Walmart sells endless name-brand products, but regular shoppers know that some of the best deals can be found with store brand Great Value. Walmart first launched the label back in 1993 as a way to sell staple groceries items at a lower price. Then in 2009, the company relaunched the brand with a makeover and expanded product line. But now 15 years later, many Walmart shoppers are less than impressed with the Great Value brand, with some saying they avoid it entirely.
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On Feb. 5, a woman named Bex posted a video to her TikTok account @traveler_bex, showing herself on a recent trip to a Walmart store in Tennessee. In the clip, she films a case in the middle of the grocery aisle that contains different Great Value deli meat products. They are being advertised as a "Manager's Special," with a sign indicating they are on sale for $5 from $8.38.
"Look, it's on sale. You know why? This is why," Bex says in the video as she picks up a two-pound Great Value Turkey Breast pack, revealing white, black, and blue spots on the side.
"Mold. Mold in your turkey breast—on sale," she says. "Special moldy turkey breast."
Bex's TikTok has earned over 52,900 views in less than three days, with several shoppers chiming in about Walmart in the comment section.
"@Walmart while y'all are too busy chasing us around for receipts, how about you explain this?" one person responded.
@traveler_bex ✨Manager’s Special✨ Moldy turkey breast @Walmart #tennessee #walmart #sale
Some commenters said that instances like the moldy deli meat discovery are why they avoid the retailer's store brand completely. "I don't buy any Great Value, ever," one user wrote.
Another commented, "I don't care how poor I am, I will never accept and buy Walmart Great Value."
Other TikTokers claimed that employees are encouraged to leave products like this on the floor.
"I work at Walmart we're just told to put them out, not check them. So we're just doing what we're told to do—not trying to get in trouble," one person replied.
Another wrote, "I stocked for Walmart. They don't throw stuff out, they just put it on sale."
And this is not the first time the quality of Walmart's Great Value brand has been brought into question. In Aug. 2023, shopper Jazzmyn Alexisposted a video about a similar situation to her TikTok account @jazzmynalexis. In this video, Alexis shows a package of Great Value Black Forest Uncured Ham in a Walmart store that also has mold on it.
@jazzmynalexis ‼️CHECK FOR MOLD BEFORE YOU BUY‼️ and yes, I notified the walmart employees of this #walmart #walmartfails #mold #moldyfood #moldymeat
"This is a friendly reminder to check your meat before you buy it because Walmart doesn't," she says in her TikTok. "I found this moldy... meat on the shelf in late July, and it expired in May."
Alexis' video also went viral on TikTok, garnering over 65,000 views. In the comment section, shoppers also blamed the mold on the fact that the meat was Walmart's store brand. "It's Great Value..." one person replied.
Another joked, "Well, it's given its name for a reason."
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That same month, a shopper shared their experience with moldy Great Value cheese on Reddit.
"Anyone else find mold in their Great Value cheese? It says it's not supposed to expire until November," user @CurryClam posted on Aug. 13 on the r/Walmart subreddit.
In a familiar refrain, one commenter had a simple answer to the Reddit user's problem: "Never ever ever buy Great Value cheese. Any of it. Pure garbage."
Best Life reached out to Walmart about the Great Value complaints from customers, and we will update this story with its response.
