It all depends on what your buying and also on Knowing the prices at other stores.

The local Publix Grocery usually puts a lot of things on BOGO and they rotate through about a 12 week cycle..my grandfather owned a grocery store and this is standard..everything usually goes on sale at least once every 12 weeks.

I stock up on 12 weeks worth but ONLY if the individual price is now lower than the generic discount brand AND if it is something I use.

Usually I have plenty of Del Monte vegetables that on BOGO cost less per can than Wal-Marts house brand.

And if you don't like Del-Monte next week it might be Green Giant on BOGO then next week Libbys.

Amy Dac..(sorry can't spell it) also known as "The Frugal Zealot" and her idea for a "Price Book" is a vast help keeping track of things.

~ Roland

In many grocery stores, you can get the b1g1 free deal even if you only buy ONE of a given item. It is quite awesome - provided you know it's a good deal and it's something you'd buy anyway.

I just take one of whatever I need that's on b1g1, and if it doesn't ring up at half the b1g1 price, I don't buy it unless it's at least as good a deal was what I would pay without the promotion (sometimes it is... and sometimes it's not).

BOGO is usually a better deal than any other discount at the grocery store. Why? It's 50% off. You often see items on the store shelves marked down 10%, 20% or so, but unless it's on clearance you rarely see 50%.

Also, sometimes there are BOGO manufacturer's coupons. If you combine a BOGO coupon with a BOGO sale, most stores will give you the two items for free. For reals!

You're right - the key really is in being aware of what a "good" price for each item is. The stores (and now apparently housing developers) are counting on consumers being uninformed and carried away by the thrill of getting an item on SALE. I often look at the BOGO or the 10 for $10 deals, and walk right by because on another day these same items would be on sale for much less.

the important place to look is the price per unit (either per item, per pound, ounce, gallon, etc). the stores I go to break this down and I see where the real deals are, but if your store doesn't, please invest some time to learning simple math. B1G1 may not be the best, but it's not worth ignoring outright.

They trick us with these sales....I now know what to avoid.

Thanks

I think Buy One, Get One deals at the supermarket are great if (and only if) you can guarantee there will be no waste.

Food Lion often has Buy One, Get One deals on items like big bags of chicken tenderloins, canned goods, and frozen veggies. I think BOGO deals on anything that you can stow away or freeze for later usage that you KNOW you'll need is a good buy.

I live alone, and it's tough cooking for one person without creating a lot of waste. So I love stocking up on things that can be frozen or re-sealed and rationed out later.

There is nothing evil about making a profit. Those that keep their eyes open don't get ripped off.

It's rather simple: Buyer Beware.

If you're fooled by ancient marketing gimmicks, you did fall off that turnip truck.

When I used to change prices for Kroger, I'd often notice this pattern: One week, we'd get a sticker raising a price (like from 2.29 to 2.79). The next week, that item would go B1G1F. After that sale ended, it would go back to the original price. It's still a decent savings, but it wasn't really B1G1F.

At my current employer, we do real B1G1F, without playing with the base selling price.

But it just goes back to what others have said: pay attention to unit pricing and whether it's a good deal on an item you would use anyway.

One last thing: FWIW, these deals almost always come from the manufacturer of the product, not the retailer. The retailer gets a deal on purchasing the product, or a rebate on units sold, in exchange for providing the deal. If the deal is successful, both the retailer and the manufacturer win long-term with increased sales.

Some stores (like CVS, Rite Aid, etc.) will allow two coupons, one per item even though the second one rings up as $0.00. My local grocery store won't take that second coupon, and I've noticed they raise the "sale" price when a product goes BOGO. At the drugstores, however, I can reduce the out-of-pocket price dramatically by using two coupons on the one price.

And for the commenter above who paid double at CVS--when that happens, you need to say something right away at the register. Just have them void the transaction and go back and find the correct item. Sometimes they haven't put the tags on the shelf to make it easier to identify which size/variety is BOGO.

For non-perishable items that one uses regularly, BOGO is definitely a bargain. Houses? Maybe not so much. But BOGO works for your milk example, too. Milk freezes just fine (though it takes a full day to thaw out!). Freezing it means those "use by" dates will make you crazy, but a black Sharpie takes care of that.

This article was really informative, i guess that the word FREE doesn't always mean FREE! I am so suckered in by that work though, even more than the word Sale.

Nice to know that i shouldn't splash out everything i *think* I am getting a good deal. Thanks for the post!