Author Topic: The "Bargain" Thread  (Read 17160 times)

Toad

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 250
The "Bargain" Thread
« on: February 27, 2018, 01:07:21 AM »
Not sure if this has been done already, but sometimes when I am buying things I just have to shake my head at the general stupidity of the average consumer.  If I am buying large quantities of an item, and it is sold in multiple "pack" sizes, I always break out my calculator to figure what is the best deal.  The average consumer would assume that the largest "pack" size will present the best deal.  A simple calculation will show that this often is not the case.

I intend to start posting images of all the instances I find of this.  Feel free to join in and post your finds.

Bonus points for exceptionally large price discrepancies where the larger "pack" size is higher, or in this case with this one to start us off, blatant advertising that it is the best value when clearly it is not if you do the math.

You only get partial credit if the items are on sale.


To start us off...
Location: Home Depot
"Value" Pack - 20 1" zinc corner braces for $7.48 ($0.374 each)
Standard Pack - 4 1" zinc corner braces for $1.37 ($0.3425 each)

Roe

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 197
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2018, 07:08:07 AM »
Tax on stupid? ;)

I don't have any examples, but that was a good one.

Just Joe

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6721
  • Location: In the middle....
  • Teach me something.
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2018, 07:41:35 AM »
You can string this topic way out. Retail vs online for example. Occasionally there are some great deals on stuff via eBay for example.

I can go to Lowes and buy 10 crimp terminals or I can get on eBay and buy 50 of them for less including shipping. And no tax. Of course then you have an excess of materials and you need to plan ahead. ;)

ElizaStache

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 62
  • Age: 31
  • Location: Lynnwood, WA
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2018, 11:28:25 AM »
My favorite is at the sex shop where I work part-time, we have a "deal" on "After Sex Mints", 4 for $1, regularly 25c ea!
The savings is unreal, but it does get people to get 4 of them, which is nice because we work on metrics and we're always trying to get more units per transaction.

dogboyslim

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 526
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2018, 12:27:02 PM »
This has recently been fixed, but at Dunkin Donuts near me, the pricing for munchkins went like this:

10 pc Munchkins: $1.99
25 pc Munchkins: $5.99
50 pc Munchkins: $8.99

I would often buy these to bring in to work, and I always got 3 10pc Munchkins instead of 1 25pc.  The person behind the counter would often tell me how I could save if I got 25, and then look at me blankly when I asked why I'd save if I pay 2 cents more but get 5 fewer munchkins.  This would often cause the poor teenager behind the counter to go into a period of self doubt and I could see the pain on their face as they tried to reconcile the difference between what they thought to be true and truth.

Toad

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 250
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2018, 06:06:03 PM »
Tax on stupid? ;)

Tax on stupid or tax on lazy for sure describes this!

You can string this topic way out. Retail vs online for example. Occasionally there are some great deals on stuff via eBay for example.

Fair point.  The intent of the thread is in your face stupidity i.e. same store, same product, ideally right next to each other.

My favorite is at the sex shop where I work part-time, we have a "deal" on "After Sex Mints", 4 for $1, regularly 25c ea!
The savings is unreal, but it does get people to get 4 of them, which is nice because we work on metrics and we're always trying to get more units per transaction.

That is very amusing since it is such a simple one to figure out.  Perhaps once a month break out a "super sale" on the mints, "7 mints for $2.00 this week only!!!"  Marketing is fascinating.

This would often cause the poor teenager behind the counter to go into a period of self doubt and I could see the pain on their face as they tried to reconcile the difference between what they thought to be true and truth.

You would think they would be the first ones to figure it out since it is literally staring them in front of their face the entire work day!


My contribution for today:

Only partial credit for me since a sale item...
Location: Schnucks (grocery store)
25 lb bag of sugar for $18.49 ($0.7396 / lb)
10 lb bag of sugar for $6.25 ($0.625 / lb)

It is always amusing seeing these at the grocery store since they tell you the unit price directly on the price tag.  I wonder if the employees get a good chuckle when putting out these signs.

Furthermore...who buys a 25 lb bag of sugar!  I am the only person I know who would consider it since I bake just about every other week, but that is far to inconvenient of a size for me to justify the normal price difference of $0.0194 / lb.

