# Would you like 2 for a dollar or one for $1.19? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 21, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149 "2003-04-21T22:14:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/21 "2003-04-22T10:25:56Z")
And this particular gullible moron isn’t helped by the “by” that should have been “buy.” Yeah. So I’m having a blonde day. KISS MY ASS. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/22 "2003-04-22T11:24:05Z")
Over here, you generally do have to buy two items to get the two for a discount price. Say the items are £2.99 each and on a two for £5 offer. The first one comes up at £2.99, the second one comes up at £2.99 as well, and then a multi-buy discount comes up at -£0.98. ---
**Author:** ![Fin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fin_man)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/23 "2003-04-22T11:26:48Z")
Yes, stupid people piss me off but every so often, I find smart/considerate people working the check-out lines. A grocery store near me had a BOGO (buy one, get one free) special on strawberrys. The person infront of me in line only had one container of strawberrys. The cashier told them that they can get another for free. The customer didn’t know about the special and went and got the free container. It made me smile. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/24 "2003-04-22T11:28:38Z")
I have noticed at some grocery stores around here, if you buy a single item that’s priced 2fer or 3fer, you’ll get it for 1/2 or 1/3 the price. However, if it’s a “buy one, get one free” deal, the first one rings up at full price and the second is a freebie. ---
**Author:** ![Fin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fin_man)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/25 "2003-04-22T11:29:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Audrey Levins \* > \*\*I’m just gonna come out and admit that until recently, I always assumed that you had to buy the amount specified in order to receive the discount. “Two boxes of Kellog cereal for $5.00” meant that one box would be more than $2.50. To my ignorant and careless consumer brain, that is. \*\* Don’t feel too bad about this. I thought the same thing until a girlfriend (about 5 years ago) told me about it. Sure, some say something like “must buy specified quantity to receive discount”, but most don’t - boy did I feel stupid. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/26 "2003-04-22T11:37:14Z")
**Audrey** , even though I know that I don’t have to buy the quantity specified to get the sale price, I still often find myself doing so. Like in my earlier post, when I was buying canned vegetables at 5/$2.00 after putting the sixth can in my cart I started scanning the shelves trying to figure out what I wanted for my other four cans. It’s a marketing ploy, but it obviously works. The thing that annoys me sometimes is the 'buy one, get one free" sales, especially on items like 10-lb bags of potatoes. I really can’t use up twenty pounds of potatoes before they start going bad, and despite my best intentions I never get around to fixing a batch of hash browns and freezing them. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/27 "2003-04-22T11:41:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie \* > \*\*Ooh, ooh, was this the 7-11 in Kirkland, WA? Could have been the same drone who charged me for two coffees when I got a brew and an enpty cup to prevent hand scald syndrome(this was before the advent of the Little Cardboard Sleeve). Why? > > “well, you have two cups!” > > Hey, charge me a quarter, fine. but noooooo. So I left the cup and took a handful of napkins instead. \*\* Long ago, in a Galaxy far, far away, I worked in convenience stores. For fountain drinks and coffee they inventoried by the cup, not by the amount of coffee or syrup used. So if they don’t charge every one for the extra cup, then they might get investigated or fired for theft. Sounds a bit odd, but that’s the way it went. I imagine that they still do the same. Napkins are, however, not inventoried. So this makes sense. Not the water thing, though. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/28 "2003-04-22T13:30:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tansu \* > \*\*Over here, you generally do have to buy two items to get the two for a discount price. Say the items are £2.99 each and on a two for £5 offer. The first one comes up at £2.99, the second one comes up at £2.99 as well, and then a multi-buy discount comes up at -£0.98. \*\* That’s, quite frankly, what I expected when I went to buy the one bottle; that I would have to pay the normal price. I didn’t expect the normal price to be **more** than the price of two. That’s just obscene; you are punished if you don’t purchase products you do not need or want. That was the point behind my threat; I didn’t want the second bottle, I didn’t need the second bottle, and if they were going to insist that I waste the second bottle, I was going to do it right there in front of them. Sua ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/29 "2003-04-22T13:31:25Z")
My local liquor store sells beer for $5 a six-pack, or $12 for a 12-pack. Whenever I see that, I think, “Hey, it’s like a tax on people who can’t do math…” ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/30 "2003-04-22T13:49:10Z")
