# Biggest Ripoff in the Grocery store **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2007, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477 "2007-10-04T06:18:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bcullman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bcullman/32/8207_2.png) [@bcullman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bcullman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/1 "2007-10-04T06:18:02Z")
If there was one (or two, or a few) items that you chose to buy somewhere other than the grocery store, what would those item(s) be? ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/2 "2007-10-04T06:18:45Z")
toilet paper ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/3 "2007-10-04T06:28:22Z")
Beer and OTC medication. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Handsome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@Gus\_Handsome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Handsome)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/4 "2007-10-04T06:49:52Z")
DVD’s, batteries, greeting cards and cookware. ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/5 "2007-10-04T06:49:57Z")
Razor blades Although I switched from a Mach 3 cartridge to an old school safety razor a couple years ago so it’s moot ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/6 "2007-10-04T07:00:21Z")
Having worked for the USA’s largest grocery wholesaler, I can state that the largest profit margins (thus the most over-priced to customers) are on the non-food items in the store. Just about anything that you don’t eat: office supplies, paper, pencils, light bulbs, batteries, utensils, pots & pans, greeting cards, etc. And the most over-priced of them are the seasonal items: halloween masks, christmas items, etc. These are priced higher because they have a short selling season, and any left unsold after the holiday get sold off at major discounts. But possibly there is one item that is a bigger ripoff than any of these: bottles of water. Many grocery stores now sell water at a vastly inflated price. This water comes directly from the same city water pipes that go to people’s houses, and the containers aren’t even filled – the customer does that work in the store! Supposedly, this water is filtered; stockboys are supposed to change the filters regularly – do you think that actually happens? ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/7 "2007-10-04T10:23:26Z")
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net] Having worked for the USA’s largest grocery wholesaler, I can state that the largest profit margins (thus the most over-priced to customers) are on the non-food items in the store. Just about anything that you don’t eat: office supplies, paper, pencils, light bulbs, batteries, utensils, pots & pans, greeting cards, etc [/QUOTE] It seems to be that way, if I can buy it on Ebay and the P&P isn’t horrendous, it quite often turns out cheaper. For example, the dust bag and filter for our vacuum cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/8 "2007-10-04T10:38:26Z")
The biggest ripoff in the grocery store is anything you buy that’s not on sale. Every week, a bunch of different things, food and non-food, are on sale, so in the space of a month, you can pretty much buy everything you need at a discount, if you time it right. When on sale, the grocery store price is usually competitive with just about anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/9 "2007-10-04T10:47:32Z")
Drinking straws. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/10 "2007-10-04T11:02:49Z")
General Questions is better suited to questions which have a distinct factual answer. Polls are better conducted in IMHO. Moved. **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/11 "2007-10-04T12:08:23Z")
Batteries and light bulbs. Easily triple what Home Depot charges. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/12 "2007-10-04T12:13:10Z")
The little plastic packages of fresh herbs. $2.99 is nuts. The other problem is that they’re exactly the wrong size–if you’re making, say, tomato sauce, you don’t even need half of the package, but it would take half a dozen of them to make a decent batch of pesto. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/13 "2007-10-04T15:40:26Z")
I don’t know if this counts, but on a non-sale day (which is most days), a 12-pack of Pepsi or Coke costs $4-5 at the regular big grocery store. On most days (especially in the summer and on holidays), there is a sale on Pepsi and Coke at our local “[deep discount store](http://marcs.com/)” which puts it between $2.50 and $3 for a 12-pack. I was just there the other day and there were no sales - a 12-pack costs $3.88 regularly, it seems (no sales). The “deep discount” store is also where I go before I go to the “grocery store” to get whatever I can find for cheaper. I usually buy paper products and cleaning supplies there. It’s one of those places where the stock is hit-or-miss. So, technically it’s a grocery store just not a very good one 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/14 "2007-10-04T15:52:49Z")
Blowjobs in the warehouse. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/15 "2007-10-04T15:57:30Z")
[QUOTE=DoctorJ] The little plastic packages of fresh herbs. $2.99 is nuts. [/QUOTE] Nuts are cheap for $2.99! ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/16 "2007-10-04T16:27:07Z")
[QUOTE=BobLibDem] Batteries and light bulbs. Easily triple what Home Depot charges. [/QUOTE] Costco, baby. I pick up a 36 pack of AAs once a year for like ten bucks. That lasts through a full year of kids toys. Compare to 4.99 for a 4 pack at Safeway? Yeah, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/17 "2007-10-04T16:36:55Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Blowjobs in the warehouse. [/QUOTE] Too bad you don’t have a Kroger Plus! card. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/18 "2007-10-04T17:55:33Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Too bad you don’t have a Kroger Plus! card. [/QUOTE] Yes, and on triple coupon week! :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [October 4, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/19 "2007-10-04T20:20:57Z")
Deodorant and shampoo. Toiletries are better purchased at the dollar store around here. As long as they’re name brand why pay a dollar or two more at the grocery store? ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Montana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tony\_Montana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Montana)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477/20 "2007-10-04T20:26:02Z")
Motor oil, It was after normal business hours and was in a hurry (already shopping) so I paid what I recall was at least 30% more than whats normally charged at the gas station or parts store. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biggest-ripoff-in-the-grocery-store/421477.md?page=2)