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Hi, Consumerist.
I went to pick up a few sponges at Wal-Mart (in Oxford, MS) the other day, and was about to grab the 6-pack of the Scotch-Brite like I typically get…but then I thought about the story on Consumerist a few days back about the per-unit price of a 12-pack of Red Bulls being more than if you just bought the equivalent in 4-packs at Target. So I looked over at the price of the 3-pack right next to it. The results:
$2.44/3 = $0.81 per sponge
$5.74/6 = $0.95 per spongeEach sponge in the 6-pack is $0.14 more expensive than if it came in a 3-pack.
I’ve caught this sort of thing before, but I now have a camera phone, so I decided to capture the proof and pass it along. Pictures are attached.
Best,
Michael
Yeah, baby! That’s why we do the job. Our high school guidance counselors are probably high-fiving each other right now.
(Photo:Thanks, Michael!)
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Tip for new parents (who often don’t realize what they are doing on 2 hours of sleep) – two smaller packs with 2 coupons is usually a much better value than buying the big ass pack and using just one. Check out BabyCheapskate for diaper prices/unit and the best ones to beat. When you’re spending $12-20 a week on diapers you need to pay attention – especially since every store has different sized packs, and no one advertises the price/diaper in ads.
@Eyebrows McGee: Frequently they display per-unit prices IN DIFFERENT UNITS. Like one size will be price per pound and the next size will be price per ounce. Way helpful.
I see this a lot when shopping for deodorant. I’ve actually seen three different brands, all within one foot of each other on the shelf, with three different unit price units – pounds, gallons, and ounces (solid or liquid no specified).
My best guess is that it depends on whether the deodorant is a solid, a gel, or a spray
@RandomHookup: I don’t think folks buy just one 20-oz. bottle for home use. It’s usually refrigerated at the store for that $1.49 price and for instant gratification.
The two-liter bottles are great for entertaining and the unit price is often better than any other packaging, but they don’t become such a bargain when you attempt to use them for more than a day or two after opening…unless you happen to love flat soda.
@saltmine and MKRICK: Pretty much what is going on. Many buyers today are “advertorially” trained to grab the bigger package as a convenience/value issue. Buuuut, the stores have figured out that the buyer won’t/cant break down the per-unit cost on a bigger pack, so they can “inflate” the price on the middle or the large pack for a greater profit margin.
That happens quite a lot, more so when store specials are factored in. I figured out a long time ago that the largest bags of frozen vegetables at Pathmark are not necessarily the cheapest, so I always shop by the unit price.
I got a mailing from my former gym (World Gym) yesterday – $20 startup fee, $10 a month, -or- $199 for a year!
$20 + ($10 * 12) = $140
So, you get to pay $50 extra to sign on for a whole year rather than paying month by months (which most people say is the better option). And this isn’t just a misprint – this is the 3rd time I got the same mailing, and I’ve seen it posted in the gym. I kept meaning to ask them about this but I could never find anyone that looked like they gave a crap (hence the reason it’s my *former* gym)
I do this every time I go to buy those sponges at WM.
@MKrick: Have you ever been to Walgreens?
@MKrick: This is/was almost universally true, but Ralphs (a huge grocery in CA owned by Kroger) just this past month went to labels that offer, for example, 2 for $6/1 for $4.39.
I don’t like this new trend. Another thing they have started is to inflate the “regular” price value on an item so as to inflate the “savings” you may get. I buy a certain frozen dinner and it has been no more than $2.77 for three years. All of a sudden, they had a “sale” ($2.50) and claim on the label a normal price of $4.35. This is ludicrous – and it is happening in a lot of places.
I wonder how many Ole Miss kids fell for that one!
Go State!!