# 2-pack and 3-pack the same price **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2019, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169 "2019-04-07T11:47:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/21 "2019-04-07T16:50:16Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Nobody’s buying the two pack. If you read the reviews, clearly some people did (not just noting the fact that they are “verified purchases” but one review specifically mentions two cans.) Now, whether the price had changed since the review was written is another story. Maybe when they bought them, they weren’t priced in this manner. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a non-trivial amount of customers simply don’t notice. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/22 "2019-04-07T17:38:59Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > If you read the reviews, clearly some people did (not just noting the fact that they are “verified purchases” but one review specifically mentions two cans.) Now, whether the price had changed since the review was written is another story. Maybe when they bought them, they weren’t priced in this manner. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a non-trivial amount of customers simply don’t notice. I should remember how literal people are on this website! Ok, a small number of people are buying the two pack just like you can almost always find a small number of people doing anything anywhere. The company is fine with that, too, of course. But the specific strategy doesn’t expect many people to ever choose the two pack. They’re not expected to sell in equal numbers, or anything close to it. If they were, the pricing would be very odd. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/23 "2019-04-07T19:59:38Z")
If its something that will not spoil I’m taking the three; if it will spoil I’ll probably just buy two or even the one. Razors; all three. Bananas; two please. Dead hooker; just the one will be fine. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2019, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/24 "2019-04-07T20:16:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That’s also an absurdly expensive per-can price! One of the one star reviews does note that it is less than half the price at stores. I have no idea what Crisco cooking spray costs, but I typically pay about $3-$4 for 8 oz of Pam (checking Walmart, it’s $3.44 at my nearest store) or two 10-oz cans for $7.58, and this is 6 oz of Crisco. > > Oh, wait, my Costco does have the Crisco. It’s $6.54 for the same 3-pack (butter, 5 oz containers.) I know the thread isn’t about this, but that Amazon price seems absurd to me. I guess if you live somewhere where this spray is hard to find, it might be worth it, but even with Walmart shipping it to me, it’s $12.68. Local Walmart price is $2.18 per can. I also have noticed stupidly expensive prices on Amazon. Does anyone really buy these things? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2019, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/25 "2019-04-07T21:26:43Z")
Right this moment, at the Rally’s a couple of blocks from me, their “Loaded Cheese Cheeseburger” can be had for $2.49, or 2 for $6. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/26 "2019-04-08T02:25:41Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Local Walmart price is $2.18 per can. I also have noticed stupidly expensive prices on Amazon. Does anyone really buy these things? It depends. My BIL really loves Tabasco. One year I decided to make up a gift basket of a bunch of different hot sauces for Hanukah and started looking on Amazon. It was _insane_ how expensive some of them were, as in over $10 for a 2 oz. bottle? I just went down to my local Mexican grocery 2 blocks from my house and bought a dozen or so different ones for under $30, but I can imagine if I lived somewhere with no Mexican groceries, I might take the plunge and spend way too much on Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/27 "2019-04-08T08:06:44Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > The liquor store by me has the same kind of deal with Bombay Sapphire. The 1.75L bottle is cheaper than the 1L bottle. I asked a clerk once why that was. He said something about “bars aren’t allowed to stock 1.75L bottles so they have to pay the higher price.” I’m not sure I see the logic there. Bars buy their booze retail? That’s…strange. In Minnesota, bars aren’t allowed to buy liquor at retail. It must be purchased through a distributor, though I’ll be damned if I can find the statute. Just heard it from the inspector last time he came through. Makes for shitty nights when the Fireball runs out and three regulars got a hankerin’. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/28 "2019-04-08T08:15:25Z")
Nm ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/29 "2019-04-08T10:53:03Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > That’s…strange. In Minnesota, bars aren’t allowed to buy liquor at retail. It must be purchased through a distributor, though I’ll be damned if I can find the statute. Just heard it from the inspector last time he came through. > > Makes for shitty nights when the Fireball runs out and three regulars got a hankerin’. That seems fairly easy to get around. All you need is some empty bottles and a funnel. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/30 "2019-04-08T12:13:33Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It’s psychological - having more stuff around the house makes you use stuff more quickly. Doesn’t work that way with toilet paper. If stocking up on Charmin cured constipation, the laxative companies would go out of business. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/31 "2019-04-08T12:41:54Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Doesn’t work that way with toilet paper. If stocking up on Charmin cured constipation, the laxative companies would go out of business. Ever been stuck with just one roll of toilet paper? I have, and I can make that bastard last three times as long as usual. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/32 "2019-04-08T13:25:04Z")
