Clearly is 4 . . . I mean of course it is 7 . . . but then maybe its 5 . . . You know what, fuck it where is the gum aisle?

It doesn't really matter how much it is...you pick it up, convince the people up front it actually is $1.99 while secretly hoping it'll come up as FREE.

clearly the way to determine the price is to take an average of all posted prices.

$3.50
$2.50
$2.99
+$1.99
------
$11.98 / 4 = $2.99 each.

Just be glad you don't have to find the antiderivative to figure it out.

LoLZ? Could be $3.50, $3.99, $1.99, $2.50

I'm going to become one of whom I hate here (the annoying peanut gallery clique)...what does the price come up when it's scanned?

I've seen a number of places have pre-priced stickers on products but they'd long since raised the price in the system (and YMMV on getting them to honor the "old" price)

@catnapped: In some states, if you leave the old price sticker on it, you're legally obligated to sell the product for that price. (One of many reasons why, in my drugstore retails days, stickers were the bane of my life. At least shelf tags are one per TYPE of item, not one per actual bottle...)

I hate to ask, is there a difference between mouth "wash" and mouth "rinse"? Perhaps this is a mis-pack on the shelf?

Looks like the store wants to haggle, but hasn't quite figured out how.

@Etoiles: in my state, if it comes up wrong, you're legally obligated to provide the item free (up to $20) or $20 off the ring-up price (on amounts over $20). only on "consumer commodities".

of course, good luck trying to explain the law to uncaring cashiers & their consumer-unfriendly managers.

@YoSoyHe-Man!!_GitEmSteveDave: I think one has far more alcohol than the other.

In Michigan, the store is obligated by law to give you the lowest marked or advertised price.

@mac-phisto: I think the cashiers get uncaring because of exchanges like this:

Customer: *holding a $12.99 disposable camera* I demand you sell me this for $0.99!
Clerk: Ma'am, I'm sorry, but that camera costs $12.99. I can check to see if we have a coupon...?
Customer: THE SIGN SAYS NINETY NINE CENTS SO YOU MUST SELL IT TO ME FOR THAT!
Clerk: Can you bring me the sign, ma'am? I can't leave the counter.
Customer: *returns with a huge sign from a bin full of cotton balls that says "COTTON BALLS: $0.99 /ea"* SEE>!
Clerk: Ma'am, that's a sign for cotton balls, not cameras.
Customer: BUT THE CAMERA WAS IN THE BIN SO YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT TO ME.

And naturally, customers like that tend to get their way at a lot of stores, because management caves to shut them the hell up and get them out of the door. (I got to ask her to leave, though, when she started reaching across the counter. Man, I loved throwing out customers like that.)

Walgreens always has a lot of pre-priced products. It looks like just a simple error here.

1.) the 2 for $7 is an old price tag that wasn't removed
2.) The 2 for $5 was a lowered everyday price, hence the stickers.
3.) It is currently on sale for $1.99 (the "Affordable essentials" is a new campaign by them).

Is this really a big deal? I'm 99.9% certain it would ring up at $1.99.

This product has "uncomfortable checkout experience" written all over it. I can picture myself walking up to the register and watching it scan for $3.50. And, as four people quickly line up behind me, I have to convince the cashier the price is wrong.

In my world the price is the lowest one displayed. If they try to tell me differently, they get directed to the shelf. If they still have a problem, I leave.

@Scoobatz: and then you have to go back to the shelf, remove the $1.99 tag to prove it to the cashier.

By law, at least here in CT, it is the lowest advertised price. Thats why when a store raises its prices here, they remove the old lower prices off the item instead of just putting the higher price over the lower one.

@Blueskylaw: Listing all these laws by state would be a great Consumerist post!

@YoSoyHe-Man!!_GitEmSteveDave: Mouth rinse goes inside your mouth and mouth wash is used to wash the outside of your mouth. At least that's how I do it.

@mbz32190: Big deal? Well no, not everything here is MASSIVE CREDIT CARD CABLE DISASTER but it is rather funny and a pricing fail.

@Scoobatz: Oh I hate those. I used to work at Sears Grand and this would happen all the time. I had no problem going to find the sign and giving the lowest price but if you get caught leaving the register, you get in trouble. So there was always this stress of doing the right thing for the customer and of not being seen doing it.

I got yelled at one time for marking a pack of crayons down to $0 because there was a BOGO sign on the shelf. Within the hour, my boss (kid younger than me) interrupted me as I was with another customer to ask why it had been given for free.

Just thinking about these situations raises my blood pressure. Too many years of retail in high school and college.

