Paying full price for Tide Laundry Detergent? Here’s
something to consider:
Earlier today, I was at my local Costco. I decided to walk
around while I was waiting for some photos to develop and came across a Tide
display:
88 Loads of Tide Cold Water for $21.59 (originally $24.59).
I saw the price and my jaw dropped. Although there are many
good deals throughout Costco, this was not one of them. Here’s why:
- After taxes (12% HST), the sale-priced Tide costs $24.18.
- Divided by 88 loads, the cost per load of laundry is $0.274.
Versus
- Just this past week, Safeway had a sale on 52 loads of Tide Coldwater for $11.99 (Club Card price; membership is free)
- After taxes, the product cost $13.43 or $0.258 per load. Alternatively, $22.697 for 88 loads if you prefer to compare it to the price of the Costco product.
So the
scales were already in favour of the Safeway price.
Here’s the thing: Safeway
had mailed out to Air Miles subscribers a 50% off Tide Coupon to be used at any
participating Safeway location.
- After using it, the cost before taxes for 52 loads was $5.99 (or $6.71 after taxes).
- Cost per load: $0.129 or $11.35 for 88 loads.
In either
scenario, why would I pay a $55 Costco membership for the privilege of being
charged more for the same product when I can go elsewhere, pay no membership
fee, and get the same product for less? Specifically $12.83 less (not factoring
for the cost of Costco membership)?
Please
don’t get me wrong: There are some great products at Costco that represent good
savings and I am happy to shop there for these items. For example, the
complete set of the Hunger Games is priced at $34.99 plus taxes- this is one of
the lowest prices anywhere. Or Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese (12 pack) for $12.49
(plus taxes) is a great deal over paying $2.50 or more per unit at a regular
grocery store.
All I'm saying is that I won't buy Liquid Tide there! As a Costco shopper, it is really important to identify which products represent savings and stick to those.
Didn’t
get a Safeway coupon for Tide in the mail? Here’s another easy way
to get a similar deal:
Step One:
Order
coupons from Proctor and Gamble Brandsaver. They currently have a “Save $2.00
when you buy any Tide liquid or Tide powder product (excludes 6 load Tide
liquid trial size)”
Step Two:
Watch
flyers for 26 load bottles on sale for $5.99 or less.
Flyers to watch: Shoppers
Drug Mart, Pharmasave, WalMart
Step Three:
Use your
coupon and watch the savings follow. Here is a table that will show you your
savings vis-à-vis the Costco 88 loads pricing (and please keep in mind, Costco’s
regular price is three dollars higher than currently posted given the sale in progress)
26 Loads of Liquid Tide:
$6.99 (or $5.83 after $2.00 coupon and taxes)= $0.224 per load or $19.70 for 88 loads
$5.99 (or $4.71 after $2.00 coupon and taxes)= $0.181 per load or $15.92 for 88 loads
$4.99 (or $3.59 after $2.00 coupon and taxes)= $0.138 per load or $12.13 for 88 loads
Moral of the story: always check cost-per-unit of products when shopping at wholesale stores such as Costco. After all, you probably went there with the intention of saving money.
