Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices - Consumerist Comments

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

fullmetalgenesis — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:01:30 EDT

Tape deck-to-3.5 stereo adapter "for CD Player" : $5.99 at Wal-Mart.
*moves three aisles over*
Tape deck-to-3.5 stereo adapter "for iPod" : $27.99 at Wal-mart.

A fool and his money are soon....

fullmetalgenesis

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

e-gadgetjunkie — Sun, 11 May 2008 11:03:58 EDT

When I worked at Office Depot, there was a hidden thing like this in the store. We sold cleaning kits for various electronics. Occasionally I'd take one for store use to clean our displays. This was how I discovered that the laptop cleaning kit and the digital camera cleaning kit were identical, except for the name and the price. It was three dollars less to clean a camera.

e-gadgetjunkie

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

bishophicks — Sun, 11 May 2008 06:25:32 EDT

I love this kind of stuff.

I've seen bathing suits in the women's section of a catalog that come in tangarine, mauve, lemon and chartreuse, while over in the men's section, suits made from the same fabric come in orange, purple, yellow and green.

My wife is a veterinarian. Do you want to cry? How much do you think the VET pays for the drugs they prescribe? Vets have to be vaccinated against rabies and you have to go to a doctor. Cost: $100. Cost to vaccinate a dog using the same vaccine: $25. Cost of the actual vaccine: $3.

Hey, L.A., I have male pattern baldness and I cut my own hair using clippers and a 1/8" adapter. What "style cut" would you recommend? Before you answer, please be aware that most people think that balding guys with pony tails look really stupid.

bishophicks

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

TangDrinker — Sat, 10 May 2008 07:57:25 EDT

Pet gates at Petsmart - $70. Same gate as a "child" gate at K-Mart - $35.

TangDrinker

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Trai_Dep — Sat, 10 May 2008 01:48:33 EDT

Paté runs around $20 for a 1/2 lb, whereas canned cat food is a steal at $3. Chill 'em both and serve them at your next soireé - not only will the guests be pleased, but will you have a sure-fire way to energize the crowd when conversation lags!
(Tell Fluffy beforehand so she can practice her knowing smirk before guests arrive for best effect)

Trai_Dep

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Ragman — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:54:40 EDT

Wally World has disposable oil mats for $0.99 each. A pack of doggie potty training pads worked out to be, IIRC, something like half the cost for the same size pads. Hey, if it keeps urine off the floor, it can keep oil off the concrete.

Ragman

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

RagingTowers — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:07:41 EDT

I'm always up for saving a couple bucks when it comes to cutting poop out of my hair...

RagingTowers

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Lucky225 — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:36:26 EDT

program/product, blah

Lucky225

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Lucky225 — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:35:34 EDT

@ryatziv:

WRONG, it's the same shiznat. Now shut up and buy your brand name program, use your credit card, and show your ID when asked. Also don't question why Redbulls in a 12 pack are 18.88 but 3 4-packs are $17 total, the packaging gives a different boost of energy.

Lucky225

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

ryatziv — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:50:19 EDT

@cecilpl: Your comparison to brand-name vs generic (or store brand) is wrong. Although the active medication is the same, the carrier and fillers might be different, and sometimes produce a different reaction in a given individual.

ryatziv

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

TechnoDestructo — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:50:04 EDT

@urban_ninjya:

"Here we judge people by their looks and anything less than a style cut will make you looks like a socially awkward person. I'm sure it's not that much different in any developing or developed part of the world."

Yes, it is, and your certainty that the LA way is the way things should be is why vast tracts of the United States loathe LA and people from it.

Also, some people are very good at cutting their own hair, and some hair styles are very easy to do yourself.

That said, the only time I ever cut my own hair any more than just to trim it here and there was when I had ringworm, and I didn't think it would be polite to have someone else handle my diseased head.

TechnoDestructo

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

urban_ninjya — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:37:21 EDT

Geez people cut their own hair? Bad idea.

I'm a city boy from LA. Here we judge people by their looks and anything less than a style cut will make you looks like a socially awkward person.

I'm sure it's not that much different in any developing or developed part of the world. I'd sooner give up the internet than give up a haircut.

urban_ninjya

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

vildechaia — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:13:52 EDT

Secret: Use Hoof Conditioner for nail care (google it) - costs much less than "people" stuff.

vildechaia

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

el_smurfo — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:37:04 EDT

Actually, at my vet, it's the opposite, and he routinely tells me I should just go across the street to CVS for the generic over the counter version of the prescription pet medicine he recommends.

el_smurfo

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

thesabre — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:25:16 EDT

@BlackFlag55:
A family member of mine is a licensed beautician and barber. Apparently, these beauty supply stores will only sell at wholesale prices, the products themselves are not exclusive. As you said, you can find them at most retail stores. But they are retail prices. The license just lets you purchase them wholesale because they are a supply store and you're supposed to be buying them to sell in your salon.

thesabre

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

radio1 — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:14:06 EDT

@cecilpl: It's even cheaper if you just buy the store-brand Benadryl.

