Cheesy Sales Price

Sometimes sales can be beneficial and offer a better value for the product or service that is being sold.  Many people look for those weekly sales flyers from their local grocery stores to help decide what will end up on their grocery list. 

The other day, I stopped at a local grocery store to grab a few items.  I didn't have a specific list of items I was looking to purchase save for one item. As I walked the perimeter, I found a few items to pick up that I could use for some upcoming meals. As I was looking at the bleu cheese crumbles to go in some future salads, I noticed there was a sale for some finely shredded Mexican Style 4 Cheese Blend where you could get two 8-ounce packages for $6.

Looking, purely, at the sale tag, this sale would save 58¢ on two packages over the normal price. Not a huge savings. However, people who are trying to save as much as they can and shopping the sales, this could beneficial.

Shop Around

Right next to the sale item, was a 16-ounce package of the same cheese. The 16-ounce package was not on sale. It retailed for $4.99.

Yes, $4.99.

So, if you were to purchase two 8-ounce packages that were on sale, it would cost you $6.  If, instead, you purchased a single 16-ounce package of the same cheese, it would cost you $4.99. Purchasing the 16-ounce package would save you $1.01 over the sale priced cheese.

Buyer Beware

Sales can be great tools to aid businesses in increasing revenues and moving products or services. Generally speaking, sales are not for the benefit of the consumer. They can have a positive impact on the consumer but the most positive impact goes to the seller. Consumers should not simply shop the sales. Instead, they should look at what is around the sale item to see if there is a better alternative. In this case, if you were looking to purchase 16-ounces of Mexican Style 4 Cheese Blend and did not have the need for the smaller packages, the non-sale item is a better value. 

-Michael.