Buyer beware

[donkpow]

I used to get a good deal on toilet paper at the dollar store. Now the manufacturer has tailored the product and packaging for the discount stores but the price per unit is comparable to full retail. Poor people don't get no respect.

I went into Home Depot to get a pair of neoprene gloves for my cleaning chores. I wear size XL. So I select the package that says "L/XL". I get home only to discover that while the package says "L/XL", the gloves say "L". I am assuming that if you can't sell enough XL gloves to recover the isolated costs and have an sufficient quantity of size L gloves, you just repackage the "L" gloves and Walla!, everybody is happy. 

[MickinMD ★]

No question much of today's packaging is misleading.  As far as paper products go, at Costco I get 30-pack Charmin (strong or soft) toilet paper, 12-pack Bounty paper towels tearable-into half sheets, 12?-pack Kleenex facial tissues, and 165-count large Chinet paper plates.  I don't mind buying in bulk because I know it won't go bad before I used it up.  There's usually a $2-off coupon that appears in Costco's monthly flyer before I run out and I have plenty of time to re-stock.

Sometimes, I've seen better prices for store-brand or other-brand towels, get home and the rolls are smaller, less strong, etc.

[2Far ★]

5 hours ago, donkpow said:

 and Walla!

Yeah, I think I've identified the problem.

[KrAzY]

If you need to wear neoprene gloves while using your dollar store toilet paper, you should really rethink the toilet paper you're using.

[Razors Edge ★]

5 hours ago, donkpow said:

I used to get a good deal on toilet paper at the dollar store. Now the manufacturer has tailored the product and packaging for the discount stores but the price per unit is comparable to full retail. Poor people don't get no respect.

They've known this forever.  All those "outlet malls" across the US are just storefronts selling cheaper shit for cheaper.  They often have lines of products that never make it to the "regular" mall store (like a Gap), but go straight to the outlet mall store (like a "Gap Outlet").  Years ago, it was overstock and last year's leftovers - lots of XXXS and XXXXL items but big business knows how to play the game.

At Costco or Harris Teeter or Giant, I shop & compare using the cost per unit/ounce/pound info, not just the price for the container. 

Tom