Huw much will people pay?

My partner never noticeably looks at the prices, but she has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the relative prices in different shops. I expect she would look the way you describe if you saw her shopping, but it would be a mistake to think that she didn't know to within a few pence just how much her shopping was going to cost at the till.

Colin Bignell

And you should *always* check that the special offers are recognised at the till. Even the store staff get caught out.

OH to cust. service 1 "These biscuits should have been BOGOF" (bought six packs so another six free)

cust serv 1 "Oh are they? I'll just check" cust serv 2 "Yes they are, I got 10 this morning"

OH to cust serv 1&2 "I've been charged full price"

cust serv 2 "Let me check, Oh so have I!"

John

I find mostly they are what you do need to check is that the "special offer" will actually save you money. BOGOF normally does, but buy 2 units for X when 1 unit isn't less than < X/2 doesn't, thats easy to spot. Less so is an offer for 2 x 480g for X with 1 x 250g for Y when X/960 > Y/250.

Supermarket labels often show (in smaller print) price per 100g / 100 ml, so this is in fact easy to decide between.

It's also worth checking that a larger size really is cheaper per

Keyword "often". The special offer or even normal ones sometimes don't and in the case "Buy two for..." it will be for 1 x 480g at Z rather than the 2 x 480g at X offer...

Yes they do, but when the product is on a 3fer2 offer, is the price per

Harder to spot is stuff like bananas - pre-packs are priced per pack (hence per item), with no weight indicated, whilst loose they are priced by weight, and generally (though not universally) significantly cheaper.

Chris

There's usually some scales to weigh the loose ones on. Weigh the pre-packed and compare.

I noticed last week after I brought 2 shebas 2 for a pound in the pound sh= op sainsbury were doing them for ~65p each, sainsbury are now doing them 7 = for =A33.

I stood at the checkout at WH smit when they offered me some cheap chocolat= e Milka I think, I pointed out that sainsburys were doing it cheaper next d= oor and I'm getting it from them. I'll shoip is ASDA about 1 every 2 months as some of thier stuff is signif= icanly cheaper but some is quite a bit more expensive.

But I haven;t the time to go into dozens of ships to check prices, I know w= hat I buy and keep a mental note of the prices I'm expecting to see and rea= ct accordingly.

In one case I found that the 2 for X was actually cheaper than the price of one. I didn't argue.

With banans that;s relatively easy as there's prety much only one sort. But what do you do when comparing market stalls to supernmarkets, as the lo= ok quality differ. I've been told by vegatarians that the fruits and veg of= stalls in my local walthmstow market are better tasting than the polsished= and waxed version supermarkets sell in prepacked bags.

Then there's prepacked veg which is even more diffilut to decide on. Should I buy teh specail offer mixed leaves at =A31.20 or buy seprated item= s and throw 80% of it out as I won't eat it all in just one week.

Shoudl I buy a large loaf as it's cheaper per slice and have to bin 30% bec= ause it'll go mouldy....

Lifes just so difficult sometimes :-0

quality differ. I've been told by vegatarians that the fruits and veg of stalls in my local walthmstow market are better tasting than the polsished and waxed version supermarkets sell in prepacked bags.

That's easy. Based on experience, you buy from the market.

Given the choice, I don't buy pre-packed. You generally pay for the pre-packing and they're often not as fresh as the loose veg.

because it'll go mouldy....

Depends on the best before date as well as price. There's no point in buying it at a lower price if it's out of date the next day.

I noticed last week after I brought 2 shebas 2 for a pound in the pound shop sainsbury were doing them for ~65p each, sainsbury are now doing them 7 for £3.

I stood at the checkout at WH smit when they offered me some cheap chocolate Milka I think, I pointed out that sainsburys were doing it cheaper next door and I'm getting it from them.

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I don't know how WHS in the high street get away with their chocolate pricing. Even when "on offer", it is still cheaper if you walk a few yards down the road to whatever remains you have of a high street supermarket (Iceland/Wilco where I live).

tim

I used to wonder about this but then I noticed a woman armed with a list. She never looked at the price once. I continued to look at others and they did the same. Thats how Tescos and the like make their money Robbie

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I also wonder why people don't sort through the veg. Time after time I see manky veg in the box on the top and find fresh stuff in the box underneath.

So guess which box I get my shopping from?

But someone must buy the manky stuff from the top, mustn't they?

tim

Convenience. People buying a paper or a magazine at lunchtime will buy a bar of chocolate at the same time regardless of the price.

Saying which I don't know why anyone would want to go into W.H.Smith at all nowadays except for a free squint at the magazines. Whenever I've been in one in the last few years there have always been long queues. For me whenever any store introduces a snaking queueline its time to look elsewhere

So again people who are willing to wait in line for five minutes to buy a newspaper of a magazine, or just about anything they can buy cheaper elsewhere - presumably have no sense of monetary values either.

michael adams

...

I haven't been in a WH Smith since 1974, when some odious little jumped-up f*ck in a cheap suit was rude to me in the Canterbury branch.

e look quality differ. I've been told by vegatarians that the fruits and ve= g of stalls in my local walthmstow market are better tasting than the polsi= shed and waxed version supermarkets sell in prepacked bags.

It's not that easy, the market traders pack up by 4pm, I leave work at 5pm = and it takes me 1 hour+ to get to the market. Of course I could go saturday= morning and give up drinking friday night, :- I tend to get to bed about= 4-5am but the last thing on my mind saturday morning is buying friut and = veg, sasme as getting my post from the post office it's not the way I see = spending my saturday mornings. maybe when I'm older or married I'll do such things... but presently a night out and sleeping in is much prefered to saving a few = quid on the weeks friut and veg.

True, but teh time saved and carrying the suff home, not that veg is heavy = just bulky.

because it'll go mouldy....

I was just refering to in date. I buy out of date when availble. But I dont; use bread everyday perhaps just at weekend so a small loaf gene= rly last the weekend and till wednesday, when if in the fridge it gets dry. Not a problem for toast. =20

They are usually large women with kids in push chairs probbaly worth the qu= id to keep thier little brats quite for 5 mins.

true, I use them for greetign cards and that's about it now. Used to look a= t the magazines I guess on-line stuff means it's less intresting and it's t= ypically old news anyway. They used to have a good pen section I can;t remm= eber the last time I brought a pen ;-)

Well teh Qs in smiths are far shorter than those in the poundshop, I really= hate poundshops or is it the people in them. Why buy a paper when they're showing free ones in your hand outsude the tub= e station... metro, evening standard, =20 =20