2 for a dollar?!?

[looch]

OK, so maybe I'm admitting to being pathetically gullable and all of you already knew this, but I'm swallowing my pride in hopes that this may help someone out (read "... in hopes that I'm not the only dumby out there.")

Did you know that most of the time when a store advertises "2 for a dollar," it's just a stupid math calculation?

Being systems oriented, I was curious about the cash register software. I approached the cashier. I asked if I didn't put my "2 for a dollar" cans of lemonade next to one another on the counter, how she would know to only charge me 50 cents each instead of the regular price? Did the cash register increment a counter somewhere and wait until the second can was scanned to give the special price?

Nothing that complicated, I'm afraid.

"Oh no, sir. They're scanned at 50 cents a piece. That way, if someone only wants one then they can still get it at the sale price."

The simple, matter-of-fact delivery of this explanation caused my jaw to hit the floor. How devious. Then I started thinking about how many times I've fallen prey to this type of advertising. How many times have I stood there trying to figure out if was cheaper to get the 2, 500 gram bags or the 3, 300 gram bags at the special price when all I really needed was 1 of the 300 gram bags.

I usually don't pay much attention to what's on sale and where. But when it's right in front of me on the shelf next to the product I was going to buy, well...

Not anymore.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

You were quite simply confusing "buy one get one free" with "2 for a dollar." Now that you've figured them out, how about "buy one get one for 1 penny"?

SHF

 

[gws]

Carefull, this is not always the case at all stores. Some will scan at 50cents, but if you dont buy a second unit it will ring a single unit price instead of the 2 for X price when it subtotals all the prices.

 

[chim]

There is a convenience store chain around here that often sells small pies at 2 for $1. They are usually approaching the "sell by" date. In one of the stroes, the clerk charged me $.79 for one of these pies. I said "They're 2 for $1", and was told "Only if you buy 2". It worked - I went back to the shelf and got another..................chim

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

One of my favorites like that involved Best Buy. They used to (and may still) advertise free accessories with some items like computers. Years ago I bought a notebook PC from them and it was advertised with a "Free" modem card.

When I went through check out the computer was rung up at the advertised price and the modem card was scanned and rung up at one cent. Not that the penny was going to change my life but being the curious sort, I asked about it. I was told that, for inventory tracking purposes, they needed to scan the cards when they left the store. They were set to scan at one cent since no item would scan at $0.00. It was only a penny so I just lived with it.

The next week they advertised the next model up the same notebook line for only $100 more with a 'Free' sound card installed. It was a much better buy so, in full accordance with their policies, I returned mine and bought the better one. You guessed it! The 'Free' sound card rang up at one cent. I didn't even ask this time. I didn't return the modem card that I'd paid my one cent to own, either. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Once in a while one of these silly things actually works out your way. Not often, but once in a while. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[jwstewar]

Like Gary said, that isn't necessarily true at all stores. I went to AutoZone last week and got some engine degreaser and brake parts cleaner. Both were on sale. The degreaser at 2 for $2 and the brake cleaner at 2 for $3. Got 2 cans of degreaser for $2 and one can of brake cleaner at $2.59. Should have gotten the second can for another 41 cents.

 

[drpepper]

All sales are not! Years ago, I used to date a young lady who worked for M.E. Moses. She related this story to me. They sold small handkerchiefs for 25 cents. Every once in a while, they put them on sale at 3 for a dollar. She said people bought them up.

 

[centex]

What I really like is Walmart, Target, Kmart, Pep Boys, etc. where they put a price on the shelf of say $2.95 but it rings up at $6.95. On one trip to Pep Boys I was going to buy 8 items but they all rang up at much higher prices than were marked on the shelf. I don't shop at any of these stores any more. My wife used to think that Walmart was cheaper for groceries than HEB until I had her carefully check her receipt and she found that everything actually cost more than at the grocery store. I never shop at places where they are obviously just crooks and rip off artists. I am still supprised at how full the Walmart parking lot is and how gullible people really are. I guess it is good for me as it keeps the lines at the ligitimate stores shorter.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

I was in Home Depot getting some stuff and decided to pick up an 8' stick of pine cove trim. They've been selling it by the foot for about $1.00 a foot, but there was a sign up on the trim rack that said all trim now sold by the stick and not the foot. The rack with the cove was labeled $7.68 and I knew I could get it cheaper, but I just wanted one stick to see if it would fit where I wanted so I grabbed it. Got to the counter to check out and before the girl was all finished, I noticed a $61.00 charge. I asked her what it was for and she told me the trim. I explained that the trim is not $61.00, but $7.68, and that it's sold by the stick, not by the foot. She said "Oh, sorry", and took it off and rang it again. The register said " $7.68 enter # of feet". Of. course, when she did it rang up at $61.00. Needless to say, the trim wound up staying at Depot and I went across the street to the regular lumber yard and bought the exact same thing for $5.60.

Moral:Just because they claim to be a discount store doesn't mean they actually ARE discounting anything.

When I was all done checking out, the girl at the register looked me straight in the eye and very solemnly said "You, know, I didn't know there was any trim in this store that cost that much."

Moral: If you're going to hire idiots, at least put up a warning sign.

SHF

 

[livincountry]

Last week the girl was flipping burgers or working at Enron or WorldCom and doesn't know the difference between a hammer & a circle saw. It pays to look at the receipt before you head out the door.