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23130
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2018, 06:25:58 PM »
For some reason I've never been able to explain, at our nearest grocery store a 750 ml tub of cottage cheese is always priced higher than purchasing a 500 ml tub of cottage cheese.  This has been consistently true for the last decade (which was when I started purchasing cottage cheese there).

gooki

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2917
  • Location: NZ
    • My FIRE journal
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #7 on: February 28, 2018, 12:39:44 AM »
Because it has more in it?

jinga nation

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2696
  • Age: 247
  • Location: 'Murica's Dong
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #8 on: February 28, 2018, 07:38:11 AM »
don't have pics but here's mine:

at the publix supermarket, store brand 4-sticks butter in on sale, BOGO free. 2-stick box regular price.

lady next to me buying multiple 2-stick boxes. Normally I keep my mouth shut, but had a brain fart and mouth mouthed: "It's cheaper if you buy the BOGO offer 4-stick box".

her: I can't fit that in my fridge

me: what's your fridge size?

her: those big french door ones.

me: then put in the freezer. let it sit outside and thaw or move to refrigerator night before you need to use it.

her: too much work and planning.

me: well it's your money... enjoy!

me: (to myself, why the fuck did I gobshite spill?)


TheGrimSqueaker

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2606
  • Location: A desert wasteland, where none but the weird survive
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #9 on: February 28, 2018, 09:09:47 AM »
Furthermore...who buys a 25 lb bag of sugar!  I am the only person I know who would consider it since I bake just about every other week, but that is far to inconvenient of a size for me to justify the normal price difference of $0.0194 / lb.

During canning season I've been known to buy sugar in those amounts. Even making low-sugar jam, I go through a *lot*, and in any given year that's how I make most of my gifts. Most of my friends like homemade jam, pickles, and such. So do my elderly relatives: it's comfort food for them.

PKate

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 84
  • Location: Northern New England
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #10 on: February 28, 2018, 09:16:17 AM »
Furthermore...who buys a 25 lb bag of sugar!  I am the only person I know who would consider it since I bake just about every other week, but that is far to inconvenient of a size for me to justify the normal price difference of $0.0194 / lb.

During canning season I've been known to buy sugar in those amounts. Even making low-sugar jam, I go through a *lot*, and in any given year that's how I make most of my gifts. Most of my friends like homemade jam, pickles, and such. So do my elderly relatives: it's comfort food for them.

Bee keepers also buy sugar in 25 to 50 pound bags to feed new bee hives. They need supplemental feeding to build a colony and established hives will need supplemental feeding if they don't have enough food stored to get through the winter. 

a286

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 43
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2018, 09:46:37 AM »
don't have pics but here's mine:

at the publix supermarket, store brand 4-sticks butter in on sale, BOGO free. 2-stick box regular price.

lady next to me buying multiple 2-stick boxes. Normally I keep my mouth shut, but had a brain fart and mouth mouthed: "It's cheaper if you buy the BOGO offer 4-stick box".

her: I can't fit that in my fridge

me: what's your fridge size?

her: those big french door ones.

me: then put in the freezer. let it sit outside and thaw or move to refrigerator night before you need to use it.

her: too much work and planning.

me: well it's your money... enjoy!

me: (to myself, why the fuck did I gobshite spill?)

One of those times where you're like,  what was I thinking?  Haha.

However,  I'm mostly caught up in trying to figure pour how her French door fridge can't fit four sticks of butter...

SunshineAZ

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 202
  • Location: SE Arizona
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2018, 10:16:19 AM »
Furthermore...who buys a 25 lb bag of sugar!  I am the only person I know who would consider it since I bake just about every other week, but that is far to inconvenient of a size for me to justify the normal price difference of $0.0194 / lb.

For the record, I buy multiple 25 lb bags of sugar because I feed hummingbirds and go through a gallon of nectar a day in the summer.   (But I do always check the pricing and buy the cheapest per unit.)  So if you see a crazy person with tons of sugar in their cart, they might be feeding hummingbirds.  :)

ETA:  I bake a lot in the winter, so I buy a lot then too, but not quite as much.  :)
« Last Edit: February 28, 2018, 10:19:12 AM by SunshineAZ »

acepedro45

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 261
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2018, 01:15:59 PM »
I love this thread already. I can't wait until it grows to hundreds of replies.

