4 ms·

Also just because something is in a larger size, it doesn’t always make the prices better. Once I was at Fred Meyer and the 1 pound bags of lentils were $1.50 b

Also just because something is in a larger size, it doesn’t always make the prices better. Once I was at Fred Meyer and the 1 pound bags of lentils were $1.50 but the two pound bags were $4.00. They were charging more for larger handling units.

eduction 3y ago
That's interesting. I once wrote to a coffee company because online they were selling their big bags of beans at more per ounce than the small bags. The co-owner wrote back and explained that the smaller bags were in way more third party stores than the big bags so they had to delay the price increase on those (I think to give the store network more notice so one store wasn't undercutting another). Needless to say I ordered a bunch of cheaper smaller bags to stock up ahead of the price bump. Anyway no idea if that's what was going on at Fred Meyer but I suppose it's possible the lentil supply chain is equally complex.
causi 3y ago
The same issue was happening with my local service station. The 16.9 ounce bottle was $1.60 and the 24 ounce bottle was $2.50.
- bluGill 3y ago
  I find the 3 and 4 liter bottles of water are the same price at most gas stations. Of course the 3 liter bottles are on display where they are easy to find, while the 4 liter is hidden where only the price sensitive will find them. (4 liters is also one us gallon, and one you have a container you find one gallon refills vending machines that a very cheap, and those vending machines probably have better water)
bottom999mottob 3y ago
Stores do this with shop towels too and it's aggravating. Why can't I buy bulk shop towels for less?!
- DaveExeter 3y ago
  Because they earn more money if they don't charge less! :-)
JohnFen 3y ago
Yeah, this is a trick that retailers have been playing for a long time. Same with buying from those bulk bins. Much of the time, the bulk bin goods are the same price as the packaged versions. Sometimes, they're more expensive. Numerous times, I've seen store employees filling the bins by opening retail packages and emptying them in. You can trust nothing in grocery stores.
- ethbr0 3y ago
  It's not a "trick" -- it's a consequence of dynamic pricing and how efficient supply chains are now. You're effectively running volume arbitrage to even out inefficiencies in seller's upstream suppliers. Or, to put it another way, the seller's profits (margin*volume) can often be the same on smaller package (even for cheaper per weight unit) as larger package (for more expensive per weight unit).
stevesimmons 3y ago
I once ate at a restaurant where the dessert card priced two scoops of ice cream at significantly more than twice one scoop. They weren't impressed when I put in two orders of a single scoop....
BizarroLand 3y ago
Freddie's is weird with their pricing. I needed Q-Tips as I had finally run out of the box I bought years ago. They had 350 Q-Tips in a box for $3.49. Ok, about 1 per penny. They also had 500 Q-Tips in a box for $4.99. Practically the same price minus some infinitesimal rounding money. I was about to reach for the 350 when I noticed they also had a 650 Q-Tip box for... $4.99. And they were not on sale. None of them were. This was their flat Q-Tip pricing. I would have guessed that the price should have been $6.49 to keep with the trend, but my guess would have been wronger than using "wronger" in a sentence where you should have used "more wrong" instead.

eduction 3y ago

That's interesting. I once wrote to a coffee company because online they were selling their big bags of beans at more per ounce than the small bags. The co-owner wrote back and explained that the smaller bags were in way more third party stores than the big bags so they had to delay the price increase on those (I think to give the store network more notice so one store wasn't undercutting another). Needless to say I ordered a bunch of cheaper smaller bags to stock up ahead of the price bump. Anyway no idea if that's what was going on at Fred Meyer but I suppose it's possible the lentil supply chain is equally complex.

causi 3y ago

The same issue was happening with my local service station. The 16.9 ounce bottle was $1.60 and the 24 ounce bottle was $2.50.

bluGill 3y ago
I find the 3 and 4 liter bottles of water are the same price at most gas stations. Of course the 3 liter bottles are on display where they are easy to find, while the 4 liter is hidden where only the price sensitive will find them. (4 liters is also one us gallon, and one you have a container you find one gallon refills vending machines that a very cheap, and those vending machines probably have better water)

bottom999mottob 3y ago

Stores do this with shop towels too and it's aggravating. Why can't I buy bulk shop towels for less?!

DaveExeter 3y ago
Because they earn more money if they don't charge less! :-)

JohnFen 3y ago

Yeah, this is a trick that retailers have been playing for a long time. Same with buying from those bulk bins. Much of the time, the bulk bin goods are the same price as the packaged versions. Sometimes, they're more expensive. Numerous times, I've seen store employees filling the bins by opening retail packages and emptying them in. You can trust nothing in grocery stores.

ethbr0 3y ago
It's not a "trick" -- it's a consequence of dynamic pricing and how efficient supply chains are now. You're effectively running volume arbitrage to even out inefficiencies in seller's upstream suppliers. Or, to put it another way, the seller's profits (margin*volume) can often be the same on smaller package (even for cheaper per weight unit) as larger package (for more expensive per weight unit).

stevesimmons 3y ago

I once ate at a restaurant where the dessert card priced two scoops of ice cream at significantly more than twice one scoop. They weren't impressed when I put in two orders of a single scoop....

BizarroLand 3y ago

Freddie's is weird with their pricing. I needed Q-Tips as I had finally run out of the box I bought years ago. They had 350 Q-Tips in a box for $3.49. Ok, about 1 per penny. They also had 500 Q-Tips in a box for $4.99. Practically the same price minus some infinitesimal rounding money. I was about to reach for the 350 when I noticed they also had a 650 Q-Tip box for... $4.99. And they were not on sale. None of them were. This was their flat Q-Tip pricing. I would have guessed that the price should have been $6.49 to keep with the trend, but my guess would have been wronger than using "wronger" in a sentence where you should have used "more wrong" instead.