# Stupid Pricing **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 1, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126 "2005-08-01T13:15:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/41 "2005-08-02T16:58:48Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > But the real funny thing would be when someone would order a medium drink and we said, “Would you like a Super, it’s actually cheaper?” they would reply, “No thanks, I’m not that thirsty.” I’ve done that. (I grew up hearing about the starving people in China, so even though I’m 47 now… I don’t like wasting food products) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/42 "2005-08-02T17:01:37Z")
Funny, but the local Taco Bell/Long John Silvers (yes, it’s one store) and McDonald’s all have drink dispensers and free refills. Certainly if they don’t provide this, the pricing is OK, but if they’re offering free refills, why should anyone eating in buy anything other than a small drink? Of course, the classic example of this is Miggles Emporium, which was filled with prices like “15 cents each or two for 35.” ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/43 "2005-08-02T17:38:59Z")
I’ve noticed that the unit price of Tropicana orange juice is almost always higher for the 96 oz container than the 64 oz. Often it’s particularly marked, as in “get 50% more for twice the price.” ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/44 "2005-08-02T17:43:10Z")
My local supermarket deli has taken to making their sale prices only $0.20 less than the normal prices. So turkey might be $6.29/lb instead of $6.49. It’s amazing how many people still buy what’s on sale. (It used to be $0.50 to a dollar off per pound for the sale items.) ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/45 "2005-08-02T17:50:20Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Funny, but the local Taco Bell/Long John Silvers (yes, it’s one store) and McDonald’s all have drink dispensers and free refills. Certainly if they don’t provide this, the pricing is OK, but if they’re offering free refills, why should anyone eating in buy anything other than a small drink? I do it. I think it’s worth the extra twenty cents to not have to get up and walk across the store five times during the course of my meal. Maybe I’m lazy. Maybe I just drink too much soda. Probably both. ---
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/46 "2005-08-02T18:57:06Z")
At work, I had to buy some small custom made parts (I think they were widgets, but they might have been doo-dads - I don’t recall), and I asked the vendor to quote for several order quantities. What I got back was something like this: 50 pcs: $4.50 ea. 150 pcs: $3.00 ea. 200 pcs: $2.20 ea Do the math on those last 2 lines, and then explain to me why anyone would ever order 150 parts. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/47 "2005-08-02T23:26:10Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > But the real funny thing would be when someone would order a medium drink and we said, “Would you like a Super, it’s actually cheaper?” they would reply, “No thanks, I’m not that thirsty.” I do that sometimes. Usually it’s more along the lines of knowing that I wouldn’t drink that much soda and that it’s worth the twenty cents to not have to lug around the three gallon cup that won’t fit in the cup holder of my car. When prices are below a couple of bucks and the difference is within a dollar, I just plain don’t care enough to worry about what’s the best “value”. If I don’t want to have to deal with the gigantic cup, it’s worth it to me to have the smaller one even when it costs slightly more. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/48 "2005-08-03T00:37:58Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > But the real funny thing would be when someone would order a medium drink and we said, “Would you like a Super, it’s actually cheaper?” they would reply, “No thanks, I’m not that thirsty.” But I’m not. And if I buy that much, I’ll feel obligated to drink it, and then I’ll have to go pee a lot. ---
**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:** [August 3, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/49 "2005-08-03T00:52:54Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > My local supermarket deli has taken to making their sale prices only $0.20 less than the normal prices. Twenty whole cents? A supermarket I frequent will put big yellow sale cards over the price sticker on the front of the shelf, which, when revealed by lifting the card, shows the regular price to be a dime or even a nickel higher. Apparently the bright yellow cards have a psychological impact, and apparently many people don’t check underneath them. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/50 "2005-08-03T01:07:40Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Twenty whole cents? A supermarket I frequent will put big yellow sale cards over the price sticker on the front of the shelf, which, when revealed by lifting the card, shows the regular price to be a dime or even a nickel higher. Apparently the bright yellow cards have a psychological impact, and apparently many people don’t check underneath them. Ha! I can do one better! Our store puts up bright yellow cards with “Everyday low price!” But I am not fooled! I am too crafty for them! _accidentally drops two mangos_ Um . . . yeah. Nobody saw that, right? _picks up mangos and scampers off._ ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/51 "2005-08-03T01:23:40Z")
Here you’d be hard pressed to find _any_ restaurant that doesn’t offer free refills. That goes for the 5-star steakhouse to the lowly TacoHell. Even if the drink machine isn’t in the dining area (ie Chick-Fil-A), I’ve never even had an employee blink an eye when I requested a free refill. As for stupid pricing, where I shop, the unit price is marked on the shelf tag which makes it easy to determine which size is the better value. On Tropicana, it could be that the 96 oz. plastic jug packaging is considerably more expensive than the 64 oz. cardboard carton. ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/52 "2005-08-03T15:02:30Z")