Not a true "bargain" but I always do the extra math at the gas station to apply credit card rewards when the cash price is less than the credit price. We get 5.25% cash rebate on any gasoline purchase, so even at a 10c spread it's better to pay extra for the credit price.

thesis

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 407
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2018, 01:35:28 PM »
This is slightly different, but I remember this story being on the news many years ago:

https://consumerist.com/2008/10/10/supermarket-chain-adds-10-at-register-but-only-in-some-stores/
https://www.denverpost.com/2010/08/15/avanza-supermarket-settles-colorado-case-over-10-percent-surcharge/

Basically, the company said, "...and 10% at the register!", which at first glance would seem to indicate a 10% discount. Turns out, it means a 10% surcharge.

Either people really were ok with it, or only 6 people paid attention and complained.

And yes, the opportunity cost of those people's time probably did not make up for what they received in the end, but you get the point. This chain actually pulled this off for some time. I've never been to an Avanza, so I don't know if they still do that or not. It's just shady. But I like this thread, because it doens't surprise me that bulk sometimes costs more because we default to believing bulk is less expensive. Someone is going to try to profit off of that! (Costco, anybody?)

acepedro45

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 261
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #15 on: February 28, 2018, 01:39:17 PM »
Quote
For the record, I buy multiple 25 lb bags of sugar because I feed hummingbirds and go through a gallon of nectar a day in the summer.   (But I do always check the pricing and buy the cheapest per unit.)  So if you see a crazy person with tons of sugar in their cart, they might be feeding hummingbirds.  :)

ETA:  I bake a lot in the winter, so I buy a lot then too, but not quite as much.  :)

Look at you Consumer Suckas buying your sugar in bulk. How extravagant! How decadent! True Mustachians get all their sugar in packet form for free.

Prairie Stash

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1795
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #16 on: February 28, 2018, 03:33:25 PM »
Furthermore...who buys a 25 lb bag of sugar!  I am the only person I know who would consider it since I bake just about every other week, but that is far to inconvenient of a size for me to justify the normal price difference of $0.0194 / lb.

During canning season I've been known to buy sugar in those amounts. Even making low-sugar jam, I go through a *lot*, and in any given year that's how I make most of my gifts. Most of my friends like homemade jam, pickles, and such. So do my elderly relatives: it's comfort food for them.

Bee keepers also buy sugar in 25 to 50 pound bags to feed new bee hives. They need supplemental feeding to build a colony and established hives will need supplemental feeding if they don't have enough food stored to get through the winter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvaEJzoaYZk
Copperhead Road - Steve Earl

Buying sugar in bulk is an easy way to make shine. Just think of the song next time you see someone buying multiple bags.

Toad

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 250
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #17 on: February 28, 2018, 08:55:12 PM »
Even making low-sugar jam, I go through a *lot*, and in any given year that's how I make most of my gifts. Most of my friends like homemade jam, pickles, and such. So do my elderly relatives: it's comfort food for them.

Makes sense, I didn't think of jam making.  I have tried a couple of times (and failed) to make pâte de fruit....closest I have gotten to making jam although my end result was essentially jam (due to the fail).  I think the pectin I was using just wasn't right for my application but it pretty much turned me off doing that.

Bee keepers also buy sugar in 25 to 50 pound bags to feed new bee hives. They need supplemental feeding to build a colony and established hives will need supplemental feeding if they don't have enough food stored to get through the winter. 

I didn't know that, makes sense though.  My neighbor does bee keeping as a hobby (fortunately at his farm and not actually next door!).  Their honey is delicious though.

For the record, I buy multiple 25 lb bags of sugar because I feed hummingbirds and go through a gallon of nectar a day in the summer.   (But I do always check the pricing and buy the cheapest per unit.)  So if you see a crazy person with tons of sugar in their cart, they might be feeding hummingbirds.  :)

We actually feed hummingbirds during the summer as well but don't go through near that amount of nectar.  Just not enough of them in my area I guess.  But yeah...never actually seeing someone walking around with a 25 lb bag of sugar was the main motivation behind my comment.  Obviously they must sell it or they wouldn't stock it.  I have almost bought one of the bags just to be the person lugging a 25 lb bag of sugar around the grocery store.  I always enjoy seeing peoples reactions when you do stuff like that.  Actually on that shopping visit the yogurt I buy was on sale (and I only buy it when it's on sale), so I bought 30 containers of it and the cashier was like "Soooo...I guess these are pretty good then huh?".  Good times.

However,  I'm mostly caught up in trying to figure pour how her French door fridge can't fit four sticks of butter...

