“Why Walmart, though?”

Do you ever feel like you’re wasting a lot of time, running around trying to find the best deals on the items you need for your home and to feed your family? I know I do! I can tell you which store has the best deal on pretty much all the common items we use at home. But it’s time-consuming and exhausting running around town chasing deals. I much prefer to buy from one store and save myself the time and gas.

That’s one of the reasons I sourced all the food ingredients for this plan at Walmart. You only have to shop at one place to get all your groceries each week. And of course the Food Plan takes advantage of Walmart’s “Everyday Low Prices” pricing strategy. I never really thought about what that slogan meant until I began the research for this project. It means that Walmart doesn't bother with marking up prices just so they can play the psychological game of putting things “on sale” so you think you’re getting a bargain. Instead, Walmart opts for smaller profit margins per item in exchange for increased overall sales volumes from higher customer loyalty.

So on the grocery side, you’re getting quality foods at consistently low prices. Plus, every item in the Food Plan is EBT eligible at all Walmart stores across the US. In fact, a family of four on government food assistance can afford the full four-week plan.

Walmart also has a membership plan called “Walmart+” that’s pretty sweet. At first glance, it seems much like Amazon’s annual “Prime” membership program. For example, Walmart's plan includes free shipping on online merchandise, big discounts on local gasoline purchases, and lots of other perks. But what really distinguishes Walmart’s plan is the free delivery option on local groceries purchased from your local Walmart store on orders above $35. Coupled with Walmart’s “Everyday Low Prices'' pricing strategy, the free grocery delivery for Walmart+ members could be a major game changer for people who live in food deserts.

Also worth noting: at time of this writing, Walmart charges $12.95/mo for Walmart+ membership to qualify for free home delivery. And for customers on government assistance programs, Walmart offers a 50% discount on the monthly membership. It means that customers who use programs such as SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid more, can access Walmart's free grocery delivery service for just $6.47 per month! That could be a major game-changer for folks who live in food deserts and/or those who don't have access to reliable transportation.

And just so there’s no confusion, I’m not a paid influencer for Walmart. I‘m doing this project because I want to help promote the transformative benefits of a plant-based diet. And to help eliminate barriers (real and imagined) for people like me who want to provide optimal nutrition for themselves and their families.

So I hope you’ll try my food plan. You don’t have to commit to the whole thing all at once. You can just click here to get started with Week 1 and see how it goes. And if you have any questions along the way, please feel free to email me at tamara@plantbasedfoodplan.org. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Best of luck!

Also, if you're interested in helping bring our promotional program to your community, to encourage local Walmart customers to try our plant based food plan, please check out our "volunteer!" page to learn more. Thanks for caring!