I remember shortly after Sam died, they started having blue light specials. It was a police car bubble light on a cart atop an electrical conduit pole and they would turn it on and a minute or two later get on the PA system and announce the sale and maybe which item or isle.
It was never a bargain though, if you were in the store the night before you could watch them furiously busy marking stuff up in preparation for the next day sale...
Sam's Club was a short return to decent prices but I think it was "unintentional" and due to competition. Walmart would have you believe quantity discounting was their idea, but the first Sam's Club store here was originally Super Savers Wholesale Warehouse, presumably a chain bought out by WallMart. At that time I remember better pricing before the buy out...
I suppose I better stop here before I say something that tempts our moderators...
Suffice it to say $5.47 may look like a decent price but I'm betting Walmart's acquisition cost hasn't changed much in the past decade.