Yeah...I don't get how 2-4 packs is different than 4-2 packs...I mean...you can open the boxes up and take the sticks out to arrange them however you want...in the end you have 8 sticks of butter that are the same shape and size.  I never say anything when I see stuff like this, I just smile to myself knowing that they are the ones funding my early retirement.  Without overspendy consumers the markets wouldn't climb, and without markets climbing early retirement is a bigger challenge.

Look at you Consumer Suckas buying your sugar in bulk. How extravagant! How decadent! True Mustachians get all their sugar in packet form for free.

(´▽`)
...and you win the prize!

redbird

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 546
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #18 on: February 28, 2018, 10:20:18 PM »
Quote
For the record, I buy multiple 25 lb bags of sugar because I feed hummingbirds and go through a gallon of nectar a day in the summer.   (But I do always check the pricing and buy the cheapest per unit.)  So if you see a crazy person with tons of sugar in their cart, they might be feeding hummingbirds.  :)

ETA:  I bake a lot in the winter, so I buy a lot then too, but not quite as much.  :)

Look at you Consumer Suckas buying your sugar in bulk. How extravagant! How decadent! True Mustachians get all their sugar in packet form for free.

I've never done that but, true story, every time I'm going on vacation I go to local fast food places to grab a bunch of disposable plastic utensils to eat my food with that I make in the hotel room (because expensive restaurants are not something I get something out of). :D I know it's not environmentally friendly, but I tend not to check suitcases when I fly, and I don't want TSA confiscating my silverware because OMG! You might poke somebody in the eye with that fork!

mustachepungoeshere

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2404
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #19 on: February 28, 2018, 11:01:23 PM »
I've never done that but, true story, every time I'm going on vacation I go to local fast food places to grab a bunch of disposable plastic utensils to eat my food with that I make in the hotel room (because expensive restaurants are not something I get something out of). :D I know it's not environmentally friendly, but I tend not to check suitcases when I fly, and I don't want TSA confiscating my silverware because OMG! You might poke somebody in the eye with that fork!

A friend of mine swims hours every day, and spends the rest of the day eating to replace the energy, working to earn money to buy the food to replace the energy, or sleeping.

(He's the only person I know who went to a friend's house for dinner and took two large pizzas in case he didn't like what was for dinner. He finished dinner then polished off the pizzas too.)

He also has a favourite ice-cream that apparently you can only get in America.

As soon as he lands in the States on work trips, he gets in the car and makes a beeline for a supermarket to buy a tub of ice-cream.

And therein lies the challenge.

He tried plastic cutlery but a plastic spoon for ice-cream? Disaster.

So he tried packing his own spoon but a single metal spoon raises eyebrows and he hated being treated like a junkie by the TSA.

This is why he buys a new spoon every time he goes to the US. A dozen times a year.

channtheman

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 62
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #20 on: March 01, 2018, 02:57:32 AM »
My local Walmart consistently has the family size Doritos on a sale price for $2.99, and right below them are the regular size bags for, you guessed it, $2.99. 

I have no idea why.

PMG

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1611
  • Location: USA
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #21 on: March 01, 2018, 03:58:28 AM »
In the cafe at one of my old jobs fountain drinks were $1.99 and up, chilled cans of soda were 50c.  Maybe people really like ice? Enough to spend 1.49 on it, because there can’t be more than 16oz of soda in a 20-24 oz styrofoam cup full of crushed ice. 

Everyone knew how to work game the price board, order this cheap item, with that cheap item and it’s a great deal!  But they were constantly carrying around those cups of soda. 

jinga nation

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2696
  • Age: 247
  • Location: 'Murica's Dong
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #22 on: March 01, 2018, 09:05:47 AM »
My local Walmart consistently has the family size Doritos on a sale price for $2.99, and right below them are the regular size bags for, you guessed it, $2.99. 
I have no idea why.

There's theory/data (was told this by someone who works in the food packaging industry) that a couple of times a year the family size will be marked the same as regular size to get customers to buy larger packs, and then when the price goes up to, say $4.49, the customers will stick to the family size, even when regular is cheaper per ounce. It's about changing mindsets using Pavlovian conditioning.

Generally speaking, 'Muricans bad at math. Good at meth. SAD!
'specially in Floriduh!

