Weird "The Price is Right" Products Pricing

[SamSpade]

Off Topic

Look, I know TPIR always uses MSRP, which can totally throw things off. I assume that if MSRP were somehow unavailable they also use store pricing in Southern California?

But I have recently seen a few out there prices on the show and I just wonder.

$8.99 the other day for a 3 pack of "Movie Theater Butter" PopSecret. Priced no where near that at Walmart online and even Albertsons everyday price was $4.79 with a sale price lowering it from that. So I have no idea where they get their pricing - Gelson's? LOL

Today there was a whole, pre-made (sold in the deli area cases, I believe) La Terra Fina quiche, which they said was $12.49 or something close to that (can't 100% recall). This product isn't even sold in my hometown based on online grocery price checks, and is listed at $11.99 where I live at a Safeway. So I guess that price was reasonable, but it is debatable if a contestant would have *any* idea what one would cost. Maybe that was the gotcha point.

[Super S]

MSRP always seems closer to what convenience stores charge.

[Brian Lutz]

A relevant article:

https://marketrealist.com/p/where-does- ... ir-prices/

According to this article grocery prices on the show are based off of non-sale prices for the items at various Los Angeles area grocery stores, so presumably if the CBS Standards and Practices department called them out on the price they would have to "show their work" and disclose the basis of their pricing. Since product sponsorships have become much less common than they used to be on the show, it's likely they are also buying the products used on the show from those stores as well.

One thing to note is that although the practice isn't as prevalent as it used to be it's not uncommon for prices at stores in that area (especially in Hollywood and Beverly Hills) to be heavily marked up over other locations, owing to the high cost of doing business there, so it is possible the source of their pricing could be from one of those stores.

[veteran+]

I have not seen price differentials at Ralphs from my location to the beach. Same thing with Pavilions.

I have seen a few differences between Vons and Pavilions, but nothing major.

[BillyGr]

Off Topic

Look, I know TPIR always uses MSRP, which can totally throw things off. I assume that if MSRP were somehow unavailable they also use store pricing in Southern California?

But I have recently seen a few out there prices on the show and I just wonder.

$8.99 the other day for a 3 pack of "Movie Theater Butter" PopSecret. Priced no where near that at Walmart online and even Albertsons everyday price was $4.79 with a sale price lowering it from that. So I have no idea where they get their pricing - Gelson's? LOL

Today there was a whole, pre-made (sold in the deli area cases, I believe) La Terra Fina quiche, which they said was $12.49 or something close to that (can't 100% recall). This product isn't even sold in my hometown based on online grocery price checks, and is listed at $11.99 where I live at a Safeway. So I guess that price was reasonable, but it is debatable if a contestant would have *any* idea what one would cost. Maybe that was the gotcha point.

I think (if that is the one I am thinking of, in To The Penny yesterday) it did wind up being $11.99 (No, actually $11.49 when I checked the site that tracks that show - sorry ). To some degree, many times they do use harder items like that (things that people are not as likely to be familiar with) on those games when you get to the higher prize amounts, in order to make it harder to win and thus less they have to give out.

That popcorn, though, does sound awfully strange. Not even sure that I have ever seen the larger (6 or so count) boxes for that much anywhere, even as a "regular" price.