Why it is so important to do the math

I was in Walgreen's tonight, scouting around to see how I could best spend some Register Rewards that were about to expire.  (Register Rewards and Extra Care Bucks are like drugstore crack; they just keep you coming back for more...)

I was in the analgesics aisle, and I picked up a package of Bayer Aspirin.

Another woman was shopping in the same aisle. "You know," she said to me conspiratorially, "those same aspirin are buy-one-get-one-half-off at CVS." "That's okay," I replied, "these are 25% off, which is exactly the same thing." "No," she said, "buy-one-get-one-half-off is much better. It's almost like getting one for free."

Sigh.

"Actually, no, it's exactly the same thing, I replied.  I proceeded to walk her through the math. After a few minutes, I saw a little light bulb go on in her head. "Oh my gosh," she said. "I never realized...."

I added a few twigs to the flames and continued "and if you think about it, a straight 25% off is even better than BOGOHO, because you don't need to buy two items that are the exact same price to get the discount. You don't even need to buy two items, period."

She wasn't a stupid woman; quite the contrary. She seemed to be a very smart shopper, but one who was allergic to math. This little discussion really weighed on me.

I can't drive this point home often enough: no matter what, when you are shopping, ALWAYS DO THE MATH.

Retailers aren't out to swindle anyone, but it is definitely in their best interest to lull you into thinking that their deals and sales are better than they actually are, because they are in the business of making money by getting you to buy their stuff. That's great, but keep in mind that while marketing is not necessarily meant to be deceptive, it is meant to be seductive. And that's why buy-one-get-one-half-off or buy-3-get-1-free both sound so much better than 25% off. After all, you're getting one for free or almost free, aren't you?

Keep a calculator in your purse when you shop, or use the one in your phone, and please, please, pretty please, do that math. Marketing may seduce, but dollars and cents are brutally honest.

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