Roe

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 197
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #23 on: March 01, 2018, 01:37:55 PM »
The mantra always is to buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself, because the grated cheese costs more. Thought about this thread while grocery shopping for cheese today, since at that store it's actually much cheaper to buy the pre shredded cheese.

But as if coincidence had humor, today they had a big sale on block cheese.

Davnasty

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2793
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #24 on: March 01, 2018, 02:50:09 PM »
The mantra always is to buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself, because the grated cheese costs more. Thought about this thread while grocery shopping for cheese today, since at that store it's actually much cheaper to buy the pre shredded cheese.

But as if coincidence had humor, today they had a big sale on block cheese.
I've found that shredded and blocks are typically priced the same except that sometimes 1 of them is on sale, but there are other differences that you may or may not care about.

Shredded cheese is usually coated with a mixture of potato starch, cellulose and natamycin. None of those things will hurt you but they do change the properties of the shreds, mostly it makes them less clumpy and they melt differently. Shreds also mold faster due to increased surface area. Natamycin helps with this but blocks still last longer.

mustachepungoeshere

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2404
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #25 on: March 01, 2018, 03:53:19 PM »
The mantra always is to buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself, because the grated cheese costs more. Thought about this thread while grocery shopping for cheese today, since at that store it's actually much cheaper to buy the pre shredded cheese.

But as if coincidence had humor, today they had a big sale on block cheese.
I've found that shredded and blocks are typically priced the same except that sometimes 1 of them is on sale, but there are other differences that you may or may not care about.

Shredded cheese is usually coated with a mixture of potato starch, cellulose and natamycin. None of those things will hurt you but they do change the properties of the shreds, mostly it makes them less clumpy and they melt differently. Shreds also mold faster due to increased surface area. Natamycin helps with this but blocks still last longer.

@marty998

:D

marty998

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7372
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #26 on: March 01, 2018, 11:59:50 PM »
The mantra always is to buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself, because the grated cheese costs more. Thought about this thread while grocery shopping for cheese today, since at that store it's actually much cheaper to buy the pre shredded cheese.

But as if coincidence had humor, today they had a big sale on block cheese.
I've found that shredded and blocks are typically priced the same except that sometimes 1 of them is on sale, but there are other differences that you may or may not care about.

Shredded cheese is usually coated with a mixture of potato starch, cellulose and natamycin. None of those things will hurt you but they do change the properties of the shreds, mostly it makes them less clumpy and they melt differently. Shreds also mold faster due to increased surface area. Natamycin helps with this but blocks still last longer.

@marty998

:D

OMFG @mustachepungoeshere you taught me this 2 years ago!

Saved me $70 a year as well buy buying the block instead of the pre-grated cheese haha.


Just Joe

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6721
  • Location: In the middle....
  • Teach me something.
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #27 on: March 02, 2018, 08:57:41 AM »
I've never done that but, true story, every time I'm going on vacation I go to local fast food places to grab a bunch of disposable plastic utensils to eat my food with that I make in the hotel room (because expensive restaurants are not something I get something out of). :D I know it's not environmentally friendly, but I tend not to check suitcases when I fly, and I don't want TSA confiscating my silverware because OMG! You might poke somebody in the eye with that fork!

A friend of mine swims hours every day, and spends the rest of the day eating to replace the energy, working to earn money to buy the food to replace the energy, or sleeping.

(He's the only person I know who went to a friend's house for dinner and took two large pizzas in case he didn't like what was for dinner. He finished dinner then polished off the pizzas too.)

He also has a favourite ice-cream that apparently you can only get in America.

As soon as he lands in the States on work trips, he gets in the car and makes a beeline for a supermarket to buy a tub of ice-cream.

And therein lies the challenge.

He tried plastic cutlery but a plastic spoon for ice-cream? Disaster.

So he tried packing his own spoon but a single metal spoon raises eyebrows and he hated being treated like a junkie by the TSA.

This is why he buys a new spoon every time he goes to the US. A dozen times a year.

Camp utensils. Maybe the fork and knife all bundled together looks better?

Penelope Vandergast

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 101
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #28 on: March 03, 2018, 08:15:52 PM »
I remember when I realized that the giant box of Cheerios actually cost more per ounce than the medium-small box. Quite a shock. I still haven't had the heart to tell my sig other who is the primary Cheerios buyer in our household.

