Dave sent us this irresistible deal from pharmacy chain CVS. You can get $5 in Extrabucks rewards currency by buying these Futuro anti-embolism stockings. Not a bad deal if you’re in the market for them, and will remember to come back and use the Extrabucks. This plan has a flaw, though: you only come out 30 cents ahead, because the sale price is $4.70 above regular retail. [More]
fuzzy math
To No One’s Surprise, Beer And Math Don’t Combine Very Well
By 11.9.12
Reader JC saw our post featuring some solid, but not really brag-worthy beer math on a sign outside a bar. Reader JC remembered this photo that he took at the California State Fair. Instead of a nice, normal economy of scale, here buying a large brew has a financial penalty, but buying a medium one has a larger one. On a per-ounce basis, anyway. [More]
Puzzling Sales At Staples And The Fresh Market
By 10.8.12
Perhaps irrationally, our readers assume that chain store employees are supposed to read sale signs before posting them on the shelf. [More]
Walmart Apparently Feels Rollback Is The Same Thing As Rolling Absolutely Nowhere
By 9.17.12
Walmart just loves bragging about how it’s rolling back prices on items, you know, because that’s so much different than just calling something a sale. But perhaps the company and its handy little rollback sign needs a refresher course on the definition of “back,” as Consumerist reader Ben points out in this pic snapped at his local Walmart in Plano. [More]
Lowe's: Where Fuzzy Math Stings Like A Wasp
By 9.13.12
How much bug spray does one household need? Wasp stings hurt, so it’s a good idea to stay protected. Even if buying a two-pack costs more than buying two individual cans. You know, safety. And volume pricing. Important things. [More]
If Chipotle Is Going To Round Numbers On Your Bill, It Should Only Round Down — From Now On
By 8.27.12
Have you looked at your Chipotle receipt recently? Some customers noticed a bit of funky math going on after paying for their burritos, tacos and various items from the chain, where totals seemed to mysteriously shift so as to not get pennies involved in the equation. Rounding off a bill is fine — unless of course, the bill gets rounded up. [More]
'Sale' Is Not French For 'Charge $15 More'
By 8.23.12
Shopping at Best Buy, Arthur noticed this odd shelf tag for DVD copies of “The Adventures of Tintin.” The double printing on the left indicates that something isn’t quite right with the sign. Yet it made its way onto the shelf in the real world, where people can see it, making everyone who has seen it just a little bit stupider. [More]
Target Apparently Exists In A World Where A 3-Pack Should Cost Twice The Price Of 3 Single Packages
By 8.14.12
There’s nothing quite like the crazy pricing fun over at Target, and this time things are getting out of control with one of the cheapest food products you can buy. David sent in a tip of some outrageous pricing he found on Ortega taco seasoning, using the Consumerist mobile app. [More]
At Applebee's, 2 For $20 Equals $21
By 8.8.12 — Updated: 9.8.16
Two meals and an appetizer for $20 at Applebee’s is a nice, simple price point. Not a bad deal, either. Jeff ordered it for carside takeout, but was baffled to receive his order and see that the price listed on the receipt was $21, not $20. The waitress explained that the extra $1 was sales tax, but Jeff didn’t buy that (and we don’t either.) The restaurant calculated and charged him accurate sales tax on the entire order. [More]
Kroger Thinks You Might Want To Pay More For A 10-Pack Of Razors Than Two 5-Packs
By 7.30.12
Store aisles can be so confusing! Do I want a five-pack of razor cartridges for my Gillette Mach 3 razor or a 10-pack? This sign says both are at a low price, so that must be good. I’ll always want razors, so why not just stock up? So do I want the convenience of one 10-pack or two five-packs? Easy decision, points out Consumerist reader Jeremy via our tipster app, since Kroger didn’t really bother to do good math. [More]
At This Walmart, Three And A Half Pretty Much Equals Five
By 7.26.12
I thought the idea behind having all of these computers around was that they were supposed to do the math for us. Correctly. A Reddit user snapped this picture of some fuzzy math at the self-checkout. Either the computer thinks that someone buying a pile of Lunchables and gum isn’t very quick on the uptake, or something is very wrong here. [More]
Hoses: Clearly Not Priced By The Foot
By 7.19.12
When it’s a 75-foot hose you’re after, that’s what you’re going to buy. And if you’re after a 100-foot hose, you’re not going to buy anything else. At least, that’s what this pricing scheme for Neverkink hoses makes clear, since the prices are the same for different lengths of hose. [More]
The Opposite Of Saving Money: More Fuzzy Math At Target
By 7.18.12
I really enjoy shopping at Target. I like its low prices, its quality store-brand items, its red prescription bottles with the drug name on the top, and the fact that you can buy bananas priced individually instead of by the pound. But above all, I love their absurdist pricing schemes that demonstrate a lack of math skills on the part of Target employees, Target customers, or both. [More]
Sale At CVS Means You Pay Double
By 7.2.12
Shopping at CVS, Ajay noticed this odd sale on a seasonal item (sandals). Okay, it’s fine to charge more for seasonal items during the season when they’re used: that’s basic retail. But there’s something terribly wrong when employees put up a sign doubling the price on a sale item without batting an eye. [More]
Here Is Why You Should Always Check The Sales Tax On Your Online Order
By 6.18.12
When you place an order online — especially through a large national chain — you might expect that your sales tax would be calculated accurately. But, as demonstrated by the Cold Stone Creamery store that charges 25% tax, that isn’t always the case. [More]
Best Buy ‘Bonus’ Means You Pay One Penny More
By 6.12.12
If you purchase this 55″ Panasonic plasma screen TV from Best Buy, they’ll throw in a home theater system for only only $150. This is an impressive deal, considering that the list price for that package is…$149.99. [More]
Save Two Whole Cents With This 'Smoking Hot' Frozen Pizza Deal
By 5.11.12
These Roman frozen pizzas normally cost all of $1.68. Who can afford that in this economy? That’s why Wisconsin chain Pick ‘n Save has them marked down to only $1.66 each. If you buy six, as recommended, you save twelve cents. And have a freezer full of cheap frozen pizza. Is that really where you wanted your life to end up? [More]
What Is The 'Original Price' After Kohl's Marks An Item Up?
By 4.20.12
When Scott found socks on “buy one, get one half off” sale at Kohl’s, he picked up a few packages. The sale signage stipulated that the discount was off the original price…but was that the original price, or the original original price? Scott noticed that a sticker had been placed over the original tag, raising the price from $12 to $14. So what’s the original price?
[More]
