Food/Groceries

Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Thanks for Nothing #4

We continue our series of offers, which upon closer scrutiny, offer less than expected.

Example 1:

Supermarkets have become fond of advertising 10 for $10 deals. But this deal from a New York supermarket chain falls a little short.

10 for $10

*MOUSE PRINT:

The bulbs are indeed 10 for $10, but you can only buy four it seems. Thanks for nothing, Shop Rite.

Example 2:

Speaking of buying larger quantities, we’ve always been taught that when you buy in bulk, you can often save money.

Kidde

*MOUSE PRINT:

At Amazon, you can buy a two pack of detectors for the price of three single ones. That’s right, one is $15 and two are $47. Whatta deal. Thanks for nothing, Amazon.

Example 3:

Speaking of deals, Best Buy is seemingly offering an LG stainless steel dishwasher for an unheard of $199 in this ad:

Best Buy

*MOUSE PRINT:

The dishwasher is not $199 as it first appears. That’s the price for the microwave. So, how much is the dishwasher? Who knows. Thanks for nothing, Best Buy.

Example 4:

A few weeks ago, we got Lowe’s to pull a TV commercial which promised 20% off major appliances, but according to the fine print, virtually every major brand was only a maximum of 10% off (except where noted). Now fast forward to this past Labor Day when Lowe’s upped the phantom discount to as high as 35% off.

Lowe's

*MOUSE PRINT:

The fine print disclaimer in this commercial, just like the other ads, says:

Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana, GE, LG, Samsung, Frigidaire, Electrolux, and Bosch brands limited to a maximum 10% discount unless otherwise shown.

So again, virtually all the major brands are not 35% off. In fact, a review of their website reveals that of the 200 dishwashers offered for sale, only one was 35% or more off the regular price. Thanks for nothing, Lowe’s.

If you find a good example of a “Thanks for Nothing”-type offer, please pass on a screenshot of the ad to edgar (at symbol) mouseprint.org .

Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Walmart Drops Price Match Guarantee in 100s of Stores

Since May, Walmart has been quietly discontinuing its price match guarantee (“Ad Match”) in hundreds of stores nationwide. This is a marked change from a policy the company promoted for years in TV commercials like this:



When one goes online to Walmart.com these days to read their terms of their policies, this is all they say about matching prices in stores:

*MOUSE PRINT:

Check with your local store for additional details on the price match policy.

Walmart spokesperson John Forrest Ales told us recently that “more than 200 but less than 1000” stores are affected nationwide. He said that in place of the price guarantee, they are instituting “long term rollbacks.” That means that thousands of items, mostly groceries and consumables, are going to have lower everyday prices, with no set expiration date. Large blue signs are being posted in stores where Ad Match is no longer available.

Walmart sign
from WhatsYourDeal

How can you get around the discontinuation of their price match policy? You can still use their Ad Match app to scan your store receipt and automatically be entitled to any lower prices the app can find. Secondly, their price match policy still applies to purchases at Walmart.com and stores not participating in the new lower prices campaign.

Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

As Seen on TV: Philips Airfryer — Only $49.95?

In infomercials and on a website, Philips is advertising a kitchen appliance called the Airfryer, which uses hot air to “fry” food. They call it an “oil-less fryer” but you really have to add some oil to food like freshly cut french fries for it to work.

The ads for the Airfryer offer it at a price of $49.95 with a 30-day “risk-free” trial… and if you don’t like it, you can get your money back.

Airfryer

Airfryer TV ad

But is $49.95 the real price of the item?

*MOUSE PRINT:

fine print

In type only slightly larger than this, at the bottom of their website, the truth is revealed. The price of the fryer is not $49.95 — it is four times that — $199.80 because you are required to make three more payments of $49.95 if you want to keep it. Yet, to many, the price of the appliance looked like it might have been $49.95 total.

Adding insult to injury, it costs 25 bucks to ship this unit to you, and that is not refundable if you return it.

It’s no accident that Philips hides the real price of the Airfryer, but do they have to get cagey about what your $49.95 really buys you?