Shop @ Wal-Mart = Save $$$

I don't go because I can save money; it's about saving time. Last week I needed a computer hard drive, peat moss, eggs, and orange juice. I got all of these items at Super Wal-Mart. Not because I like them or because they're cheaper, but because (in this isolated case) they were convenient.

One commercial features a family embarking on a long overdue vacation. Another depicts a father and son preparing to buy a used car. In both, Wal-Mart shopping bags are visible in their cars.

Wal-Mart, the ads claim, saves the average family $2,500 a year. The implication seems clear: shop at Wal-Mart, save money, and you can afford to splurge.

But it turns out you save $2,500 even if you never step foot inside a Wal-Mart.

An outside firm, paid by Wal-Mart, found that the company’s emphasis on low prices led to a 3 percent decline in overall consumer prices. That translated into $287 billion in savings in 2006, or $2,500 a household, whether a family shops at Wal-Mart or a competitor, according to the study.