Target- Grocery Items- Quantity Required for Sale Pricing

[storewanderer]

Target has made some changes to how it does sale prices on groceries. Previously if the sale said, for instance, 2 for $5, you got one unit for 2.50 no problem.

If a tag says, for instance, 2 for $6, it will then display in very small print the "each" price. The "each" price is now the regular price. Similar to how the drugstores do their sales, and not how grocery stores do these sales. Various sale priced dairy and dry grocery items will now be regular price if you do not buy in increments of 2.

Another one, some canned Campbells Soups, 4 for $4 or again very small print 1.29 each (must purchase in multiples of 4 to receive the sale price- tag doesn't say that explicitly).

I did notice some DSD Chips (Tostitos, etc.) with a displayed sale of 2 for $8 and still "or $4 each."

I think this Target chain is making an effort to run off customers and complicate the shopping experience these days.

[SamSpade]

Unfortunately Albertsons and Safeway (at least here) have also switched to this practice. So maybe quantity is the "new normal" in shelf-stable goods. *sigh*

[Romr123]

They seemed to start this with Starbucks ground coffee about a year ago...one item at regular price, 2/$12

[Super S]

Fred Meyer has been doing this on pop. If they advertise 4 12 Packs for $12, you must buy 4. Otherwise you are charged regular price instead of $3.00 each. (plus you have to deal with the card BS to get the sale price)

Target historically never required a minimum quantity for sale prices...grocery or otherwise. This seems like a very odd move to me.

[bayford]

I've been seeing more and more grocery chains here in Minnesota running these sorts of sales. Hy-Vee, Coborn's, and Super One are, don't know if Cub is, yet. Dollar General does this as well.

[storewanderer]

I've been seeing more and more grocery chains here in Minnesota running these sorts of sales. Hy-Vee, Coborn's, and Super One are, don't know if Cub is, yet. Dollar General does this as well.

Yes, Dollar General, Family Dollar, and the drugstore chains all run sales like this....

This is not typical for grocery aside from very category specific sales (like soda or chips) but even those sales will usually advertise it like "1.99 each when you buy 3" as opposed to "3 for 5.97 or (in microscopic print) 2.99 each."

[bayford]

This is not typical for grocery aside from very category specific sales (like soda or chips) but even those sales will usually advertise it like "1.99 each when you buy 3" as opposed to "3 for 5.97 or (in microscopic print) 2.99 each."

I've seen it in more than just soda and chips at two of the three chains I mentioned (examples from this week's ads below). However, unlike what Target is doing, the way it's being presented on the tag on the shelf is with an explicit "WHEN YOU BUY X" or "MUST BUY X TO RECEIVE DISCOUNT" in capital letters underneath the X for $Y sales price.

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[mjhale]

I'm wondering if this is coming from retailers to drive volume? Or is it coming from manufacturers who are trying to drive purchasing volume from retailers and in turn retailers have to require minimum purchases to get back that volume at the retail level?

Safeway and Giant-MD are doing this sort of thing here on the east coast. So far I have only seen it on cereal, granola bars and oatmeal. It works out good if you have a $1.00 or $1.50 off coupon for the items in question. General Mills seems to have a lot of those sort of digital coupons floating around.

[storewanderer]

Very interesting. Out west this is not happening on general center store categories beyond the vendor soda/chips. For example today Safeway had Post Cereals small boxes 3 for $5 (regular 6.49 each; small boxes), 1 box is 1.67. A couple weeks ago Safeway had various boxes of General Mills Cereals small boxes 2 for $5 (regular 6.49 each.......) and again 1 box came up 1.50.

This week I purchased various sale Thanksgiving items from Smiths, Save Mart, and Scolaris that were tagged at "2 for $5" or "3 for $6" or whatever, and everything scanned at the 2.50, 2.00, etc. price points just like it always has.

[bayford]

The common denominator from what I've seen is that the products being subject to this pricing are center store name brands from the big conglomerates - specifically, in my case, General Mills, Kellogg's, and Kraft Heinz. Never any private labels. Target seems to fit in line with this pattern? Besides Campbell's, I see they are also running these sales on Mondelez and Unilever products.