Stupid 'special' offers

For the last 6 to 9 months I have been buying 3ply, quilted , with lotion & fragrance (no, I don't understand the need for lotion or fragrance either) for £1.99 for a pack of nine rolls!

Friends that I have let have some have said that they are better quality than other brands that involve puppies or Koala bears. (Although I'm not entirely sure if they weren't getting confused with wiping bottoms with marsupials or young dogs, I move in strange circles from time to time)

To be honest, for the quality and price I have been buying them a bale at a time, i.e. almost £20 worth! (That seems to be a bale of 5 x 9 rolls)

This is a trick used by all the supermarkets and infuriating. Shoppers need to be vigilant (easier said than done) but in the year I have had to do the shopping for myself I find I am no longer surprised at the dubious means the supermarkets use to deceive, although I am certain they will use alternative words to describe their antics.

The S.O. tells me that when supermarkets have two for one offers it's the suppliers that pay for it not the supermarkets. Don't understand it all myself, but he used to work in sales.

You really have to have your wits about you when doing the shopping these days - these supermarkets are full of tricks.

To be fair to Tesco, although I don't see why I should - some of these illogical offers are the result of the manufacturers setting a particular price - as special offer. Where the supermarket has a free hand, they can set the price where they want - maybe as a loss leader. I had this explanation when I pointed out illogical pricing in our local Waitrose. It is of course always a case of caveat emptor - let the buyer beware i.e. down to us to check before we part with our cash!

On the other hand, I was talking to a woman in the loo roll aisle of Sainsburys yesterday who told me she won't buy her usual loo rolls when they are on 'bogof' because 'all these offers are cons'

Sook my husband positively relishes the thought of going back with his till receipt to point out their failings when it comes to money off offers and such and in Tesco they refund twice the difference if they make a mistake.. so he makes money on the deals..

Same here Anno I am an intrepid bargain hunter I buy salmon and meat from Sainsburys and Morrisons at greatly reduced prices.

I always buy my veggies loose as they are cheaper than pre packed. I also find I have less waste this way too.

I always check my receipts too for overpriced goods I wonder how many do? This week DH bought some of his favourite cheese, supposedly on offer only to find he had been charged full price. Did he get his money refunded? You bet he did!

Yes, I often buy the 'reduced' stuff at Waitrose, and freeze it. My friend is an M&S regular, and she goes late in the day and gets amazing bargains on meat.

I buy reduced bread at Waitrose at the weekend and put it in the freezer. That really does work out cheaper.

I don't take any notice of special offers, I just buy what I need.....its cheaper!

But sometimes the quantities aren't like for like an my maths isn't up to it. Although I nearly bought some mushrooms t'other day that were the cheapest and then remembered I'd bought them before and had to cut bits off so they didn't work out cheaper. I must have saved at least a fraction of a penny [but it was worth it].

Yes, you have to look at the tiny price ticket which says how much the item is per 100g or whatever to see which is the better bargain - if your knees or your eyesight can manage it...

I must be their worst nightmare - I always compare the price per 100g of their offers against the non-offer products, and there is hardly a week that goes by without my spotting something that makes me tut tut.
The same is true of bigger/smaller packs of things; it's surprising how often it is cheaper to buy two smaller packs than it is to buy the one that is twice as big, even though there is no offer on.

They had a display of various things in Tescos saying 'half price special offer' and, needing some ketchup I went to pick some up only to find that the hot dogs on display were half price but nothing else was. I made the same mistake at the Co op when I bought some mayonnaise once.

This really annoys me. I have been sorely tempted to take a calculator and felt tip pen with me to write on the products what a bad deal something is. Like pre bagged veg over the cost of the loose weighed.

You'd be surprised the amount of people that just don't look and Tesco do this all the time , sometimes you need a calculator to work it all out.

Why indeed. I suppose they didn't think anyone would notice if they thought at all!