The liquor thing is different, because US liquor laws can be a bit confusing. For one thing, most states (if not all) prohibit a liquor retailer from dispensing liquor from any bottle other than want the manufacturer used. That is, the “empty bottles and a funnel” solution is a quick way for the bar to lose its license. In addition, in many US states, the laws are written so that only allow manufacturers can sell to distributors and retail businesses can only buy from distributors (these are great laws for distributors, as it creates a massive need for their service, no doubt the result of prohibition and rise of bootleggers). So, in all likelihood, the manufacturer is selling his product to a distributor who services both the liquor stores and the bars. Now, bars, as a general rule, have a very high mark-up on liquor, perhaps close to 1000% (or more). They do have higher costs, but my point is that the cost of the liquor has less of an influence on the profits than for a low-margin business. Other costs can become significant, like labor and shrinkage (loss of product over time). To combat this, many bars will install controls, such as automatic delivery systems that will only accept specific-sized bottles. Likewise, specifically for house-quality brands, their shelves are designed to hold specific bottles. Either way, the bars get themselves setup to only handle the liter-sized bottles. Now, the manufacturers know the liter-sized bottles are destined for bars. They also know that liquor stores operate at a much lower margin. It is not uncommon for a liquor store to run “special purchase” promotions (some states prohibit them from having “sales”), so the manufacturers will package 0.75 liter (very close in volume to the older “fifth”) and 1.5 liter bottles for the liquor store trade. These are offered at a lower price. Sure, the bars could buy the odd-sized bottles and find a way to use them (re-designing their systems, for example) but the bars’ markup is so high that it is cheaper for them in the long run to just pay the higher cost for the bottles they can use. Of course, the liquor store carries the 1 liter bottles since they will have customers who want them, but the distributor has to give the liquor store the same price they give the bars, so the retail price ends up higher. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/33 "2019-04-08T14:54:33Z")
I’m still not sure why bars can’t use 1.75 liter bottles but, if it’s true, **excavating’s** explanation of the liquor price disparity makes sense. It’s a form of price discrimination by distributors that targets bars, which are seemingly less price sensitive than individuals. The real question becomes why do retail liquor stores even stock the smaller, pricier bottles? I’d guess they must either sell them to bars sometimes or mark them up enough to make enough profit on the occasional sale to a retail customer that it justifies the increased inventory carrying cost and shelf space despite the reduced turnover. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/34 "2019-04-08T14:56:09Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Ever been stuck with just one roll of toilet paper? I have, and I can make that bastard last three times as long as usual. Kind of like when you’re poor. That last fiver in your wallet 'til next payday lasts an awfully long time before it gets broken. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/35 "2019-04-08T15:14:14Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Nobody’s buying the two pack. It’s there to make the three pack seem cheap. Also when you give consumers a choice between two products of different, vet specific prices, they’re more likely to choose one of them rather than not buying any at all. > > This website phrases it quite well: > > [https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.helpscout.com/blog/pricing-strategies/amp/](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.helpscout.com/blog/pricing-strategies/amp/) When I worked at a grocery store, people would act like they somehow beat the system when they noticed deals like this. Yeah, you sure got us… by buying the thing we wanted to sell you. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/36 "2019-04-08T15:24:57Z")
If the item is something perishable like milk I would probably go for just 1 or 2 rather than waste the extra. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/37 "2019-04-08T15:52:00Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > When I worked at a grocery store, people would act like they somehow beat the system when they noticed deals like this. Yeah, you sure got us… by buying the thing we wanted to sell you. When I worked at Safeway running the night crew, one of our big jobs was changing tags every week. We always knew what was going to be on sale next week because the price would go up 10-15% this week. Then when you bought that item next week at “15% off,” you’d really only be saving 5%, or even nothing. Or the sale tags would just show a “regular” price that was 10-15% higher than it was last week. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/38 "2019-04-08T17:06:00Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > That seems fairly easy to get around. All you need is some empty bottles and a funnel. And some water. Seen it many a time, bar employee opens a door and you see bottles getting refilled. Most bars don’t have a truly hidden back room to do this in, usually its a side door to a room just back by the bathrooms. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/39 "2019-04-08T17:18:12Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > When I worked at Safeway running the night crew, one of our big jobs was changing tags every week. We always knew what was going to be on sale next week because the price would go up 10-15% this week. Then when you bought that item next week at “15% off,” you’d really only be saving 5%, or even nothing. > > Or the sale tags would just show a “regular” price that was 10-15% higher than it was last week. Around here, there’s a few places that pull something similar to this stunt (but more egregious.) Jewel is kind of notorious for it, but I spotted the same thing at the local Meijer. Around grilling holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day, these stores will often have a “buy one get two free!!!” deal, especially on ribs. The problem is, the ribs will be marked at a $9.99/lb price, which, if you buy ribs regularly, will realize this is an absurd price unless you’re getting something like genuine Berkshire pork. Last time I saw one of those deals at Miejer, whoever was pricing the pork was so lazy that they didn’t take off the old pricing label, but rather sloppily pasted the new label over it, so you could see that it was originally priced at $2.99/lb a day ago, but now $9.99/lb for the sale. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169/40 "2019-04-09T20:25:18Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > And some water. Seen it many a time, bar employee opens a door and you see bottles getting refilled. Most bars don’t have a truly hidden back room to do this in, usually its a side door to a room just back by the bathrooms. My ex who worked for the ATF would shit a brick if you told him something like this. As far as I remember (and note that it’s been twenty years since I’ve even talked to him), that is very, very, very illegal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-pack-and-3-pack-the-same-price/832169.md?page=3)