"... while Wal-Mart's products are invariably designed to be cheap and fall apart in a few months so you can go back to Wal-Mart and buy another."
Maybe I don't shop enough at Wal-mart's, but I've not experienced that. They do sell some low-cost/low-quality items, but they also have name-brand items, but typically cheaper than, say, Safeway or Walgreen's.
If you're sure it's the same item, that's fine. Then again, they also sell cheaper versions of the same brand (Levi's for instance) that are pretty crap.
I actually went to Wal-Mart yesterday. There are things they do right (logistics) but in general, I don't buy a product at Wal-Mart unless I'm absolutely certain it's completely identical to a product I can get somewhere else, and that I know is durable.
Maybe I don't shop enough at Wal-mart's, but I've not experienced that. They do sell some low-cost/low-quality items, but they also have name-brand items, but typically cheaper than, say, Safeway or Walgreen's.