Noticed the same thing at Wal-Mart this past week. $1.77 for one or $3.76 for the 2 pack.

I see this all the time with their deodorant and toothpaste. I've seen a couple instances where it's more expensive to buy the two-pack, but usually it's something like $0.05 cheaper if you buy the two-pack. That aggravates the crap out of me. I guess I'll have to start hoarding the occasional coupons that surface for them to get a better deal.

It may be something with Degree's pricing because I saw this at a Wal-mart also. I even double-checked to make sure the two-pack had the same type and size as the the single pack.

Well, the unit price makes it pretty clear that the two-pack does cost more, so I'd just chalk this up to bad pricing.

a lot of people dont have very good math skills...they'll pull the wool over somebody's eyes at least once.

Why? Because shoppers usually don't pay attention, and they can sell more.

If you owned a business, wouldn't you want to sell more? I know I would. I would not "cheat" anyone, but with all the information there, the shopper can decide for themselves.

I'm surprised The Consumerist does not have a story about how 20oz pops cost more then a 2 liter of pop.

I see this stuff all the time at nearly every store. I consider it a tax on those who can't do simple math and/or can't read the price per ounce on the placard beneath the product.

Just a general reminder....buying in bulk isn't always a good deal. (Which is why warehouse clubs thrive...people that can't do simple math for most products)

Just another example of how buying in bulk isn't necessarily the cheapest way to go!

Maybe Degree is in the process of raising prices and the two pack was raised before the single pack.

@coan_net: I think they already had a story about 20oz soda being more expensive than 2 liter sodas. If I remember correctly, consumerist had an article about the falling sales of 20oz sodas.

@coan_net: 20 oz sodas being more than a liter of soda per ounce is not the same. People by a 12 or 20 oz soda usually for drinking in one sitting, by one person and for convenience. 2 Liters of sodas are bought for multiple drinkers or to use over time. I wouldn't expect two 20 oz sodas wrapped together to cost more than two single 20 oz sodas.

Target and Wal-Mart come up with their prices based on how many they sell of a given item. They sell more of the single Degrees, ergo, the price drops. It's done automatically, so weirdness like this happens. Nothing sinister about it, simply the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing!

I see this all over Target. I give the calculator on my phone a workout. We don't have that spiffy per unit pricing on the shelf tags here.

@ministan: They drop the prices when demand increases? Must be that new economics ....

@Franklin Comes Alive!:

Exactly !

It's a tax on people who are too lazy or uneducated to do simple math

@melking: Additionally, and in my personal experience, once you open a 2-liter bottle, even if you recap it tightly, the stuff goes flat pretty quickly. To me that's a waste even if it was cheaper per ounce.

Whenever I find something in Target's "bulk/cheap" section, I always compare it with the individual prices on the other side of the store. They of course are rarely cheaper, but by splitting the items up it is harder for a consumer to compare the prices. Then again if you are doing it right beside each other, why bother with splitting up the merchandise?

I don't think you can accuse Target of cheating the customer; all the pricing information is right there in plain view.

Sneaky, yes. But thank goodness for The Consumerist and other such sites for spreading the word about this type of pricing practice.

@melking: True, but it's hilarious to see 2 liters on sale for 75 cents and the 20 oz. selling for $1.79 (which never go on sale). Buy a cup of ice at 7-11, fill it up and throw away the rest of the 2-liter bottle. Yeah, it's too much of a hassle, but it's great to stick it to the man in theory.

That's why I bring 2-liter bottles to the office and get ice from our fridge.

I'm sure it's just paying for the more convenient packaging - it makes it easier to wrap when you're giving it as a gift.

Have you ever tried to wrap two individual sticks of deoderant together? I just don't have that much tape.

@allthatsevil:

I'm glad I'm not on your gift list :P

"I'm surprised The Consumerist does not have a story about how 20oz pops cost more then a 2 liter of pop."

What is this "pop"

Yeah, I ran into this @ Target on Sunday. Except it was Lysol Deep Clean Toilet Bowl cleaner (which works great, btw) and it was in the multi-pack 'savings area' up by the front entrance. The 2-pack was $3.99 and there was a temporary price reduction on the single bottles for like $1.74, plus I had two coupons so came out way better. I always do the math on these sorts of "value packs." Unfortch, Target doesn't use the per oz. price on the label. But just like with most things worth doing (like saving money) you have to pay attention!

