Wal-Mart Is The Savings Place?

Day 211 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" series

I know Wal-Mart is really big on showing their price changes, but tripling the price? I wouldn't figure they would want to advertise something like that. I guess for this line of increases they will need to change their motto to "Beware of jumping prices".

I'm sure this was just an oversight or mistake somehow. I do know that a lot of items have gone up in pricing. Maybe not 300%, but it is common to see some items that have increased by as much as 50% over the past 18-24 months. These are not high cost items, but an increase from $1.00 to $1.59 is a lot of extra profit for Wal-Mart, the manufacture or both.

These increases actually started when gas prices started climbing and manufacturers started increasing their prices to counteract their "losses". Of course, when the gas prices started dropping the prices did not. Then on top of the price increases I saw fuel surcharges being added to some vendors we use at my job.

Speaking of gas prices. I think gas stations tend to double dip on their customers. When they hear that prices for crude will be going up they in turn raise their prices for future purchases, not for what they already have in their storage tanks. Doing that gives them extra profit for what they have already purchased from their distributor. Then when the higher priced fuel actually shows up they raise their prices again, double dipping on the profit margins. This, of course, does not happen in the reverse order. A decrease in crude is announced, but prices stay the same. I think this is a very poor business practice, but what can we do? We must pay what the gas stations charge if we want to be able to drive.

I guess I shouldn't bellyache too much though. I have a car that God allowed me to purchase for a great savings. I have the ability to get in my car and drive to wherever I wish, whenever I wish without intervention of the government (so far). I have a job that allows me to buy the overpriced gas to put in my tank. I have a family to drive to a vacation destination with whenever we choose. So, I don't have it that bad putting things in the big picture viewer. After all, it's just money anyway. If I held onto it too tightly and it became more than just a means and turned into an idol - then I would have some issues. As of now I just see money as a way to supply my family and I do not attempt to keep raking it in. I'm not concerned with where the money might come from because I know who the real Source is. He has just chosen to supply it through certain means at this point and He may choose to supply it through another means at some other point down the road. Who knows other than the Lord? I just know who is in control and who I place my trust in, instead of putting my trust in the gift instead of the Giver.