I stopped to pick up a bottle of Malibu Rum, it’s coconut flavored and an ingredient in a punch we like to make now and then. I saw two sizes, 750ml and 1.75ml.
You can see in the picture, it was $20 vs $32 (I round up a cent). The small bottle cost $26.67 per liter and the larger bottle, $18.29 per liter, or nearly 1/3 less. The other way I’m looking at this is that I get a full liter more for $12 more when bumping to the next size. Sort of like if there were a sale, buy one for $20 get a second one for $9.
- Do you pay close attention to the cost difference between two sizes of the same item?
- Would you have stuck with the smaller bottle in this situation?
- Where do you draw the line? Is it by price or the utility of the item? (Ask me about the gallon of mustard I once bought)
- If it’s a perishable, how long do you stand there and calculate whether you’ll finish it before it spoils?
First of all, I worry about someone who drinks coconut flavored rum. That is bizarre
However, I always look at or figure out the unit price. I don’t waste a lot of time on it. If the unit price delta is significant, I then consider utility. With rum (even coconut flavored), I would go for the larger quantity. The other element is what volume we are talking about. Two gallons of shampoo – don’t bother. 48 bottles of coke – yeh. Also consider whether we can freeze the unused portions and use over the next few months.
Some deals are just not worth considering. Someone offered us 25 pounds of ground moose meat – no price would be low enough!!
Bottom line – If there’s a significant delta, I quickly run through the other considerations. The key is quick.
Al
As I noted, it’s an ingredient to a punch, I don’t just sip it over ice, although I like coconut, so it might not be so bad. But you nailed the rest of it. If we can’t use a perishable or even frozen, the quantity is more than 4-6 months usage, it’s too much.
Now, the moose meat. No idea, as I’ve never tasted it, but 25 pounds of ground beef we can handle in 6 months or less. In the summer, when invited to a barbeque, people are happy if you offer to bring an item like burgers or chicken breasts, usually. Thanks for writing in!