took a knife and poked a number of holes in it. Nothing came out. So what the sam hill is in that pad and why? This pad did seem to have a top layer that looked like some kind of absorbent material. It was very thin and no way would it hold a pound of liquid and not release it when it was poked or squeezed.
Erin Crouch says
It states directly on the package that they add a saline solution.
Scott S says
umm no the correct thing is to bring it to the public eye, as it is UNLAWFUL to conduct commerce with faulty scales, miscalibrated scales or to sell a product that is labeled with an incorrect weight or volume, ( over is allowed under is not), The scales are sold and installed wit calibration and test weights which are to be kept with them to check them regularly, in addition to the mandatory annual inspection by the Bureau of Weights and Measures. I personally would have gone further and dropped the proverbial dime and informed the authorities and not opened the package once I found the weight was off.
CA says
Did you seriously just write a blog about getting ripped off for a measly two dollars? Oh the cheapness…
Ricky says
$2 of $10 is 20%.
mitch kruszynsky says
call the store hahah. like that would help you ever tried to get a manger or dept manger on a phone , i was a manger for wal mart before , they are that sleezy, Dont Buy Any MEATS FROM WAL MART ANYMORE, SINCE THEIR MEAT COMES IN FROZEN , SINCE THEY DID AWAY WITH THEIR BUTCHERS, YOU DONT KNOW HOW OLD THAT MEAT IS AND HOW LONG IT WAS FROZEN OR THAWED AND REFROZEN.
joan says
I have never been on this site before but want to add to the last of cheated customers by Walmart.
Bought 3 packages of chicken $2.09 pound spent about about $30 ! which almost 4 pounds was incorrect weight and packaging .I went back next day and manager defended his store and adjusted his scale to try and prove a point and said I was wrong or my scale was incorrect . Well went home and weighed everything I could and my scale was right !! Might go back with scale and prove I was not wrong Feel sorry for people that have no idea and barely making it and paying for extra pound on each package for nothing ):
denise mcconnell says
why not just weigh them while you are at walmarts??? they have produce scales. a pound is a pound, doesn’t matter if it is apples or chicken.
Kelly Findlay says
Who wants to weigh an apple on a scale that just had chicken leakage from a package of chicken ( they all leak, by the way). I know I don’t. This has to be some sort of cross contamination? don’t you think? yuck! Keep the yucky chicken off the produce scales please denise mcconnell.
Mal says
Kelly, you have no idea what was on that scale before you put your apples on it and then you take them home and eat them. You also have no idea who else has been handling your apples before you bought them! They should go on the scale in a bag and should be washed before eating even just to wash off most of the surface insecticides that were used.
Stephanie says
Kelly, I understand what you are saying, but keep in mind that any fruits and veggies should be washed before you eat them….. you never know what kind of filth is coating those foods…..
Apryl says
Stephanie is correct. All uncooked fruits and veggies should NEVER come in contact with meats. For example, E. Coli is a bacteria strain that is only dormant in frozen meat such as hamburger. Only cooking meat up to 160°F for a min of 12 seconds kills it. Even if you washed the fruit/veggie after contamination, the bacteria is still alive. E.Coli is just one example
Anna N. says
Does your Walmart package there own meat? All of the ones around me dont. I was just curious as to why he was explaining the scales when none of that is done in store?
nichole says
the meat at walmarts comes in from another company, but we do weigh up the meat when it comes in…the scales have a pre programs (from another company) tare weight for the packaging…the package she has probably was a malfunction from the scale in the meat department. not all walmarts are trying to rip you off. i work in the meat department…i know how it works. dont assume the worst of walmart because 1 person on the internet out of 3 BILLION people found a mistake. 🙂
Tami says
Oh come on now…. How many people actually go home and weigh this stuff? If everyone did, I’m sure that a huge percentage would be ‘off’.
Pat says
If a person ever has doubts about what they are buying, they can use the scales at the check out. These are certified by the state weights and measures department and have to be exact. You just have to remove the meat from the package, place it on a paper plate or towel and weigh it. By law, whatever the tag on the package says is what you are required to pay for it. The price per pound has the cost of the packaging factored into it so if it says 3 pounds on the tag and 3 pounds on the scale, somebody is ripping you off as you are paying the per pound price for the packaging.
Tony says
More importantly be should call whatever state agency is in charge of weights and measures, as that shit is totally illegal.
terri smith says
It says right on the package 15% “enhancement.” Which is basically water. Up front they are telling you that only 85% of what you are buying is chicken. If the label is correct you are paying $2.46 a pound for your chicken. This chicken is packaged in a huge plant that knows exactly how much packaging is used, not some individual using a common scale and hand entering prices and tares. Walmart knows exactly what it is buying, from whom, and what their practices are. They are a huge and powerful company that can force compliance simply by taking their giant purchasing power to another supplier, if they care to. Also, consider that water weighs over 8 pounds a gallon. I personally would love to sell water for $16 a gallon, and it appears Walmart loves it too.
Chris says
Yes, the chicken may be packaged and whatnot at a huge plant. However, it is not the plant which puts the price tags on the packages. If you take the time to look at the tags on meat at any store – or, more importantly, have had to get a new tag for said meat because the one that was there came off – you would know that they print out the tags and put them on the packaging AT THE STORE. Therefore, it is the store’s job to know how much the packaging weighs and thus have that weight deducted when they put the package on the scale to get the correct price on the tag.
