Monday, October 1, 2018

When is a bargain not one? Caveat emptor...Let the buyer beware



Ok, those who know me are aware I LOVE a bargain! I get the Friday freebies from one of my local grocery stores, I enter all kinds of contests (although I haven't had the time to do as much lately as I normally do), I save coupons (which I never seem to have when I am at the store, lol), and I accrue points through different things like Bing and Swagbucks (let me know if you want a referral!). So, yesterday I was tempted into a store I have been shopping at for several decades...and actually got my first credit card umpteen years ago from them (and bought my mom a fridge!) because we had a rewards coupon. They were having a sale AND they were giving 50% off of clearance items! What a temptation to make me add more things that I don't need...but my explanation is always...I can give these bargains away for Christmas, right?



Well, there were also KitchenAid items for 40% off! Plus, they were giving $10 off a $25 purchase. Win-win, right? By my calculations, we had purchases that should add up to about $27...so, with the discounts and tax, it should have come out to about $20. (No, I'm not going to tell you which items we chose...what if I'm giving it to one of you for Christmas? I don't want you to know how little I paid for it, lol.)



So...we take our items and stand in the line that is moving at less than a snail's pace...get up to the register and get rung out for just under $30. The line was long, the single cashier was stressed, we were confused...but we paid and stepped away. Then there was the challenge to figure out what in the world had happened. Not only did we NOT get the $10 discount, we received a percentage off of each item AND we did NOT get 40% off. It took a bit of time, but we finally were able to talk to a supervisor, who couldn't understand why we didn't get the $10 off (blaming the computer and maybe the brand of items) but was willing to give that to us. So far, so good. BUT...why didn't we get the 40% off? After all, the sign said...KitchenAid Prep and Gadgets. Why? Because that sign ONLY applies to those items with the prices listed on the sign! Does that sound logical to you? My thought is that, if that's the case...it should say SELECTED items.

What do you think?

So...the point of this diatribe is...make sure you actually do the math, because you may not be getting the bargain you think you are!



2 comments:

  1. That's a really good point. I've had that happen more than once but when you point something out to the cashier or manager they usually right the wrong. Glad you were able to find a good deal.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Mary! Great to see you! I really have to look closely at my grocery store receipts because I don't always get the bargains I think I'm going to get and it's sometimes difficult to interpret the entries.

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