One Lafayette resident is calling it a blatant attempt to take advantge of residents who live in North Lafayette who were once loyal customers of the now closed Walmart.
Prices on bottled water, chips, other snacks, milk and some toiletry items have increased by as little as .25 cents to much as $2 in recent days, according to local shooper and Northside resident Delores Holmes.
Holmes said she frequented the Northside Walmart for essential items, but also spent money at a local neighborhood store because of its proximity to her home for when she needed a “quick something from the store.”
“I knew that things would change once Walmart left the Thruway but “not this steep” she said. Before Walmart closed I could run in my neighborhood store and buy my milk, bread, bottled water, snacks for my kids, and my soda for around $20 a week, but that’s long gone now because today I spent $26 on the exact same things.”
The Evangeline Thruway Walmart shut its doors permanently on March 29, 2019 and since that time Holmes said she has had to rely on shopping the local stores that she described as “competitive with Walmart in the past.”
“My God, this is ridiculous what these lil stores are doing.”
“You know the lil bags of chips that used to be 2 for 98 cents, they are now 2 for $1.50 and its the same size bag of chips,” Holmes said. “And Its not like that on the Southside, those lil bags of chips are still 2 for 98 cents.”
The image Holmes provided to KLFY shows a snack size bag of the Smartfood White Cheddar popcorn and the snack sized bag of the Cheetos crunchy now priced at 2 for $1.50 once 2 for 98 cents.
“If this isn’t price gouging I don’t know what is.”
On another recent trip to her neighborhood store, Holmes said the price of a gallon of 2% milk and a 24-pak of Nestle water cost her an extra $4.
Today I spent $6 on a gallon of milk, at Walmart I used to pay like $3.75 then I spent $5.99 for a 24-pak of Nestle water that was like $3.98 at Walmart.”
Frustrated at what she described as “pure greed” Holmes said she will be contacting The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office on Monday to file a complaint about the price goughing.
“This is taking advantage of people man, that’s a shame.”
