Supermarket Humor

I have two good shopping related stories to share today.

The first was in the baking goods aisle.  I went to grab some flour and overheard a couple talking about buying some.  Because of specials, a 5-pound bag was 20¢ cheaper than a 2-pound.  They were standing there trying to decide if it was worth buying the 5 pounder, when they did not need quite so much for whatever they were making.

First of all, I find it funny that someone couldn't use five pounds of flour in the three or four years you have before it starts to go funny.  Mine last three months at most.  Then, the woman actually did the math on the seventy-five 1/4-cup servings that the package said it contains to come up with over 18 cups of flour!  To be fair, I've always found it funny that a 50-pound bag of sugar has the number of servings listed on it.  If you're buying a 50-pound bag of sugar, you're not counting them unless you get stuck with inventory and recipe-costing.

My other story is about marketing.  The packs above are tubes of fruit purée that have become popular. They're easy to put in a lunchbox for kids or gym bag or purse for adults.  They have recently become a hot enough item to have their own shelf at the market, and several brands make them.

But these pouches are not a new idea.  They have existed for several years… in the baby food aisle.  Exact same product, except the adult ones sometimes have yogurt.  The ingredients are nearly identical, including the level of preservatives and other ingredients you may not want to give an infant or toddler.

But here's the kicker: in the baby food aisle, these pouches are double the price - or more.  Same product, similar size.  Plus, there are more coupons available for the non-baby version.

Just a little reminder to be a smart shopper.  And it's still cheaper to poach your own fresh fruit and make purée of it in a food mill.  Just my two cents.