A Walmart shopper is claiming the store actively engages in variable pricing within its own store. TikToker Conscious Joose (@consciousjooose) published a viral clip about a “product placement scam” he says he spotted in one of the chain’s location.
According to Joose, the cleaner Simple Green costs more money in the automotive section versus the cleaning aisle. However, there were numerous users who said they spotted a difference between the two products.
What’s the deal with Walmart’s Simple Green pricing?
“Y’all see this bottle of Simple Green here, right?” Joose says at the start of the clip. Next, he narrates, “$4.47 over here.” As he rattles off the price, he zooms into the yellow tag indicating a 32-ounce bottle costs $4.47. Following this, he picks the bottle up and inspects it. “It’s a 32-ounce bottle, okay? 32 ounce bottle. This is in Walmart’s auto center.”
Indeed, as he pans his camera up to reveal the signage of the section he’s in, it reads “Auto Care Center.”
“Walmart’s auto care, right? I’m about to show you a hack, right? This one is $4.47, now watch this,” he says.
How much does Simple Green cost in the cleaning aisle?
Thereafter, Joose’s video then cuts to him walking towards another section of the store.
“We’re gonna go to the cleaning aisle. Watch this y’all,” he says. “And then you’re gonna go to the all purpose cleaners aisle.” Again, he pans his camera upwards to demonstrate that he is in another section of the store.
Joose records himself walking past a variety of different cleaning products. “Here’s the all purpose cleaners over here. Alright?” he says. “And then…where is it at?” Finally, after a few seconds of searching, Joose ultimately spots the bottle of Simple Green.
“Here’s the Simple Green, look at this,” he says while concurrently pointing at the product’s price tag. It’s $1.99 cheaper for a 32-ounce bottle in the cleaning aisle. “See? $2.48.”
Is Walmart pricing the same products differently?
He then holds up the same bottle he took from the automotive section up to the one in the cleaning aisle. Despite the labels looking slightly different, almost all of the text is exactly the same. They both indicate that they’re indeed, 32-ounces (946mL).
However, there is one difference on the front label which reads that it’s a “Safer Choice.” Another box of text beneath this declaration indicates it “Meets US EPA Safer Product Standards.”
Joose is convinced the two products are identical, which he discusses as he further scrutinizes the automotive bottle. “But this was $4.47, right? And then they’re gonna put a save a dollar coupon on top of it, right? So now you’re getting it for $3.47,” he explains.
As he noted and illustrates on camera, there is a coupon sticker affixed to the Safer Choice Simple Green bottle. Still, the bottle is 99 cents more if one were to purchase it from the automotive department.
“In a whole other aisle for two dollars cheaper. Look at that. And that’s one way stores take advantage of their people,” he concludes. “You know put the products in different places and put at different prices. Can’t make this [expletive] up, y’all.”
But are these Simple Green products really the same?
Some viewers may have spotted another difference between the two bottles of Simple Green.
In the upper right hand corner of the automotive bottle, there’s a red portion of the label. It seems to be a dead ringer for this same bottle Walmart sells online for $4.48. That red portion of the label indicates that this is “concentrated” Simple Green. Which, “makes 10 32 oz bottles of General Purpose cleaner.”
The other 32-ounce bottle found in the cleaning department looks like this one on Walmart’s website, and it retails for $2.48. However, there isn’t any nomenclature on its labeling that indicates it’s a concentrate.
So, for an extra $2 (or $1 if you have that in store coupon) you could get more bang for your buck. That’s 100-ounces of Simple Green for less than the cost of 64-ounces if you bought the cleaning aisle bottle.
@consciousjooose Walmart product placement scam. #walmart #market #wallyworld #news #viral #fyp #trending ♬ Epic Dramatic Music – Infraction
Other Walmart price disparities
Despite Joose’s oversight on the Simple Green products, this isn’t the first time Walmart shoppers have claimed to find disparate product pricing in different parts of its stores. One TikToker urged folks shopping for seasonings to check out the international aisle. According to them, the offerings there are almost always cheaper, which they highlighted some examples of.
The Daily Dot also reported on a customer who echoed this same sentiment. In their post, they highlighted that minced onion from the international aisle gives you higher quantities for less money. It’s worth noting that the brands showcased in the video, however, were from different companies.
TikTokers spot the difference
Several commenters who replied to Joose’s video noticed that the automotive section bottle was a concentrate. “The first one is a concentrate. It’s stronger,” one penned.
Another wrote, “The $4.47 one literally says ‘makes 10 bottles’ on the label… it’s the better deal.”
Someone else replied, “Two different products. The first one is a concentrate. The second is ready to use.”
One user on the app simply quipped, “Is someone gonna tell him,” followed by facepalm emojis.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Walmart via email and Joose via TikTok comment for further information.
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The post ‘I’m about to show you a hack’: Man shops Walmart Simple Green cleaner in auto section for $4.47. Then he spots in the cleaning aisle appeared first on The Daily Dot.