Pat Nelson says
I use to drive an 18-wheeler and we hauled a lot for Wal-Mart distribution centers. We have hauled chicken that was pre-packed complete with Wal-Mart priced labels in place. Some of these plants do not have it together. They have loaded our truck with a whole pallet(1600 lbs) extra of chicken. When we unloaded, the distribution center refused the extra pallet, because they did not order it. I had to find a charity to donate the pallet of chicken to before I could load my next load. The moral here is that, as much as it pains me to say this, the problem is most likely not Wal-Mart, but at the processing plant.
Scott S says
it irrelevant when there is over a full pound discrepancy
xwrapper says
I disagree that a 15% solution added to the meat is the same as the blood/juice in the packaging . it is not eatable and it is now contaminated and should not be eaten and why we wash are chicken off before cooking it. The solution has to be inside the meat to be part of the meat weight. i can see that training at the plants might be contributing to the problem.
Amanda says
Looks like someone mighted have switched the labels to get a better deal, though I dont shop at wal mart anyways to expensive.
xwrapper says
Happened to me Too!
Salt says
You know you’re feeding your family antibiotics, hormones, and arsenic that companies add to conventional chicken? & when you buy those products you’re only empowering the same company that is poisoning you to further poison you as well as others.
I’m not trying to be rude. I really just want to inform people. It is only through information we can make better decisions. Take care, best wishes!
FLcracker says
We found this out sometime ago and reported it to the USDA with pictures of the packaging and scales. We were told Wal-Mart uses a third party to package their meats and that is who will go down for it.
xwrapper says
I don’t agree. It’s like an accident. If a car rear ends you because a car rear ended them, you have to go after the car that actually hit you not the one that caused the accident chain of events. Same holds true here too. Walmart will responsible to it’s customers whom they sold the product too. Once Walmart bought the product from the contract third party and sold it to you, it becomes their liability to properly label, insure weights etc. Walmart would have to do what ever they have to with the third party not you not your problem. Weights and Measures go to stores randomly and test meats in the case to insure they are following Federal and state regulation to protect consumers. They can be given violations and fines including the health dept too. All part of the grocery business.
Although there is a limited amount of personal with these agencies so sometimes it takes filing a complaint by the customer to bring their attention to the problem.
DAN says
You need to contact the Dept of Weights And Measures or Department of Agriculture in your state and report Wal Mart. They take this stuff seriously, as using miscalibrated or unapproved scales, or mislabeling package sizes/portions is considered fraud. Companies have been fined MILLIONS for this stuff.
andrea says
Wow! I would have never thought to do this! Thanks for the heads up!!
Abbie says
Funny – I did this EXACT same thing last week! I bought that identical package from Walmart, and as I was throwing the packaging away, I noticed it was SO HEAVY! So I weighed it and mine weighed OVER a pound! Totally turned me off from buying chicken from Wal-Mart again.
xwrapper says
Can’t believe this was happening in 2013 and is still happening in 2019 (6 years later). Do you have any idea how much money that can add up to at an extra pound per chicken whole or boneless sold by Walmart ???? WOW!
How have they gotten away with this for so long and Weights and Measures has not caught them by now ???
Gary says
Winco don’t take credit cards and so avoid the discount fees levied by the card issuers. Take that plus the rewards I get on my card and WalMart is a much better deal. Plus I don’t have to drive three times as far. So are you really saving?
Mat says
Nice work. Thank you!
Dave says
It appears that Winco has in store packaging where Walmart does not Walmart chicken comes to the store all packaged…….
xwrapper says
That does not change a thing, what the label says it what you are suppose to get for the price indicated.
Jamie says
I used to work at a local grocery store, in the meat department. I was the wrapper and it was my job to wrap, weigh and price everything that went on our shelves. Our scale was digital, as are the one’s at Wal-mart. Each item was stored in the scale and all I had to do was push a button for the item in question. Each item already had the weight of the packaging figured out so it wouldn’t affect the price. What you were paying for was the meat itself, nothing else.
I try so hard to stay “local” and only buy things from local stores, or made by local crafters and vendors. Paying a little more for an item doesn’t bother me when I am helping out our community.
xwapper says
For clarification, what you mean is the scales are advanced in that the scale is (manually) program by type of meat/fish/chicken description which has a standardized packaging to include the “Tare” adjustment for packaging and price per pound along with it’s standardized and regulated shelf life. So wrappers now just have to push a code assigned to it. It’s wrapped, weighted and labeled either automatically or manually. Prices are changed in the scale programming as needed.
ChristineMM says
I would call the store manager and also look into reporting them. There are strict laws about fraud for scales and weighing. The stores have to calibrate their scales on a regular basis.
If you want top quality buy from a farmer’s market but you will go broke. Our local farms sell in butcher paper and have no added broths. However to compare ribs for example, the price was 4x higher from a local farmer (all natural) than the price at my HEB grocery store (big companies who use hormones , not natural, etc).
xmeatwrapper says
Meat when weighted on the scale is suppose to include a negative weight to start which is called “Tare” to make sure you are not paying for packaging, soakers and lost blood, juices based on how long shelf life in the case it is given (most fresh meats and fresh fish are 3 days where as chicken can up to a week before needing to be pulled and can get very wet from loss of blood/juices. Smoked meats like hams label will get a month before needing to be re-weighed.
Zoe Ziegenhagen says
Thank you for sharing! I’m always hesitant to go to Wal Mart because sometimes I feel the quality and price is not where it should be! Definitely going to be even more careful there now.
Christie says
My grandma has always weighed her meat at the store to see if the weights add up. It’s sad that stores aren’t honest!