So, is this Our Kendrick then?
Dear Economist,
A single Milky Way costs 20p in my local corner shop. A twin pack costs 47p. I’ve made a habit of checking the prices in other shops and a twin pack invariably costs more than two singles. What could be the cause of this apparent madness?
The madness in pricing, that is, not the madness of a twenty-something compulsively checking the price of children’s sweets.
Kendrick Curtis, via e-mail
Know any other Kendrick Curtises?
Update: Milky Way twin packs are now 52p in that corner shop, and singles remain at 20p.
Perhaps our savvy corner shop owner might suspect them to be giffen, or even Veblen, goods?
You could always just buy two singles?
As to why they cost more – no idea, buy a Bounty.
The two pack is a luxury and you always pay more for a luxury.
And no child wants a single pack.
If only you knew how bad North American chocolate is – you would be happy with one bite.
Will Rhodes: I agree about North American chocolate- why do Hershey Bars have a grainy texture?
Could the 52p price for two be a cunning plan by Dawn Primarolo our Public Health Minister to dissuade binge choccing?
I’ve seen similar wacky pricing in my local supermarket, but in the opposite direction. A single bottle of Stella Artois costs around ₡800, or about 80p, whereas a six-pack in a cardboard carton costs around ₡3600, or £3.60. Needless to say I do not buy Stella in less than multiples of six.
I noticed the other day in Tescos, the french ground coffee I buy is 70p for a small pack, but the large pack (twice the size) which I’d previously assumed was cheaper is in fact over £3!
I think it’s a con – they guess, correctly, that a lot of people cannot or will not check the prices and actually calculate the per/g cost of the item, and those people will /assume/ the bigger pack is better value and so the shop can sell them less for more money.
Bastards.
As time goes on and school standards drop more, I expect to see more and more of this. Lucky I’m old enough to have actually been taught to do mental arithmetic!! 🙂
Zorro.