Grocery Store Games: Be Smart & Save Money

[Borg]

This isn't about a specific product claim but rather about the games that stores and manufacturers use to get people to spend more. I carefully watch the unit price (cost per pound, ounce, etc.) of what I'm buying in the grocery store and, if I'm not getting a good deal, I don't buy it. I am amazed at the number of tricks that they employ to get people to pay more for their products. Here are a few that I have seen:

• The falling weight game: The price stays the same but the size of the package shrinks. OK, they're trying not to raise prices. But how is it that every large manufacturer shrinks similar products by the same amount on the same week? For example, several years ago every can of tuna fish in every store for every brand shrank from 6 to 5 ounces in one week. This week, crackers all shrank from 16 to 15 ounces. I thought that collusion was illegal.
  
• Buy one, get one free: Usually a good deal but you have to be careful that they didn't raise the price of the item for that week to the point where each item costs more than it did the week before the sale - or the week after.
  
• Buy two, get three free: Always a fun mathematical exercise. Like Forrest Gump's chocolates - you never know what you're going to get.
  
• Buy in bulk - and pay more: It's amazing how many products fall into this category. Usually it's just a few cents but I have seen a 4 ounce can of mushrooms sell for 75 cents while the 8 ounce can of the same brand sells for $1.69 - do people really look at just the .69 and think that it's cheaper than .75 so that must be the better deal?

 

[Evo]

I complained about the tuna when that happened, the can used to be packed, the can is still the same size except now when you pick it up, it sloshes due to the extra water. Everything keeps getting smaller, well, except the boxes, the boxes are the same size, they just have less content. My favorite seasoned salt is the same price, but it went from 7 oz to 4 oz overnight. I kept the old container so that I can get angry every time I look in the cabinet.

They have a sale on banquet tv dinners once a month, they are regularly priced 98 cents each, but on sale, they are 10 for $10!

 

[leroyjenkens]

I never thought about it, but those tv dinners that I used to get years ago have always been a dollar each. I bet they reduced the amount of food in them.
Or lowered the quality. Like they went from rat meat to rat feces.

 

[Evo]

I never thought about it, but those tv dinners that I used to get years ago have always been a dollar each. I bet they reduced the amount of food in them.
Or lowered the quality. Like they went from rat meat to rat feces.

Well, I noticed that they now contain mostly soy protein in place of meat and the spaghetti went from 6 large to 4 small meatballs since last year.

I used to buy stouffer's chicken enchiladas, they were awesome 12 large meat and cheese filled enchiladas, that went down to 8 tortillas with a couple of small diced chicken pieces, with corn added and over a bed of rice, and the price went up.

Michelina's was good, now it's a rip off, same size box, almost empty inside, one chicken alfredo had three tiny pieces of chicken smaller than dice.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I always despise the silly "scratch off" or monopoly style games they play.

 

[Enigman]

I always despise the silly "scratch off" or monopoly style games they play.

oookay...