Every shopper should know that when a grocery store advertises a “10 for $10″ sale price, it’s usually not necessary to buy ten items in order to get them at $1 apiece. You could buy 7 for $7, or 2 for $2, or even 16 for $16 if …
supermarket
Costco or Sam’s? Which Wholesale Club Is Most Worth the Membership Cost?
Somebody just spent a lot of time shopping the aisles, running the numbers, and evaluating everything from hearing test services to Cheerios prices to electronics installation at two of the biggest wholesale membership club retailers.
5 Ways to Get Free or Discounted Gas This Summer
Supermarkets, retail chains, and cereal manufacturers are trying to attract customers with perks everyone seems to want while gas prices remain high: discounts and freebies at the pump. Here’s a look at five promotions promising …
Walmart’s New Loss Leader: Cheap Gas
It’s a classic retail technique: Attract shoppers by lowering prices on certain items, with the idea that once customers are in the store, they’ll buy full-priced items as well. The product being discounted in Walmart’s new …
The Latest Online Coupon Craze: Discounts on Stuff You Actually Need
Thus far, the fastest-growing online coupons have tended to be for deals on restaurants, spa treatments, and impulse type buys—fun stuff that consumers probably wouldn’t have otherwise bought if a deal hadn’t presented itself (and stuff they often regret purchasing, even at a discount). Trend-wise, it’s looked like these flash “deals” …
‘Extreme Couponing’: More ‘Hoarders’ Than How-To
In a TV show debuting tonight on TLC, seemingly normal people exhibit some pretty strange behavior. They jump into dumpsters, steal parts of newspapers off of neighbors’ porches, and stuff their collections into elaborate storage units and under their kids’ beds. They also save tons of money on obsessively plotted shopping excursions, …
Is Food Cheap or Expensive? Could It Be Both?
Food in the U.S. is cheap to buy at the market, though costs have been rising sharply. Oh, and if you think about all of the costs related to keeping the price of food low, food isn’t really cheap to begin with.
All New Packaging! Less Food! Same Price! What a Deal!
It would be one thing if food companies acknowledged that due to rising costs, products had to be shrunk to avoid price increases. But the latest marketing gimmickry barely acknowledges shrinking products at all—and instead calls attention to the idea that smaller packages and less food is better for the environment and healthier for …
The Power of Freebies: Why Companies Pay to Give Free Samples to Supermarket Customers
Grocery stores like free sample giveaways because they get shoppers excited, feeling like they’re getting in on something exclusive and special. Shoppers like free samples for the reasons just mentioned, and also because, well, they don’t cost anything. As for the companies actually giving away the samples? They really like how free …
119 Money Tips: How to Avoid Investment Scams, Fake Consumer Reviews, Supermarket Rip-offs, Horribly Lame Valentine’s Gifts, and More
Also: the best-ever personal finance books, and tips for saving on everything from weddings to the latest gadgets.
Fewer Choices, More Savings: The New Way to Buy Groceries
The average American supermarket now measures over 46,000 square feet—up from an average of around 35,000 square feet in the mid-90s. While most grocery store operations continue to focus on the super-mega-ginormous category, two value-focused chains—Aldi and Save-A-Lot—are going the opposite way, with stores typically under 20,000 …
Totally Last-Minute Gift Guide: What to Buy to Appear Thoughtful, Like You Didn’t Buy at the Last Minute
Because most people have the whole day off from work on Christmas Eve, it’s expected to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Some 23 million shoppers are expected to be out there rounding up gifts today. But the recipients don’t need to know you waited until the last minute to buy their presents, do they?
