Shipping estimates for many online sellers come from realms in which the customary rules of math do not apply. Not only do ends of business days and weekends tack on time to shipping estimates, but additional bonus days tend to pop in as well. [More]
fuzzy math
How Have You Fared At McNopoly?
By 10.11.10
For strictly journalistic purposes not having anything whatsoever to do with me being a sucker for silly, addictive promotions, I visited McDonald’s four times over the past week to collect Monopoly game pieces. Emboldened by the ubiquitous ads that say one in four game pieces are winners, I racked up 40 chances to become a millionaire, or at least a Redbox free rentailaire. But all I have to show for my endeavors are five pounds gained and a free medium fry. [More]
Best Buy: Our Website Is Always Correct, You Must Be Wrong
By 9.23.10
When you find a discrepancy between the information on a retailer’s website and the information a product’s manufacturer prints on the package, who should you believe? Brie tells Consumerist that when she found such a discrepancy, Best Buy employees insisted that their site couldn’t possibly be wrong. The product packaging, they insisted, must be misprinted. Well, no. [More]
Parking Garage Math: Where Two Minutes Equals One Hour
By 9.17.10
Where do two minutes equal an hour? A parking garage, of course. Everyone knows this, but what about when another customer delays you and pushes you past the one-hour mark? Nathan tells Consumerist that while the customer ahead of him in line argued with the garage attendant, his own time in the garage passed one hour, and the attendant insisted that Nathan pay for the full two hours. [More]
Amazon Needs Math Lessons
By 8.26.10
Brian shopped for a webcam on Amazon and faced this confounding pre-checkout screen. [More]
Yogurt Shop Sells Frozen Treats Using Verizon Math
By 8.21.10
“Maybe I’m being picky,” tipster David writes. “But it says what it says.” [More]
Go Ahead, Try To Make Sense Of This Xbox Live Pricing Scheme
By 8.12.10
Did you know that “free” is basically the same thing as $10? Neither did Jer, until he went to renew his Xbox Live account. He tells Consumerist that along with his account expiration date, he discovered the most baffling pricing scheme this side of Target. [More]
Enterprise Tells Me My Rental Will Cost $38, Charges Me $129
By 7.29.10
Andrew rented a car from Enterprise, which told him online it would charge $37.71 for a one-day rental. When he showed up at the branch, Enterprise said he’d have to pay more than three times that amount because he wouldn’t be allowed to drop his car off until two days later. [More]
Dollar Tree Annexes Canada, Sells 61-Star American Flag
By 6.30.10
This American flag found for sale at Dollar Tree has either fallen through a crack in space and time from a future when the United States has annexed Canada, or the Chinese company that produced it screwed up. Dollar Tree, for its part, claims that the flag is a “patriotic banner” and not supposed to be a regulation American flag. Right. [More]
Don't Leave AT&T Alone With Your Decimal Points When It Comes To Data Charges
By 6.15.10
While planning a trip to Canada, Mike called the company to scope out his potential AT&T data charges. He got ahold of a CSR who must have missed those years in elementary school when they taught you about decimal points, because he quoted a nonsensical rate. [More]
Target Just Can’t Stop The Crazy Prices
By 5.27.10 — Updated: 12.27.12
Sure, we’ve explained the apparent insanity of Target’s prices, but the crazy just keeps on coming. Here are a few examples from our stuffed-full Target is Crazy mailbag. [More]
No, The iPad Hasn't Killed The Netbook
By 5.7.10
Netbook sales growth has slowed down! Apple has sold a million iPads! Quick, someone make a chart and prove that there’s a causal relationship between the two facts.
That’s essentially what Morgan Stanley did this week, and many media outlets picked it up as gospel. But there’s no real evidence that the iPad has had any significant effect on netbook demand.
Price Is No Object At These Best Buy Stores
By 4.21.10
From separate Best Buy stores, in different parts of the country, David and Adama sent us these two pictures of deeply confusing, Target-worthy sales. Would you like to buy a Blu-Ray of “The Fugitive” for only $14.99? Or you could go a few inches away, where it’s $14.99. If you need something to play it on, you can get a Blu-Ray plater for 50% off its original price if you buy a TV. That original price is either $129.99 or $149.99 depending on where you look. [More]
Borders's Bold New Business Strategy: Crazy Pricing
By 4.1.10
Troubled and experiencing a turnover in its leadership, perhaps Borders is trying a new strategy: completely illogical pricing. Hey, it works for Target. (Thanks to Asa in New York for the photo!) [More]
This Petsmart Uses The Opposite Of Bulk Pricing
By 1.14.10
Maybe, you, our wonderful and brilliant readers, can figure out the logic behind the pricing scheme for aquarium air stones that Kevin discovered at Petsmart. Because we sure as heck can’t. In a move that would make Target weep with envy, air stones become more expensive the more you buy. [More]
This Toys R Us Sign Is Technically True, But Still Stupid
By 12.27.09
“I guess technically, $.01 is ‘over $0,'” writes reader Don in Arizona who found this sign, “and in 1850, saving $.01 was probably a smoking hot deal but today, not so much….” [More]
Check Your Math When Accepting Substitutions
By 12.7.09
Brooke says she stopped Pizza Hut from short-changing her on soda on a late night pizza run. Her plight demonstrates that it’s handy to keep your algebra skills sharp. [More]
Math Skills Not Required To Bake Pie Chart Ad
By 11.25.09
Anonymous Math Geek sent us this ad for the Stratosphere, a Las Vegas casino. The wizards are using tricky geometry to convince you that the casino gives you more bang for your Benjamin. AMG writes: [More]
