Reader Andrew wants to remind everyone to wear their calculator wristwatches while shopping. You can save money without using a coupon… or avoid paying 32% extra (per sheet) for no reason. It depends on how you look at it, we suppose:
I’m hardly the first to point this out, but had to snap a few pics of the dryer sheets I was buying yesterday at Target.
Note these are regular price items (no sales/clearance). Buying the 120 ct box is a 32% price jump (per 100 sheets).
Another reason to wear your calculator wristwatch at all times when shopping…
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I wonder if the products being different flavors have anything to do with the 32%?
Dryer sheets are a waste of money no matter what size box you buy.
Use softener – it’s cheaper and works better.
One is Fresh Linen one is Summer Breeze. Different products.
You should only need to use dryer sheets in the winter to remove static. Most brands you can use 1/2 a sheet for the same result. Better yet, line dry your clothes and you don’t need a dryer sheet at all.
I’m getting so annoyed by this stuff. I was at Walmart the other day and the scour pads I wanted were a 3 pk at 2.97 or 6 pack at ~6.90ish. Needless to say I bought two three packs.
Softener shouldn’t be used for towels, as it reduces their ‘softness’, use dryer sheets for those wonderful bamboo cotton mix towels you’ve all picked up.
If only Target did something helpful to help the mathematically troubled, like put the unit price next to the total price.
Oh, wait — they do?
@distractedbyshinyobjects: Vinegar works as a fabric softener. Better for the environment and cheaper too.
Just look at the price per 100. The better value is the lower unit/price.
My Target sells 13oz cans of IAMS dog food for .99 each. They also sell convenient 6 packs of the same 13oz cans for 6.29. I suppose its because it comes in a wasteful box. To their credit, one of the 6 packs is only 5.89, but all the others are 6.29.
maybe the sheets cost exactly the same, but the larger box has more materials/expense
@madrigal: But what does that make your clothes smell like? Not that I’m a huge fan of the artificial perfumes in most softeners, but it seems to me that those are preferable to constantly smelling like salad dressing.
Has this site become all about the fact that sometimes smaller sizes are cheaper than larger sizes? Come on. There has to be something else to report on. Is this still news?
No one’s going to point out that calculator watches look ridiculous on anyone too old to be a Cub Scout?
@distractedbyshinyobjects: You know, smelling like salad dressing might be the way to get that vegetarian you like to notice you.
@distractedbyshinyobjects: The smell goes away before the laundry is finished.
Cheap bastard, don’t you realize that you’re getting a bigger cardboard container with the larger size? What, you want extra packaging for FREE? What kind of communism is that, I ask you?
I play the Grocery Game. I haven’t paid full price for any grocery items for years.
@stevegoz: Heh, exactly.
@zentex: hmm… maybe you should eat ‘em and find out!
@The Count of Monte Fisto: LOL
What is the point of the 120 ct package? If Target can make a margin on the 80 ct package, (and I’m assuming they can), the only reason the 120 ct package exists is to squeeze more nickels from customers whose first reaction is “Hey, buying more gets me a better deal.”
There are people out there who don’t understand the concept of per-unit prices… Grandma – I’m talking to you.
@The Count of Monte Fisto: Your mobile phone probably has a calculator built in if you’re math-challenged.
@dinger_82: the larger count packages lower costs for them… so even if they did the same unit price they would make a higher profit margin
lowering costs AND increasing unit prices… thats just double dipping
@stevegoz: Target only puts the unit price on the shelves in states that require it by law. Where it isn’t required they don’t.
So glad my phone has a calculator on it.
I saw the same thing in a jar of claussen pickles yesterday. The big plastic container had double the ounces 64 vs 32 for regular jar of pickles. But the bottom 3 inches of the big container was just brine. I didn’t take the time to count the pickles in each but the double sized container was no where near as full of pickles as the regular jar was.
Explain to me how you put vinegar in a clothes dryer.
How many times do we have to see this stuff? I mean honestly, is this really anything new? A smart shopper is one that knows to check the price per unit. This isn’t something new.
If you want to see something that really sucks, go to the store and look in the toilet paper aisle, where some of it is priced per sheet, and others are priced per square foot.
@bohemian: Here in WA stores put the unit price, but often they use different units for competing products, defeating the purpose.
@khiltd you don’t put in your dryer you put a cup of vinegar in your washing machine with the soap etc. It will take out odors like when your kids leave wet towels lying around and they get that nasty mildew smell you can toss in a cup of vinegar to the wash and it will remove the smell. You shouldn’t use fabric softner on bath towels as it can build up a residue on the towels and make them less absorbent. Happy Laundry!
That is annoying. Of course, they shouldn’t use dryer sheets. They are mostly formaldehyde.
khiltd:
You put 1/2 to 1 cup vinegar in your final rinse water – not in the dryer.
And there is no smell of vinegar after the clothes are done. I’ve been doing this for years.
They gave out a number on the Maury Povich Show (I was at the barber) today to get off junk mail lists:
1-888-5-OPT-OUT
Don’t know if it works yet.