I went to Walmart tonight to pick up supplies & I about had a heart attack. The are now putting premade sugar flower bouquets on cakes! Now my Father works pt for Walmart so I understand somewhat how the big business is, but geez. Now we are not only "competing" against other talented decorators in the area, but it is getting harder to say..."Just go to ____ & get it for that price." Sorry, I just had to vent.
BellaRosa
Wow! I have to check my Walmart today. LOL. Thanks for sharing.
~Josie
Yes - I have noticed them at Sam's Club too...cheaper than we can even made them for ourselves (time and ingredients)....I guess if you needed one for one of your own cake orders you could just go to Walmart or Sams and buy one for your own cake orders - I've seen them on cakes that cost $15! 
I saw some at walmart the other day; they were in the craft section, on their "Half ailse" of wilton stuff; pre boxed gumpaste flowers and those big bows. I don't remember the prices; they were plain white, so I guess if you had an air brush or something you could change the color.
If you have worked with gumpaste flowers, you know the time that goes into making them. Given that Wal-mart's are so cheap, you have to wonder if they aren't being put together by cheap labor overseas, ie sweat shops.
I don't trust Wal-mart. Yes they make ones life easier, cheap prices and tons of stock, but it comes at a price. They use to tote thier products were 100% American made, now it was reported half of their stuff comes from China and other countries with lax labor laws or none at all. People don't realize this when they buy.
My two cents... 
Rodneyck..I so agree with many of your points. The Mother's Day cakes are $8.95 with these small arrangements. Some have calla lilies even! I think they were rectangular maybe 8x3 cakes & torted. I wanted to die. 
I have seen the Wilton flower garlands and bows at walmart. I have considered purchasing them for my display cakes, but I always find the bows broken. I do want to get the flowers as I have not worked with actually gumpaste/cutters yet. Could make things easier until I learn.
Hello!
I am new to decorating but I have gone to wal-mart for some generic supplies to get me started and noticed in the area with other cake pans I noticed they sold Wilton products and then checked the craft area and there was some more stuff.
They seem to have more wedding stuff than the stuff that I was looking for. There prices were pretty good on some things.
Im not up on the subject about how Wal-mart may not be so nice behind the scenes but has any one thought about this.....
Do you think that Wilton should or should not be stocking there products in Walmart.
Because is'nt it just the same, good or bad, as us buying from walmart, because the more product Wal-mart can stock to sell the more everyone is going to go there and spend their money.
Is there anyone else out there that agrees or has a different opinion?
my SIL works for walmarts in produce and almost all of there fruit and vegetables come from mexico or other places the only time we get fruit in louisiana that is from here is strawberries once a year. I HATE walmarts. They want sellers to them to go out side USA to get it cheaper.
ok I'm sorry, please don't bash me too much, but I think it's great. If it helps me I don't have a problem. If I can't get something I know I can go there or to another bakery here, and even a cake decorating supply store. But I totally understand the feelings of all of you and I feel for you I really do. But like I have heard from many many people, homebaked goods are better then those you get from other places, even if it's a cake mix.... have you ever noticed that? a cake mix cake tastes better then cakes you can get in places like that, and I used to work for walmart and sam's club. My advice is if you have to use what they have and have it help or benefit you. YOU ALL ARE WONDERFUL DECORATORS! and can beat out those cakes anytime, and it's only a matter of time before people know that..... 
Hey Doug, I just noticed that you are from lumberton, NC.
My daughter just visited there this past weekend.
She went with her little boyfriend and his family.
That is where his mom is from.
They are Lumberton Indians and they went up there for the Indian POW WOW.
Ok, here is my take on all this. I do purchase my crisco, vanilla and cake mixes from wal mart. we have a supercenter here. i also purchase many of my personal groceries there. but i refuse to buy their produce or refrigerated items, as they are poor quality.
anyway, i have tasted wal mart cakes and they are truly disgusting. this was before i ever started decorating.
Incidentally, I was in wal mart yesterday, saw one of their cakes, and the flowers looked like little fabric ones to me. if this is their idea of sugar, i'm not impressed.
i, personally, am not worried. people who want custom, quality cakes will come to us. people who don't care will go to wal mart. i want people who take pride in their presentations and recognize good work and good taste, and i get referals from them as well. our local grocery here is publix, who makes very good cakes. i now have customers who like mine even better, and say that my work outshines them. (talk about an ego boost!) if someone wants to be cheap and go to wal mart, well, you get what you pay for.
don't worry, there will always be people who will appreciate our work, and will keep coming back.
i purchase my wilton supplies at local craft stores or online (ebay is a good source). most craft stores are willing to take competitors coupons as well, so check your sunday paper! i order my paper goods from local paper company or online, like boxes, boards, etc. btw, i have found wiltons large rectangle boards to be very weak.
one more thing, if anybody knows. lately, when i post a picture, there is no place for a comment below. anyone else having this problem?
sorry for the long wind, just had to have my say. Thanks for reading, and keep up the beautiful cakes!
eriksmom, check out your forum profile; there is a box that needs to be checked for your comments to show.
Hey Molly2 - is your WalMart converting into the upscale WalMart we've been hearing about on the news lately? I thought I heard they were starting in Texas (which I can't imagine since isn't the company based in Arkansas? If you're going to start something new, at least try it in your own yard first!)
Our WalMart just expanded its Wilton section and I am interested in some of the new things. But ours doesn't have any gumpaste flowers or bows at all. I have always found it is a great place to get the basics...pans, couplers, spatulas, books, that kind of thing. But they can't possibly be all things to all people. They could fill the space of a Super WalMart with decorating supplies and still not have everything!
The one thing I've found there that I can't find anywhere else but online is that new Pearl separator set, where the tiers rest on big plastic pearls. I love that! I bought it just to have it. I'll think of a reason later!
Hiya BellaRosa,
Hun those gumpaste flowers that you see were from bakerycrafts and they were only for mothers day promotions we won't be getting anymore and besides not all the stores got them. Arrrgghhh and I was waiting for them too sheesh. O well, they sent us some stickers for them but we never received them. I called bakerycrafts and I guess that a lot of stores didn't receive them. O well they sure would have been nice to have for cakes would have made my job a whole lot easier.
O and to the detractors of some of the walmart cakes. I take great pride in doing my job and doing it fast. and well.
As for those "slapped" together cakes that you see in the case a lot of them are premade that we get in frozen. I hate them too. they give me and my decorators a bad name. (not to mention they are butt ugly).
Just had to put in my two cents there.
p.s. We don't have time to be perfect. Be glad that you can do your cakes in two or three days. I don't have that luxury. I did thirty cakes yesterday by myself and got them all done in 10 hours. Some filled some not most were full sheets (18x24) And they were for graduation. Next weekend is going to be about the same. I left work yesterday and I swore that if I saw another cake I was going to scream. But I went back to work today and did 20 more.
Dang, I be a tired unit!!!
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