Shopping at Wal*Mart

Written by: Gillian Thompson
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I think Wal-Mart supermarkets are the best stores in Florida. They are typically American - HUGE!!! They stock everything from car tyres (tires) and guns to pizzas and toiletries. Other departments include Clothes, Homewares, Entertainment, Jewellery, Make your own things (cards, material, dried flowers etc) Toys, Sports, Baby, Electrical, Pool Toys, Chemist/Pharmacy plus a Beauty department selling top brands at knock down prices compared to the UK. There is also an outdoor furniture store in with the Garden Centre section. Each WalMart is slightly different and the one near us on the US27 has only been open for 2 years but is open 24 hours a day. I have found that if you go very late at night eg 11pm or midnight, it is busier than it is during the day, the Americans must come to life after dark!!!! It is obviously because of the heat and it being cooler at night.
 
You must plan to be in there for about 4 hours because there are so many different sections and aisles to look at. A trip round Wal-Mart is always a highlight for anyone thinking of going to Florida. It makes a change from Disney and the kids love going. ASDA is the english arm of Wal-Mart and its called Wal-Mex in Mexico. I was amazed to learn that it is the largest grocery store in America and is the largest private employer in the world.
 
The actually food section is tiny compared to the rest of the store but stocks everything you could need from a supermarket. Some items are not as good as the UK versions in my opinion, for example they don’t have the same bread as the UK with the majority of it being a yellow loaf that is so sweet that its horrible. They do sell Cuban bread though which is like a small fat French stick that is absolutely lovely and this is the nearest you can get to our British bread - this bread is great for a packed lunch. The cereals are another thing I’m not always keen on in America - they are all brightly coloured and you can’t always find anything plain like cornflakes. If you like everything covered in sugar, you will love it here!!! The drinks are full of colours and they don’t do cordial, everything is ready diluted in bottles. Bacon is my final bugbear - they only sell streaky bacon and there is more fat than bacon but it makes great bait to go fishing with. You can find the odd English shop now selling things like oxo cubes, back bacon, daddies brown sauce etc
 
They have a fantastic fish section with loads of ’shrimps’ which are actually the same as our King Prawns. They have live lobsters in tanks of water - you can choose which one you want and they will prepare it and get it ready for you whilst you do your shopping.
 
In the fridges at Wal-Mart they sell some fantastic cookie dough. There are loads to choose from ranging from double chocolate chip to oatmeal and they are all calorific but what the hell, you are on holiday after all. They cost a tiny $2 and the packet makes between 12 and 24 depending how small you cut them. They are really easy to make, simply preheat the oven, cut them into squares, put on the baking tray and bake for 12 mins. They are just like the ones Disney sell for $2 EACH!!!! I recommend these to all my guests and we used to have them for breakfast every morning when we have been on holiday in Florida but the rapidly expanding waistlines of the greedy guts in our house have meant that it is a treat a couple of times a week now instead.
 
They sell everything that villa owners find useful from knives and forks to bedding and towels plus everything in between as well. You can easily furnish all your bathrooms and fill your kitchens with everything you need if you are not having a furniture package or you are replacing items.