Real "Intelligence" is not very intelligent
 

Either :D

So you've been to WalMart lately.

Common sense it's not so common...

I don't think they have any real or artificial intelligence there....

Just stupid good prices.

Are the prices good if the quality is much lower than the stuff that costs more at other places?

You're talking about measuring value, which gets complicated. I've shopped online for stuff and Walmart comes up with the best price. But it may not be enough savings to justify driving there or buying online from someone other than where I'm already set up, like Amazon, for example. Once in a blue moon do I buy something from Walmart, personally. I look at the time and effort required to go there, as well as the cost and risk to my car of doing so. I just buy for myself, though, not a family. For me, there's the economic politics of sending perhaps more money to China. I don't want them to have my money, although probably plenty of it goes there, anyway.

Over the years one thing has not changed. You can buy the same thing from the same manufacturer at many different price points. You can also buy less quality for less money, but I learned to compare and shop after buying a few things in the beginning of my career that were marked up quite a bit more than the same damn thing was somewhere else.

The biggest lesson was appliances. However, in the 80's I bought a floor jack at an independent tool sales place for something like $69 and I was hoping I didn't buy a POS. Saw the same jack at Sears for well over 100. Still have it along with 2 others that came along at one time or another at a steal.

Interestingly, there used to be lots more smaller independent local tool store chains. There aren't many left. There's one 8 miles from me that is huge. Lees Tools.