I recently bought film to take along on vacation. The “American” brand–Kodak-- was made in China. The “foreign” brand --Fuji-- was made in South Carolina AND was $0.60 cheaper for 5 rolls than Kodak was for 4 rolls. Naturally, I bought the Fuji. So much for the myth that by paying slave wages overseas instead of the “exorbitant” wages we “greedy Americans” demand, American companies provide customers with cheaper prices. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/53 "2005-08-03T18:11:49Z")
> [@surlyprince](#): > > Back in the day when I worked fast food, I took the time to work out cost for a large soda. With cup, lid, soda and straw, grand total was all of .08. A cheeseburger was about .12. Did you volunteer at this establishment? I’m guessing that those prices don’t factor in labor, rent, utilities, or any other expenses that the store has to pay to _stay open_ long enough to sell a cup of soda. > [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > But the real funny thing would be when someone would order a medium drink and we said, “Would you like a Super, it’s actually cheaper?” they would reply, “No thanks, I’m not that thirsty.” It could also be that people are just in the habit of automatically refusing any suggestion from the order taker, on the assumption that it’s an attempt to upsell them. Hardly thinking about it, they come up with a polite excuse. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cheapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8e7dd6/32.png) [@El\_Cheapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cheapo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/54 "2005-08-03T18:22:40Z")
Today at the Golden Arches: Big n Tasty + Medium Fry + Medium Coke = $3.10 Big n Tasty Value Meal, which includes: Big n Tasty + Medium Fry + Medium Coke = $3.65 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/55 "2005-08-03T18:27:28Z")
> [@El Cheapo](#): > > Today at the Golden Arches: > > Big n Tasty + Medium Fry + Medium Coke = $3.10 > > Big n Tasty Value Meal, which includes: > Big n Tasty + Medium Fry + Medium Coke = $3.65 From this we must assume that the task of assembly and the lettering involved in the word “meal” is a value-added event. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/56 "2005-08-03T18:32:13Z")
> [@El Cheapo](#): > > Today at the Golden Arches: > > Big n Tasty + Medium Fry + Medium Coke = $3.10 > > Big n Tasty Value Meal, which includes: > Big n Tasty + Medium Fry + Medium Coke = $3.65 Hey, look it’s one of those serendipitous user-name-post-matching things! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![grayhairedmomma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/47e85d/32.png) [@grayhairedmomma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grayhairedmomma)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/57 "2005-08-03T19:52:21Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > Naturally, he chuckles at the customer who, for example, buys ten cards and pays $3, never realizing she could have saved a quarter by selecting an additional view, or gotten a dozen scenes for her three bucks… Maybe his customers do realize the costs but they just don’t see anything else they like. What’s the point of taking home all that extra stuff just to have it clutter up your house? ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/58 "2005-08-04T02:59:29Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > I’ve noticed this several times. Not sure if pricing has changed in recent years. > > Wriggly Gum: > small pack of 5 sticks: $0.25 > large pack of 17 sticks: $1.00 They’ve been doing that for at least 35 years. When I was a kid, you could get the following: 5 sticks: .05 7 sticks: .10 (advertised as the “Handy Dime Pack”) Juicy Fruit was the shiznit. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/59 "2005-08-04T03:22:42Z")
> [@El Cheapo](#): > > Today at the Golden Arches: > > Big n Tasty + Medium Fry + Medium Coke = $3.10 > > Big n Tasty Value Meal, which includes: > Big n Tasty + Medium Fry + Medium Coke = $3.65 You have a particularly generous owner/operator. The Big ‘n’ Tasty was removed from the nationwide standard dollar menu almost a year and a half ago. The owner/operators are also free to set different sizes for the fries and coke. Here, this would be: Big ‘n’ Tasty: 1.99 Medium Fry: 1.45 Medium Coke: 1.39 Also, at least here, you could never get a double cheeseburger, medium fry, and coke for less than the meal. The EVM was 2.99 until we went to small fries and small drinks on the dollar menu. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126/60 "2005-08-04T12:47:00Z")
I went to buy some files this afternoon, and had the choice of 10 for $9.95, 24 for $19.95 or 30 for $19.95. They were all the same brand and identical to each other. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-pricing/315126.md?page=4)