@Radi0logy:
And we wonder where America lacks... it's math.

Add those up again. It's $10.98 -- 2.99 doesn't make sense even just by glancing at it (the 3.50 and 2.50 average to 3... then theres 2.99 and 1.99. So the answer HAS to be lower than 2.99.

It's 2.75 (rounded).

@Blueskylaw: I think that it's typically that way everywhere, right? In PA it definitely is. It's just that the store's policies might make it harder for cashiers to easily do this. In another comment, I talked about working at Sears Grand right after college. The policy was to give the lowest price listed but if you left your register to go get the sign to make sure you were doing it right, you could get in trouble.

@Radi0logy: Unless you want to find the prices acceleration!

Wait... that's the derivative...

@jeffsu: I guess I fat fingered it into windows calculator -- way to derail the joke over a meaningless nothing. But hey! At least you come out looking smug and self-important!

@CoffeeChewer: You're doing it wrong!

@catnapped: In NY state I believe you have to sell the customer the item for the price on the sticker regardless of what signs and registers say. Kmart is a gold mine for this, because tons of times they raise the price in the register but leave the old sticker on it.

@mac-phisto: What state is this? If it is mine I'm going to scour Wal-Mart for mislabeled merchandise :P

Do I need a butter-dish snuggly? For free I do!

@jeffsu:
Apparently where Jeffsu lacks is reading. The price on the white tag is 3.99. Therefore, (the 3.50 and 2.50 average to 3... then theres 3.99 and 1.99 which also average to 3. The answer is 2.99

@Jeremy82465: I LOLed. Thanks. :-)

@jeffsu said:
"And we wonder where America lacks... it's math"

And apparently reading as well...
The prices listed are:
$2.50 each (2/$5.00)
$3.50 each (2/$7.00)
$3.99 each
$1.99 each

Adding them up will give you a total of $11.98/4 = $2.99

(I think Radiology typed $2.99 but averaged using $3.99)

@Hil-fish: +1

@Scoobatz: You could just take off the 2/$5 sticker.

Dunno if the US has anything like Canada's Retail Alliance, but up here if the store is part of the alliance (you'll see signs for something called the scanning code of practice or something like that), you get fabulous prizes if retailer forgets to take down signs or have confusing pricing like this and their registers charge higher than what the signage indicates (some conditions apply to prevent scamming and stuff naturally though)

Full details here:
[www.retailcouncil.org]

@Radi0logy: Thus why I always carry a slide rule into the drug store.

@Rachacha: Plus 9.75% sales tax of course (CA)

@Outrun1986: I believe that the sign has to match the product.

@Etoiles: really? i thought most cashiers were uncaring b/c they have no power to do anything about it anyway. i don't really have a problem with that, but i do have a problem with managers that either don't know the law, or that do know the law & refuse to comply.

@Radi0logy: CT. don't waste your time with wal-mart. they're the WORST at accurate pricing & i've never had success envoking the "freebie" price law. conversely, local supermarkets (like big y & stop & shop) don't give you any hassle when something is priced wrong.

if you live here, this is a good reference: [www.ct.gov]

& a handy brochure you can print out & carry with you: [www.ct.gov]

Remember, at Walgreens when they say "2 for $5.00" that is what they mean. If you get just 1 you will pay full price not $2.50. This doesn't help in this situation, I know, just want y'all to remember to buy exactly how many they say you have to buy to save.

@NewsMuncher: This had me giggling for 5 minutes... nice!

Janes Addiction:

"Been Caught Stealing"

I've been caught stealing;
once when I was 5...
I enjoy stealing.
It's just as simple as that.
Well, it's just a simple fact.
When I want something,
I don't want to pay for it.

I walk right through the door.
Walk right through the door.
Hey all right! If I get by, it's mine.
Mine all mine!

Well, if you just buy one, it's $1.99. But if you buy two, they're $2.50 each. Simple.

@Scoobatz:

Does WalMart have scanning kiosks in the store for checking prices? Target does.

@pecan 3.14159265: According to New York State Law, it's $1.99. The lowest price sticks.

@YoSoyHe-Man!!_GitEmSteveDave: I paid a hooker 40 dollars for Mouth "Spin Cycle".

@kc2idf: Surely Walgreen's has an in-store coupon floating around for this, too. Go for broke, man!

@savdavid: Only in states where that's legal.

@mac-phisto: in MI if they don't give you the overscan penalty (which is 10x the overcharge, but no less than $1 and no greater than $5), you have grounds to sue in small claims court for $250.

It is probably one of these "deals" where you have to buy two to get the 2 for $X price.