Toad

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 250
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #29 on: March 03, 2018, 08:28:21 PM »
I tend not to check suitcases when I fly, and I don't want TSA confiscating my silverware because OMG! You might poke somebody in the eye with that fork!

I've never tried to bring silverware on a plane, but I would be surprised if they confiscated it.  A knife might be risky, but even then you would probably be ok with a butter knife.  I travel every couple of months for work and always bring calipers with me in my carry on.  Those are WAY more sharp than forks and butter knifes and yet I have never had any issues with it.  Now that I said that it will probably be confiscated next time.

On a somewhat related note I just traveled for business last week and on my return flight I accidentally scanned the ticket for my flight out there going through security.  They let me pass and I only realized it when trying to board the plane, so it would seem getting through TSA with an invalid ticket isn't even that difficult to do.


My contribution for today:

Location: WalMart
8 Pack of 20-oz Powerade (160 ozs) - $4.48 ($0.028/oz)
32-oz Powerade - $0.80 ($0.025/oz)

The Gatorade right next to it is priced logically with the multi-pack being cheaper than the individual slightly larger sized bottles.

geekette

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2550
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #30 on: March 03, 2018, 09:14:46 PM »
No pics, but I was looking at solar lights today at a home improvement store. Single lights, $5 each, or a four pack of the same lights, $25. No sales, just regular price.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2018, 09:25:24 PM by geekette »

BTDretire

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3074
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #31 on: March 04, 2018, 10:34:41 AM »
Quote
For the record, I buy multiple 25 lb bags of sugar because I feed hummingbirds and go through a gallon of nectar a day in the summer.   (But I do always check the pricing and buy the cheapest per unit.)  So if you see a crazy person with tons of sugar in their cart, they might be feeding hummingbirds.  :)

ETA:  I bake a lot in the winter, so I buy a lot then too, but not quite as much.  :)

Look at you Consumer Suckas buying your sugar in bulk. How extravagant! How decadent! True Mustachians get all their sugar in packet form for free.
Down here on the gulf coast the snowbirds take so many condiments at the restaurants, that during the winter they are often removed from the tables.
 Another thing that happens, they come down and purchase microwaves, coffee pots and other items, then return them just before heading back home. Many store have changed their return policies to reduce this type of theft.

alanB

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 220
  • Age: 36
  • Location: PA, US
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #32 on: March 05, 2018, 08:00:58 AM »
In most bakeries you can buy individual day-old baked goods for ~1/2 price.  At Costco you can buy baked goods of unknown origin in massive quantity for an unknown discount.  I think about $/lb when I am buying nuts, not croissants. 

I buy freshly roasted coffee at a local market for $9/lb, one of my coworkers buys his at Costco for something like $6/lb.  He also drinks 3x as much.  He does not like to hear how I actually spend less.

Look at you Consumer Suckas buying your sugar in bulk. How extravagant! How decadent! True Mustachians get all their sugar in packet form for free.
I do buy sugar, though I shudder to think of the gluttonous consumption of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc. that must be occurring that people cannot sustain themselves with free packets.  What is even the point of living in America if your sauces are not free??
« Last Edit: March 05, 2018, 09:39:25 AM by alanB »

channtheman

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 62
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #33 on: March 06, 2018, 06:07:51 PM »

I buy freshly roasted coffee at a local market for $9/lb, one of my coworkers buys his at Costco for something like $6/lb.  He also drinks 3x as much.  He does not like to hear how I actually spend less.


I must be missing something here.  His costs less but because he consumes more he pays more money overall... But his still costs less.   If you drink less coffee than him of course you spend less than he does.  Why does he not like to hear that?

alanB

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 220
  • Age: 36
  • Location: PA, US
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #34 on: March 06, 2018, 07:34:20 PM »

I buy freshly roasted coffee at a local market for $9/lb, one of my coworkers buys his at Costco for something like $6/lb.  He also drinks 3x as much.  He does not like to hear how I actually spend less.


I must be missing something here.  His costs less but because he consumes more he pays more money overall... But his still costs less.   If you drink less coffee than him of course you spend less than he does.  Why does he not like to hear that?

The question is would he drink so much if he did not buy in bulk? You also have to factor in quality and freshness.  He agrees that the coffee I drink is much better, why pay more to get a huge bag at lower quality? Of course some people cannot drink less coffee because they are hopelessly addicted ;)

Anyway, it is just a light tease, he is also pretty frugal. I like to make fun of him because he goes to Costco once per week.