I think some people might have seen signs for veg or something - 7 for $10 is an offer on bottled water (so each has an individual price), but 7 for $10 is just how, say, cabbages, might be priced…? Maybe where some confusion comes from. I do really want to know how the store in question managed such a rediculous offer. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/31 "2003-04-22T14:08:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LurkMeister \* > \*\*The thing that annoys me sometimes is the 'buy one, get one free" sales, especially on items like 10-lb bags of potatoes. I really can’t use up twenty pounds of potatoes before they start going bad, and despite my best intentions I never get around to fixing a batch of hash browns and freezing them. \*\* The supermarket I frequent (Stop & Shop) has this nice bin near the exit door for people to donate food to the local food pantry. Pretty much every time I shop the bin is crammed full of items that were 'twofer’s or BOGOed that week. Seems like an excellent solution to me, so long as the special isn’t on ice cream… ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/32 "2003-04-22T14:13:48Z")
**Sua** - I totally understand your rant. I made my post in response to **Audrey Levins** ’s post, because I just wanted to point out that over here we can’t always get one item for half the twofer price because of how the special offers come up on the till. Having the price for one _higher_ than the price for two is indeed obscene, and I give you a reasonably priced and individually packaged Mad Prop for threatening to tip the water all over the counter. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/33 "2003-04-22T14:15:53Z")
Fancy Feast @ Walmart (uh-oh, cat hijack) is $.28 per can, or $4.56 for the 12-can “convenience pak”. caveat emptor ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/34 "2003-04-22T14:20:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\*My local liquor store sells beer for $5 a six-pack, or $12 for a 12-pack. Whenever I see that, I think, “Hey, it’s like a tax on people who can’t do math…” \*\* An outdoor soda vending machine at my apartment complex used to price 12-oz. cans at 50 cents and 20-oz. bottles at $1. Eventually, the figured out why they weren’t selling any 20-oz. bottles-so naturally, they raised the price of the cans to 60 cents. :rolleyes: (30 days 'til I close on my house. 30 days 'til I close on my house. 30 days …) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/35 "2003-04-22T14:21:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SuaSponte \* > \*\*That’s, quite frankly, what I expected when I went to buy the one bottle; that I would have to pay the normal price. > > I didn’t expect the normal price to be **more** than the price of two. > Sua \*\* Hmm… the second bottle is being priced in negative cents? Could we buy 7 bottles for nothing? Or is the negative price applied only to every other bottle? Try blowing the clerk’s mind with that one some day. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/36 "2003-04-22T15:17:50Z")
**SuaSponte** , while I am generally speaking in favor of standing up to these sort of corporate shenanigans, I would like some clarification. Was the clerk making the price up (as in ringing it in manually), or did you simply feel that it was your sacred duty to give someone just doing their job as specified by her employer a ration of shit? ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/37 "2003-04-22T17:04:18Z")
During my penance, I mean employment, as a gas station cashier, we had one particular sale that was my favorite. Pepsi products were normally $1.09 for a 20 ounce and like $1.49 for the one liter “Big Slam.” Every so often, the Big Slams would go on sale for 99 cents. We always made sure to put a BIG NEON PINK SIGN on the cooler door in front of the 20 ounce bottles announcing the sale that offered the BIGGER PRODUCT FOR LESS MONEY, and made sure that the person checking out really did only want the 20 ounce bottle. And invariably, someone couldn’t be bothered to walk the 25 feet to the cooler to get the Big Slam. Always confused me! ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/38 "2003-04-22T17:14:49Z")
> [@](#): > > And invariably, someone couldn’t be bothered to walk the 25 feet to the cooler to get the Big Slam. Always confused me! Well, those Big Slam cups usually can’t fit into cupholders (but the 20 oz do), so if it’s a single-occupant vehicle, they probably didn’t have a choice… ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/39 "2003-04-22T17:57:49Z")
**FCM** , Orlando resident checking in. Lately, I’ve seen quite a few more than the usual share of “12 packs - 2 for $5.00 individual price=3.25”. Before this year, I had only seen a handful of these in Florida, now I see them all over the place. It makes me wonder if a law has recently changed which allows this; at least they are all prominently marked. I guess the upshot of this is, be on the lookout for this as it’s happening more in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149/40 "2003-04-22T18:03:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > \*\*Well, those Big Slam cups usually can’t fit into cupholders (but the 20 oz do), so if it’s a single-occupant vehicle, they probably didn’t have a choice… \*\* once, I myself pointed the cheaper price out to someone, and she mentioned that the smaller one would fit into her cup holder. In addition, the “fountain” soda (“Big Slam”) is different from the “Bottled” product, unless I am reading this incorrectly. With Coke, its not that big a difference, but with Pepsi and especially with Mountain Dew, it tastes MUCH better in the original can/bottle than out of a fountain. Sometimes, there are machines that dispense the product from tap; they taste equivalent to the bottle, except for differences in plastic vs “styrofoam” vs aluminum containers. But since tap is more expensive you rarely see that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-2-for-a-dollar-or-one-for-1-19/170149.md?page=3)