Update on the Mobil 1 oil at Walmart thread

Ok I know this got off topic last time, however I think it was a great discussion. I am not trying to beat a dead horse however I have new information.

Mobil 1 oil sold at Walmart is 24.97 for a 5 quart jug. It is in a walmart specific labeled bottle, it talks about recycling oil at walmart right on the label of the jug, it also has its own walmart specific SKU. The 5 quart jug of mobil one goes for 38 dollars at autozone, which is not exactly the local mom and pop store.

I was convinced there was a difference. I swore there was, I mean Walmart is always cheaper, but 13 dollars cheaper? Come on.

I emailed mobil, I asked if its a different product, This was their response.

“No, it is of the same high quality oil no matter where the product is purchased or sold!”

There was also a similar question on the Q&A section of the mobil website. Same answer.

I still find it hard to believe its the same, why would they have a specific label for walmart Mobil one? How much is walmart making on the jug of oil? a dollar? five? They say its the same oil, but are the additives different? Im reading too far into it, I know.

Anyway there it is. its the same oil There you have it.

Mobil makes a lot of money even if they cut their profit margin razor thin.
The huge Walmart sales volume makes this possible.
But one day even Walmart will have its downfall.
Maybe not until the sun runs low on fuel.

Many makers sell specifically-labeled stuff at Walmart, same inside. I wouldn’t give it a second thought…not that this thread will be any shorter…

Some products are given Wal-Mart specific bar codes to deter people from buying products there and taking it to another retailer for a refund.

Maybe its a leader item to get people to buy the filters etc. I dunno. I don’t remember what I paid for a case of Mobil 1 at the farm store but I suppose it was somewhere around $35. You know what though, I don’t like Walmart and how they do business so for the $10 in a $40,000 car every 5,000 miles, I’ll just spend the extra $10 at the farm store. I just don’t trust them anymore since Sam died they’re a bunch of cut throats.

I agree with @Bing

I have NEVER bought one single thing at Walmart

I will not shop at a store that treats its employees so shamefully (low wages, threats, etc.)

But it’s a free country

Everyone’s entitled to shop wherever they want

That doesn’t mean I agree with their choice

I agree with @Bing and @db4690. I have rarely bought anything at WalMart, only will as a last resort. I think many people who shop there do so based on price. There’s a difference between price and cost. I think the cost of having a mega retailer that drives out local business and treats employees poorly is prohibitive, even if they have low prices.

I’m not defending Wal Mart as I think they’re a colossal bunch of corporate weasels, but smaller companies clean on down to the 3 employee mom and pop stores have been known to screw their hired help over in a similar manner.

Wal Mart also gets ripped for selling Chinese junk. The same Chinese junk is sold at K-Mart, Target, Lowes, AutoZone, younameit, and their employees are not often treated any better.

The answer lies in Shelf Space and Shelf Life…Autozone may claim “We will not be undersold” If you find an identical product anywhere, we will match the price…Right…So Wally World sells products not sold anywhere else, including Autozone. They don’t have to match the price because it’s not the same product (they will claim)…Good Year tires, same deal…Try and buy a Goodyear “Viva” tire from a Goodyear dealer. Available only at Wally World…

Your unnecessary bashing of a company is what got the other thread closed. The sponsors of this forum dont need the hassles associated with this kind of bashing. Take your crusade elsewhere and stick to the facts related to the product and perhaps something meaningful can be revealed. I think rick did a great job in this respect and I appreciated the effort.

Yeah. Let’s try to stay focused on the question this time.

My 2 cents,dont really like the W that much-but have used a lot of thier oil and never seized an engine yet-Kevin

Wal Mart specific packaging seem odd ?
Have you been to your local COSTCO lately ?
Albertson’s, Safeway and other super markets have their store brands.
It is industry wide.
And that theory about price matching an idetical item ?
BINGO
It’s not identical so we won’t price match…BAM…gotcha.

Gimmicks such as price matching annoy me. But today so much of marketing is gimmicks. Retailers use membership cards to track buying, automobile and other durable goods sellers use discounting and rebating to makes the MSRP a joke. Of course I am obviously in the minority since the gimmicks seem to be bringing in profits from most shoppers.

And while complaining about retailers, etc., what are we paying retailers for the packaging on their product lines? Often, the item that I buy is worth less than its package.

@TwinTurbo

“Your unnecessary bashing of a company . . .”

Specifically who are you talking to?

A lot of us don’t like Walmart and expressed our opinions as such

BTW . . . I noticed that a lot of guys agreed with and liked the comments that I, @asemaster and @Bing made. And they weren’t exactly in favor of Walmart

So in that respect, it seems that this train hasn’t been derailed

Once again, can we keep this about Mobil 1 quality at different outlets. If anybody has facts to prove there is a difference, please provide.
Seems like the OP has done a good research and provided info stating that the oil sold is actually the same no matter how much you pay.
Everybody is free to shop wherever they see fit for themself.

Same oil, I presume.
Would it not be far morexpen$ive to produce a slightly different oil then just package the same product in different containers?

OK, lets stay on target then. Lets talk about the oil. We all agreed its not labeled the same as in other mass retailer’s stores. So is it the same then?? That’s the question. Mobil says it is is all we know, but what does that mean exactly? Additive packages the same and so on? I’d like an engineer to do the analysis and say its the same oil. Ask yourself how one mass retailer would be able to sell it 30% less than another mass retailer? It does not make sense to me. In my experience the MBAs working at Autozone and Target are just as qualified as those working at Sam’s place. So how is it then that one can find a way to reduce the price by 30% that the others haven’t? Not the first time the public has been fooled so it all comes down to do you trust the people you’re buying it from?

It’s labeled the same, regarding specs and grade. That it has a Walmart-specific upc means nothing, in my opinion.

I believe Walmart makes its money selling in volume

And even if they don’t make money on the Mobil 1 oil, it’s probably an effective loss leader

You hear about the Mobil 1 oil and go to the store to buy it . . . not me

They make their money on all the other stuff you buy . . . especially the impulse buys