Dicey

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 22322
  • Age: 66
  • Location: NorCal
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #35 on: March 07, 2018, 05:35:58 AM »
I like to make fun of him because he goes to Costco once per week.
Put up your dukes, buddy. I feed a family of four adults three home-cooked meals a day. Sometimes I actually go to Costco more than once a week.

In most bakeries you can buy individual day-old baked goods for ~1/2 price.  At Costco you can buy baked goods of unknown origin in massive quantity for an unknown discount.  I think about $/lb when I am buying nuts, not croissants. 
Next time you're in the baked goods section at Costco, notice that there is an actual bakery there. Many of their baked goods are prepared on site, every damn day. This includes the millions of pies they sell at Thanksgiving. Pro tip for buying baked goods: use unit pricing, not $/lb. Of course, the Costco size will be huge, so you can cut those croissants in half.

Speaking of nuts, remember when they used to come in round containers? Costco pioneered the square (-ish) containers because they are more space-efficient.

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #36 on: March 07, 2018, 07:28:38 AM »
In most bakeries you can buy individual day-old baked goods for ~1/2 price.  At Costco you can buy baked goods of unknown origin in massive quantity for an unknown discount.  I think about $/lb when I am buying nuts, not croissants. 

I buy freshly roasted coffee at a local market for $9/lb, one of my coworkers buys his at Costco for something like $6/lb.  He also drinks 3x as much.  He does not like to hear how I actually spend less.

Look at you Consumer Suckas buying your sugar in bulk. How extravagant! How decadent! True Mustachians get all their sugar in packet form for free.
I do buy sugar, though I shudder to think of the gluttonous consumption of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc. that must be occurring that people cannot sustain themselves with free packets.  What is even the point of living in America if your sauces are not free??

You only get free condiments if you eat out at places with them.  I can't remember the last time I saw ketchup in a packet.

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23130
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #37 on: March 07, 2018, 07:31:56 AM »
In most bakeries you can buy individual day-old baked goods for ~1/2 price.  At Costco you can buy baked goods of unknown origin in massive quantity for an unknown discount.  I think about $/lb when I am buying nuts, not croissants. 

I buy freshly roasted coffee at a local market for $9/lb, one of my coworkers buys his at Costco for something like $6/lb.  He also drinks 3x as much.  He does not like to hear how I actually spend less.

Look at you Consumer Suckas buying your sugar in bulk. How extravagant! How decadent! True Mustachians get all their sugar in packet form for free.
I do buy sugar, though I shudder to think of the gluttonous consumption of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc. that must be occurring that people cannot sustain themselves with free packets.  What is even the point of living in America if your sauces are not free??

You only get free condiments if you eat out at places with them.  I can't remember the last time I saw ketchup in a packet.

+1

No dining out ever will save you far more money than stealing packets of ketchup while eating out.

alanB

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 220
  • Age: 36
  • Location: PA, US
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #38 on: March 09, 2018, 07:53:13 AM »
I like to make fun of him because he goes to Costco once per week.
Put up your dukes, buddy. I feed a family of four adults three home-cooked meals a day. Sometimes I actually go to Costco more than once a week.
No, I will keep my dukes to myself ;)  I am sure that I will probably go to Costco way more often when my kids get older, so I will have to make fun of my future-self too.

In most bakeries you can buy individual day-old baked goods for ~1/2 price.  At Costco you can buy baked goods of unknown origin in massive quantity for an unknown discount.  I think about $/lb when I am buying nuts, not croissants. 
Next time you're in the baked goods section at Costco, notice that there is an actual bakery there. Many of their baked goods are prepared on site, every damn day. This includes the millions of pies they sell at Thanksgiving. Pro tip for buying baked goods: use unit pricing, not $/lb. Of course, the Costco size will be huge, so you can cut those croissants in half.

Speaking of nuts, remember when they used to come in round containers? Costco pioneered the square (-ish) containers because they are more space-efficient.
Oh when I wrote "unknown origin" I meant date of origin, I am aware of the nearby bakery.  Good croissants usually get stale within a few days so I have never found the Costco ones to be a good deal. 

The only nuts I buy come in bags, they are are kind of squarish I guess...

