Home Depot interesting pricing

[Bill Dufour]

I need to buy some thread cutting oil. Checked home depot online and 16 oz is 7.72 while 32 oz is 7.15. Same brand same item, similar squirt bottle container. Needless to say I got the bigger one, why not.
Bill D

[Dave Zellers]

I see similar oddities on Amazon a lot. My favorite is when a 2-pack of something costs more than twice as much as the single item.

[Bill Dufour]

I see similar oddities on Amazon a lot. My favorite is when a 2-pack of something costs more than twice as much as the single item.
I remember a lot of odd two pack pricing at costco. Where one item was 1.99 but a two pack was 3.99 instead of 3.98.
Bill D

[Zachary Hoyt]

When I was working on the wiring here last summer the cheapest 6-3 copper wire I could find was 50 foot lengths of UF from Home Depot. It was cheaper than NM, and it was cheaper to buy two 50 foot rolls of UF than one 100 foot roll. I needed 45 feet to run to the workshop and 25 or so to the kitchen stove, so it worked out fine for me but it seemed odd.

[Jim Koepke]

I remember a lot of odd two pack pricing at costco. Where one item was 1.99 but a two pack was 3.99 instead of 3.98.
Bill D

Sometimes it makes me think the bean counters are doing market research on their customers to see how price conscience they might be.

jtk

[Doug Garson]

Or, they just have so many skus, that sometimes they mess up the pricing.

[Patty Hann]

Or they actually do not know how to "do the math".
I suppose if you said to them "divide 4 by 2" they would (after a lot of brow-wrinkling thought) come up with "2".
But watch the sweat break out on said brow if you ask them to divide 3.98 by 2.
Typical response (I kid you not): "I have to get a calculator for that."

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

in the 1960's, I worked at the local Woolworth store. They had Hershey Kisses out on the counter in two separate bins. The 1 pound packages were 79 cents and the 16 ounce packages were 69 cents. (obviously before unit pricing laws) A middle aged woman, looking at the two bins asked me the difference. I responded that the 79 cent package was a pound and the other was only 16 ounces. She picked up two of the 79 cent bags and left. A half hour later, she was back screaming at me. The store manager tried really hard to keep a straight face when he learned what upset her. He made me apologize and give her 21 cents out of my own pocket for the difference and sales tax. An hour later, I could hear him and the assistant managers laughing about it in the back office. At quitting time as I was going out the door, the manager handed me a dollar bill and said don't ever do that again, and started laughing.

[Dave Zellers]

in the 1960's, I worked at the local Woolworth store. They had Hershey Kisses out on the counter in two separate bins. The 1 pound packages were 79 cents and the 16 ounce packages were 69 cents. (obviously before unit pricing laws) A middle aged woman, looking at the two bins asked me the difference. I responded that the 79 cent package was a pound and the other was only 16 ounces. She picked up two of the 79 cent bags and left. A half hour later, she was back screaming at me. The store manager tried really hard to keep a straight face when he learned what upset her. He made me apologize and give her 21 cents out of my own pocket for the difference and sales tax. An hour later, I could hear him and the assistant managers laughing about it in the back office. At quitting time as I was going out the door, the manager handed me a dollar bill and said don't ever do that again, and started laughing.

I just love those stories. There was another one (I might have read it here) about an inexpensive item, lets say .79 cents, in the back of the store that wasn't selling at all. The manager grabbed his helper (to help him move it) and said "Watch this". They moved it to just inside the entry way, Marked them 'CLOSEOUT!- Ten for $9.99' and they all sold right away.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Local Food Lion stores carry a store brand of dill pickle strips. 16 oz jar $2.49, while the 24 oz jar is $2.19. This makes larger jar is $0.30 cheaper than smaller jar. Local doughnut place, doughnuts are $1.25 each. Buy them by the half dozen, and they are $9.99 for six. Let think- 6 X $1.25 = $7.50 when I went to school. Sister worked in a "dime store" in high school. They sold dish cloths for $0.30 each in one bin, and in the next bin, with a rubber band around them, three for a dollar. One of her duties was to hourly go by bin, and wrap a rubber band around three, and move into other bin. Food lion closest to us has three grades of milk, National brand (top shelf at eye level, next shelf down, store brand for one price, and on bottom shelf, another store brand. Pricing is $3.99 for national brand, middle shelf $2.71, and bottom shelf $2.40. All three come from the same dairy processing plant, as indicated by the number on the jug, meaning the are the same brand, just labeled different. Maybe the cows had special teats for each brand.

[Bill Dufour]

A few months ago Grocery Outlet had some interesting pickle prices. The small one quart jars were like 2.98. the big 3/4 gallon were 1.89 or some such. The shelf tag called them pickle relish. We stocked up for the holidays.
Bill D

[Kev Williams]

When I was in high school a friend worked at the nearby grocery store, one day he needed a ride home pretty late. I asked what was going on when he got in the car, 'been making a tuna-fish can mountain for the boss, he overbought about 20 cases and is putting it on sale' I could see the large sign on his tuna mountain from outside, STARKIST TUNA, ON SALE 3 FOR $1 ...

I asked him what the normal price was? He grinned, "25 cents a can"... the mountain was gone by closing the next day ;)

And FWIW I routinely these days, find that the cost of bulk amount or larger size items is MORE than the single size versions. Last week it was Miracle Whip at Lucky's, by the pint jar it was 32c per ounce, by the small squeeze-jar it was 29c per ounce (however, price of eggs lately could've been partly to blame for that one)

--akin to dividing $3.89 by 2, was saying this real fast to someone:
If 33 and a third is a third of a dollar, what's a third of a dollar and a half?

-- most people have to think about that one a moment! :)



.

[Dave Zellers]

If 33 and a third is a third of a dollar, what's a third of a dollar and a half?

That is a great one! I'll be testing my 12 year old grandson who is very bright, with that one. He will love it. It will be interesting to see when he gets it.

[Patty Hann]

W

...
--akin to dividing $3.89 by 2, was saying this real fast to someone:
If 33 and a third is a third of a dollar, what's a third of a dollar and a half?

-- most people have to think about that one a moment! :).

Piece o' cake! ;)

[Zachary Hoyt]

It reminds me of the old saying: "Half of people don't understand math and the other two thirds don't care."

[Andrew More]

Not defending the practice, but sometimes the size is a real factor, and manufacturers adjust accordingly.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Lowes has pints of Oaty for $7.67 and quarts for $7.30.
Neither Home Depot or Lowes by me have the 32 ounce in stock though - it has to be ordered so I don't know if it's available or not.