Grocery stores are in business to make a profit. I totally get it, and making a profit allows them to stay open, pay employees, etc. I have no problem with ANY of that. But buyer beware: don’t be fooled by grocery pricing games in your local store.
I pay more attention in my grocery stores than the average bear. So, I’ve seen some things others might not have noticed. Many folks blindly walk through the store picking up things without regard to pricing at all…and unfortunately sometimes it seems like the stores are taking advantage of that.
Wrong item in sales price bin
Peaches and nectarines look VERY much alike. And if you ever thought, “I’m okay with eating skin but not fuzz,” these nectarines in the middle of the peaches looked pretty tempting…especially with that incredible price. But, of course, the nectarines themselves were really 2.99 and still rang up that way!
Unless you’re holding one of each, a 5# bag of potatoes and a 10# bag look pretty much the same in the bin. But do you really want to pay more for ½ the amount??? I didn’t! Neither did the woman beside me when she found out the difference!
Sometimes they mark the differences if they have two items in the same bin, although the higher price tag is always the smallest. But sometimes, they just don’t mark them at all. Beware!
Beef prices…WAY too high!
Beef prices are pretty notorious for this, but with a little time and thought you can make smart buys that will keep your freezer stocked. Consider these examples:
Ground beef – You CAN buy it by the pound (most people use it this way), but how much are you paying for them to weigh that out when you can easily eyeball it in a 3-pound roll?
Some variation of the bigger rolls are on sale almost every week. Simply buy one, cut off the pound you wanna use right now, cut the other 2 pounds apart and freeze each separately in a quart freezer bag. Now you have beef for the next two meals as well. And if you’re wondering about the real difference between all those %’s, check out my comparison here.
Chuck roast – a favorite of many Southerners, I hadn’t bought it at its regular price for years. But when I found a friend puzzling over how to make her budget work when needing 2 for one family dinner with all the grown kids coming home, I almost passed out! $7.49/pound???
Sadly, some people pay that. I never buy it unless it’s around $3.99/#. If that roast was gonna cost me $20, that’s 1/5 of my total weekly grocery budget…not gonna happen!
Prices may vary by department
When I went to try nutritional yeast (in some Whole30 compliant recipes), I saw just one price tag and knew I wasn’t paying that without trying it. So, I bought just a few tablespoons worth from the bulk bin. Later, when I decided it was a winner, it was time for a cost comparison.
Since I couldn’t remember exactly where I found it, I asked a clerk where it was, and she pointed me to the vitamin/health section. Really??? Well, yes, it was there, but it was in pretty large packages for the amount of this I use in my cooking that cost a pretty penny.
I later found it back by spices in a more reasonably-sized package. The price per ounce was about the same. But the bulk bin turned out to be the best price overall though it wasn’t listed on the sign…62c per ounce at regular price – 57% less in cost, but 53c per ounce on sale – a whopping 63% savings, which I promptly bought). Plus, it’s not hanging around forever, getting gnarly…
“Shrinkflation”
And it’s not just the stores playing these games…manufacturers are in it, too. As we keep demanding prices are kept low, their costs are also increasing.
There are three ways they do this that I’ve seen in the stores over the years. The first is the same price, but less in the package. Did you notice that instead of 7 ounces in a can of tuna, you now get 5? Don’t kid me…that price is still going up…and that’s a hefty 30% shrinkage of edible product.
Second is the “new and improved” approach which may mean they’re using cheaper ingredients or methods…and you may or may not still like the taste…case in point, New Coke… if you’re of a certain age.
The last option is the worst…they simply rework their art and/or packaging and boost the price. I don’t really care what the package looks like, ‘cause I don’t EAT the packaging!
The grocery pricing games…who will win?
Long ago there were stories of retailers who put BIG price tags on their items sheerly so they could mark them down with DEEP discounts during sales to please customers with such incredible savings. I don’t know if that was true or not, and I’m not saying that’s the case here. I honestly don’t know.
And as this article reports, we may be a part of the problem with our demands for low prices. But, when your income is static and your family has to eat, we do what we gotta do to feed ourselves.
The moral of this story? Be wise. Pay attention to prices and quantities. Buy only what you can afford. Your spending dollars are a VOTE for what you like about pricing as well as what products you enjoy. I enjoy thinking that somewhere an analyst looks at my shopping data and is amazed by how little I pay.
Need a time-saver to help you get the most out of your shopping dollars? Check this out…