I definitely think you can accuse Target of something more deliberate. Just this past weekend, I saw the same thing with Scott toilet paper - the 20 count "value pack" was more expensive per roll than the 12 count package.

If you label something with the term "value pack" yet price it higher per roll, I do think you are being deceptive.

@ministan:
Can you let us know the source for this information?

They do the same thing with cat food. 5.89 for 12, or 13.89 for 24. I am no math wiz, but my math isn't so bad I can't spot the best buy.

*sigh*

I remember the days where I learned this on this blog. These days it is either grocery shrink or Target selling two packs for more than two singles.

I get it, people write you all the time, but you don't have to post every one.

so if Target makes 25 cents more on each two pack... Multiply that by how many they sell per store per month (maybe 100) times number of target stores (977 says wikipedia) times months in a year... that comes out to be $293,100.00 more for target's bottom line. Not bad for a tiny 'discrepancy'.

This is the result of a competitive shop price change ... look at how the label for the single is crooked, but the label for the twin pack is part of the original label strip. Target and other major retailers do this all the time with health and beauty items, matching and beating each others' prices, and Target is so automated there's very little human interaction involved--just employees moving from item to item with a price change gun. Only the SKU# of the single pack was competitively shopped, and the price was changed to match the lower price of the store nearby. There's no big conspiracy here, it's just what happens since computers don't have common sense.

@ratnerstar

Yes, they do. If something sells more, they buy more and can get a better price due to a larger volume.

I see stuff like this a lot at Wal-mart. It just so happens that you find an item in the middle of a price raise. I saw something like this a while ago and when I went back to check on it again, the prices were aligned correctly.

@ratnerstar:

Not especially new. If something's selling, the people who keep buying it may notice a price drop on their totals and come to rely on the store for other things also. Also, if something is selling well from a particular vendor, dropping the price could maintain the momentum.

A short story:
Two marketing types at Unilever have been feuding for quite a while. One day at a marketing department meeting, the first says, "Someday, two-pack packaging will rule the marketplace!" The second guy, who incidently is also the dude in charge of single unit marketing, thinks to himself, "I'll teach this dweeb a lesson!" and promptly lowers the per unit price on the single units of Degree.

Okay, maybe not how it really happens, but it could...

This "stinks". But since I don't shop at Target, ready - wait for it - "I won't sweat it".

You do realize that it's not Target pricing the items... lay the blame with the vendor.

I guess Target thinks that you save your money by not making a second trip to the store? But it does happen FREQUENTLY at Target that the multi-pack is significantly more expensive per unit than is the single item. Maybe they are counting on the people with the screaming kids who are so distracted trying not to murder their children (and protecting other shoppers from doing the job for them) that they can't possibly read prices.

Notice how the price tag on the left is crooked, and the one on the right is part of the original label strip. This is probably a result of competitive shopping, which is very common for health and beauty items. If a store nearby had a cheaper price on the single pack, Target would lower the price to beat it or match it. It's all automated, with very little human interaction, just an employee moving from item to item with a price change gun, inserting new price labels into the strip. No big conspiracy here, but computers don't have common sense, and employees wouldn't have the ability to change the price on the other item even if they noticed it.

But... I have TWO armpits, so I need TWO deodorants. I do appreciate that they are giving a price break to amputees with only the one armpit.

I saw something like this at a pie shop. They were selling whole pies and half pies and the half pie was less than half the cost of a whole pie. I pointed this out to them, and they just stared at me. I would love to order a whole pie, but ask them to cut it in half and sell them separately.

Yes, I always check the price per lb or oz or whatever (usually on the tag) to see what is the best value.

I do this all the time, and it is surprising to find the "sale" items aren't always the cheapest.

Walmart's store brand peanut butter works the same way. After a certain point, the unit cost actually increases.

jack in the box does the same thing with the spicy chicken bites. It's cheaper to get 2 small sizes than 1 large size (the quantity of pieces is about the same). My boyfriend and I save about 10cents every time we get them. Lame, yes, but still, every penny counts for us. ^_^

Check the Target prices on automatic dishwasher detergent carefully, too. Electrasol (now called "Finish" or something like that) is much more economical in the smaller boxes. It comes in three sizes, and the deal gets progressively WORSE as the package size goes up. Completely backwards.