Finding the best price can make your head spin - example

**imagine** · 02-28-2011, 02:41 PM

Finding best price can make your head spin

Dial soap 8 pack examples from my stores

Store #1 Walmart
$3.88 for the eight pack

Store #2 Walgreen's
$5.99 for eight pack like whoa that is a bunch of cash.

so store #1 sounds like the better deal but wait they are having a buy one get on free sale so that makes each pack $2.995 (or $5.99 and you get bragging rights for getting something free)

Store #3
$2.99 regular price with store card
So that make it essentially the same price as Store #2

But wait store #3 is having a buy ten things and you get .50 off each thing deal. so that make the price $2.69 IF you can find 10 things you need/want.

You look in your pocket and find $2 is Walgreen Registrar rewards that are about to expire so you buy your soap at Walgreens 2 packs of 8 Making each pack $1.995 each.

Can make your head spin now, don't it?

**Ramona** · 02-28-2011, 06:29 PM

Yes, it does make your head spin but it makes your heart beat fast, too, when you win

**frugalfranny** · 03-01-2011, 01:45 AM

Originally Posted by imagine

Finding best price can make your head spin

Dial soap 8 pack examples from my stores

Store #1 Walmart
$3.88 for the eight pack

Store #2 Walgreen's
$5.99 for eight pack like whoa that is a bunch of cash.

so store #1 sounds like the better deal but wait they are having a buy one get on free sale so that makes each pack $2.995 (or $5.99 and you get bragging rights for getting something free)

Store #3
$2.99 regular price with store card
So that make it essentially the same price as Store #2

But wait store #3 is having a buy ten things and you get .50 off each thing deal. so that make the price $2.69 IF you can find 10 things you need/want.

You look in your pocket and find $2 is Walgreen Registrar rewards that are about to expire so you buy your soap at Walgreens 2 packs of 8 Making each pack $1.995 each.

Can make your head spin now, don't it?

You are soooooooooo right.

AND...............DID YOU CHECK THE OUNCES ON EACH SOAP DEAL???

With identical packaging...........they can have less ounces....soap isn't so bad.....but other things do....drives me crazy!!

Have you REALLY looked (OR FELT) inside a box of Kleenex lately??..............the tissues have about an INCH (or more) of room on the inside of the box........so same CUT DOWN number of tissues..........but SMALLER.

**NikoSan999** · 03-01-2011, 07:07 AM

I like doing stuff like that if I have time to actually sit and figure it out. And yes, it makes you feel like you've legally beat the system for once. Go girl!

**rosey7415** · 03-01-2011, 09:36 AM

i hear you!!!! i hate it!!!

**monkeywrangler71** · 03-01-2011, 09:54 AM

Although it's nice to successfully ferret out the best deal, personally I'm exhausted with all the varying package sizes and convoluted sales. Soap isn't so bad, but you practically need an accounting degree to buy toilet paper.

**Debbie-cat** · 03-01-2011, 10:47 AM

I too am sick of the different size packaging. Do these companies think we are so stupid that we aren't going to notice?! Not only do we need an accounting degree but with today's prices....a wheelbarrow full of cash to pay for it!

**Spirit Deer** · 03-01-2011, 11:27 AM

I think most people don't pay attention, Debbie. Or they are of the mindset they 'need' a particular thing, so they'll buy it at any price even if another brand or different package would be a better deal.

Sadly, advertising works and there are so many psychological tricks played by everyone trying to sell us something. We all fall for it at least part of the time, and that's why companies continue to spend fortunes on advertising. It's like political spin, they take a thing and try to present it so it looks like something else because lots of people will fall for it, so they make more money.

**Russ** · 03-01-2011, 11:31 AM

I'm not sure if it is just Michigan or specific stores, but the stores have tags that specify how much an item is per ounce or per sheet on most items.
Now I'm not sure if they re-tag those items to take into account the sale prices.

**imagine** · 03-01-2011, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Russ

I'm not sure if it is just Michigan or specific stores, but the stores have tags that specify how much an item is per ounce or per sheet on most items.
Now I'm not sure if they re-tag those items to take into account the sale prices.

We have those too but sometimes it seems that they want to make it hard for you to compare. Listing one at per ounce while the one next to it per pound. or price per sheet while the one next to it is price per roll.

**frugalfranny** · 03-01-2011, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by imagine

We have those too but sometimes it seems that they want to make it hard for you to compare. Listing one at per ounce while the one next to it per pound. or price per sheet while the one next to it is price per roll.

YES! And TP and tissues are great ones for that!

Nuts are another one........will go PER OUNCE if they are expensive........and PER POUND if not too bad of $!

Drinks/pop/soda is another one.........goes "per serving"....then you have to check THAT!! Is OFTEN not one container.

**ladytoysdream** · 03-01-2011, 06:11 PM

I do a lot of math in my head when checking out which bargain to buy. I would be better off having a calculater with me, and a book for tracking best deals.
We bought chicken wings the other day. Bag was 2.5 pounds for $ 5.99. We bought 2 bags. After we got home, I remembered a few weeks ago, that I bought a 4 pound bag for just over $8.
So I was a bit upset with myself for not getting the best deal. In my defense, the hubby was shopping with me, it was a small mom and pop local store, and it was a meal for the weekend. But after he deep fried the one bag of 2 pounds, I was amazed how many were in that bag. The 4 pound bag did not seem to have as many. So in order to pick the best deal, I would have had to fiqure a final $ amount for the pound. And then weigh the quality. Not a easy task to buy groceries any more.........

And the same shopping trip, I bought 2 pre cooked hams. About 7 pounds each. I was amazed at the price of .99 a pound. Hubby pointed out they had bones in them. I said for a buck a pound, a little waste would not put the price per pound over $ 2 and I thought it was a good deal. So after warming up in oven for the sunday meal, I de-boned it. I weighed the fat and bone, and it was 1.5 pounds of the 7 pound ham. So doing the math, I got $ 7 divided by 5.5 pounds of GOOD meat, and it was $ 1.27 a pound.
Sugardale ham is the brand name. I did good

**dcompton** · 03-01-2011, 07:42 PM

I was shopping the other day for teabags. One brand was tagged price per/each, the other I was looking at was price per/pound. Pound for tea bags?? Of course, different numbers of tea bags in the boxes, too.

I confess I probably could have converted it all with a calculator and more patience than I usually have when I'm grocery shopping, but not in my head and I just gave up and bought the ones I wanted. I have no idea if was the better price or not.

The mix and match buy 5 or 8 or 10 sales Kroger have come up with some really good prices, but it's like planning a military campaign to put it all together. And then, on course, they're out of this, but I could substitute two of those, but they're way back on the other side of the store....

Grocery shopping just isn't fun any more, if it ever was.

**shoiji** · 03-03-2011, 07:10 PM

I basically buy one roll of paper towels for the whole year. Have gotten used to using rags for clean up. Anyway, I was in CVS today and noticed they had two rolls of their brand paper towels on sale for 2 for $1. So I checked the other cvs rolls next to it and was confused then figured out the amount of sheets were almost the same so I went with the 2 for $1. Just glad I had the time and patience to stand there and figure it out.

**Momto5RN** · 03-04-2011, 10:30 PM

i just basically keep a price book in my head of what my best price is for an item i buy and try to meet or beat it .

if they change the # of ounces per package to be less well i notice it but i cant change it and still try to get the best price i can for that size package .

i dont spend alot of time anymore comparing all the circulars and hopping from store to store now that i am back to work .

i pick one store that seems to have the best on what i need the most and after that if its a price that meets or beats my best i will pick things up when on sale .