You only get free condiments if you eat out at places with them.  I can't remember the last time I saw ketchup in a packet.
There are seemingly limitless sauce packets at my workplace, so no problem there for now.  I would hate to buy mayonnaise since I only ever use it to make chicken salad, and it takes me forever to go through even the smallest container.  I used to make my own mayo, but it is annoying to make a small amount.  I still make mustard since the yellow packet kind sucks.

geekette

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2550
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #39 on: March 23, 2018, 07:44:28 PM »
No calculator needed for this one at Target.
One metal Command hook: $6.59
Two metal Command hooks: $19.99

firelight

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1070
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #40 on: March 23, 2018, 11:14:41 PM »
No calculator needed for this one at Target.
One metal Command hook: $6.59
Two metal Command hooks: $19.99
Oh that extra price is clearly for the convenience of not having to rip yet another package. We need to save the environment </sarcasm>

Dicey

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 22322
  • Age: 66
  • Location: NorCal
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #41 on: March 24, 2018, 06:55:43 AM »
No calculator needed for this one at Target.
One metal Command hook: $6.59
Two metal Command hooks: $19.99
Oh, wait! Maybe the single pack is only metal-colored plastic and the double is metal-colored metal? Amirite? Do I win this round so I can keep playing? I think I like this game!

jeroly

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 606
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #42 on: March 24, 2018, 07:17:11 AM »
Put up your dukes, buddy. I feed a family of four adults three home-cooked meals a day. Sometimes I actually go to Costco more than once a week.
When I lived in a big old house with a pantry and basement for storage, I would go to Costco once a year and stock up for the year. That way, I'd only have to pay for a membership every other year.

geekette

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2550
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #43 on: March 24, 2018, 07:44:06 AM »
No calculator needed for this one at Target.
One metal Command hook: $6.59
Two metal Command hooks: $19.99
Oh, wait! Maybe the single pack is only metal-colored plastic and the double is metal-colored metal? Amirite? Do I win this round so I can keep playing? I think I like this game!
Nope. Both metal. I pulled them both off their pegs, they felt exactly the same (the hook part sticks out of the packaging), and I took them to the price check scanner. Legit.

I have a pair of these in my guest bed/bath. Love them. Pricey, but I really like being able to put a robe hook on a door without putting a hole in it.

eta: Wow, there's an even greater price difference at Target online - One for $6.09, and two for $19.99
« Last Edit: March 24, 2018, 09:03:15 AM by geekette »

Dicey

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 22322
  • Age: 66
  • Location: NorCal
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #44 on: March 29, 2018, 11:37:54 AM »
That's nuts!

PoutineLover

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1571
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #45 on: April 03, 2018, 03:32:17 PM »
Easter sales - 3 dollars for the small 100g bunny, or 6.50 for the larger 200g bunny. I know which one I got two of..

daverobev

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3961
  • Location: France
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #46 on: April 03, 2018, 06:56:29 PM »
Easter sales - 3 dollars for the small 100g bunny, or 6.50 for the larger 200g bunny. I know which one I got two of..

3c/g of chocolate is not cheap :P

Physicsteacher

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 554
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Arkansas
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #47 on: April 03, 2018, 07:19:02 PM »
My local Walmart consistently has the family size Doritos on a sale price for $2.99, and right below them are the regular size bags for, you guessed it, $2.99. 

I have no idea why.

My problem is that if I buy chips, I'm going to eat the entire bag within a few days, regardless of bag size. So on the rare occasions that I buy some, I'll tend to go for the smaller bag even if it is a worse value per ounce. I suppose the true mustachian solution is to swear off of chips.

alanB

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 220
  • Age: 36
  • Location: PA, US
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #48 on: April 03, 2018, 08:17:38 PM »
My local Walmart consistently has the family size Doritos on a sale price for $2.99, and right below them are the regular size bags for, you guessed it, $2.99. 

I have no idea why.

My problem is that if I buy chips, I'm going to eat the entire bag within a few days, regardless of bag size. So on the rare occasions that I buy some, I'll tend to go for the smaller bag even if it is a worse value per ounce. I suppose the true mustachian solution is to swear off of chips.

Chips are easy to make if you have unlimited time and a mandolin and don't mind making a mess.


jinga nation

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2696
  • Age: 247
  • Location: 'Murica's Dong
Re: The "Bargain" Thread
« Reply #49 on: May 07, 2018, 06:39:42 AM »
Just a simple "does not compute" situation at ze Bullseye Store. How does a "Value 2-Pack" cost more than 2 singles?