@Sushiwriter: The difference is not with the medication, but usually the adjucts added to make the pill form.

radio1

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

AD8BC — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:04:49 EDT

Had a similar situation once in a store at Gurnee Mills Mall near Chicago, it was one of those surplus cooking stores with lots of "fad" appliances, George Foreman grills, etc. We wanted to buy a toaster oven there and there was a really nice one that was too expensive for us. We ended up not buying one, but on the way out of the store there was an identical toaster oven with a different brand (QVC) that was half the price!

AD8BC

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Berz — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:02:34 EDT

@BlackFlag55:
I actually do 'cut' my own hair, If you can call it that.

Hair clippers and a 1/2 attachment.

Yeah, i didn't know they made anything less than a 1 until i found the 1/2. Now a 1 feels long.

Berz

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

wring — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:55:58 EDT

@BlackFlag55: duuude are you serious about the antibiotics? cus i might do that if i get a really bad infection.

wring

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

wring — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:54:25 EDT

oh Ben, I'm reading this the second time and it's still funneh.

wring

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

theblackdog — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:44:09 EDT

@cecilpl: Pick up a box of Mucinex and a bottle of Robitussin, it's the exact same drug and is ultimately the same dosage over a 1 day period.

theblackdog

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

cecilpl — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:36:38 EDT

You can see this at your local pharmacy too. Pick up a pack of generic sleep aids and a pack of generic nausea medication. They have the same drug (diphenhydramine) in the same dosage, but the sleep aid often costs double.

I guess drugs that make you sleep are more of a "luxury good".

cecilpl

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

jdhuck — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:32:08 EDT

These are completely different products! One pic has a guy in it and the other a dog. The guy does not even look like the dog. Even the item numbers are different.

Come on!

jdhuck

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Serpephone — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:30:51 EDT

@Juggernaut: huh???

Serpephone

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Juggernaut — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:20:40 EDT

@Serpephone: why is a guy wearing it?

Juggernaut

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

KyleOrton — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:13:50 EDT

I've also seen commercials for something like "Dr. Frank's miracle spray" that a person sprays in their mouth to cure any and all pain.

There are commercials for both a human and pet version. To me, that's significantly more troublesome. I mean, if you have a pet you should be willing to pay 14.99 to cure any and all problems instantly! Think of the kitties!

KyleOrton

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

ecwis — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:07:53 EDT

@Serpephone: a type of hat

ecwis

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Sushiwriter — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:02:41 EDT

The difference is even more pronounced with medication. Just ask any vet how much cheaper the exact same meds are for animals compared to humans.

Sushiwriter

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Serpephone — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:54:12 EDT

what is a beanie?

Serpephone

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

jackal676 — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:45:24 EDT

@B: No, I'll bet they're losing money hand over fist no matter which version they sell.

jackal676

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

BlackFlag55 — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:42:29 EDT

:-)

BlackFlag55

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Lucky225 — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:41:45 EDT

Wal*Mart does this to with their beanies, in the male section it's 99 cents, female section it's like 1.99, only diff is a barcode.

Lucky225

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Fri, 09 May 2008 14:39:26 EDT

@BlackFlag55: Kramer, is that you?

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

Fri, 09 May 2008 14:38:48 EDT

Interestingly, the blade replacements cost the same. I bet in the long run they make a profit no matter which version you buy.

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

BlackFlag55 — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:34:42 EDT

I cut my own hair. Can't abide shelling out the money for a hair cut that looks like I did it, so I started doing it myself. When I shopped for 'attachement combs' for my hand held clipper the local beuaty supply store wouldn't sell to me because I wasn't "Licensed". A license from the state as a beautician or barber. Remembering a lesson from buying antibiotics for animals at the pet supply store (don't ask what I did with those, you KNOW they're not for humans, heh heh) I went to the pet supply store and Lo! Neatly packaged were the attachment combs I wanted. Three for $4.95. Just like this article. Identical except for price.

BlackFlag55

Same Store, Same Product, Different Prices

christoj879 — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:31:19 EDT

You go Ben. Summer is on its way and your coat is really showing it!

christoj879