"Play the Guess the Price Game"....

I got an email this morning with that header on it. I didn't bother reading the email, as I had already played that game yesterday at our local Lowe's.........

If you haven't guessed, this is a *slight* rant.

Mark has been making bases for some of his tools in his woodshop. In the process, he needs some lag bolts, screws, nuts, and washers. After Michelle and I went to WalMart's for groceries yesterday, I called Mark on my cell phone to get his list of needed hardware.

As we spoke on the phone, I was able to grab each item. Here is the list I got.....

12 - 1/4"x6" lag bolts
16- 1/4"x 1 1/4" lag bolts
28- 1/4" washers for the bolts listed above

I was diligent to copy the item numbers for each of the pieces, even though Mark told me no one ever does this. He said the clerks can look up the numbers in a book they keep at the registers. I also wrote the price of the pieces off to the side so that I could make sure we were in the same ballpark.

When I went up to pay, the 6" lags were 52 cents each, as opposed to the 47 cents I wrote down.
The 1 1/4" lags were 14 cents each, instead of 13 cents, and the washers were 8 cents instead of 7 cents. Even though I was a little put off by this, Mark told me not to worry, as he needed these things and he would deal with it later. I realize that in all actuality I paid *only* $1.04 more.

Now, here is the "kicker"...

Mark recalled (after I had returned home from Lowe's) that Tractor Supply had some good prices on hardware. So, this morning, he called TS to ask about prices. Get this, lag bolts are priced at $2.69 per pound, and screws, nuts and washers are priced at $1.69 per pound. Mark sent Ben to the basement to weigh the Lowe's bag....it weighed in at a "hefty" one pound, two ounces.

If we multiply 1#, 2 oz. by the higher price of $2.69, we get 1.125 x 2.69= $3.03. Now this is the higher of the two prices, and the washers are priced at $1.59 a pound. I paid 12 x .52, 16 x .14, and 28 x .08, for a total of $6.24 + 2.24 + 2.24 = $10.72, plus tax. I paid a GRAND total of $11.48.

Tractor Supply.........remember, I am doing this at the highest price, which is wrong. $3.25
Lowe's........................................This is the ACTUAL price I paid!!!!................................. $11.48

I could buy a combo lunch at Wendy's with the difference!

Oh, and if you are doing any renovations in your home, the price of drywall screws at Tractor Supply ALSO blows away the price at Lowe's. Our Tractor Supply always has some older gentlemen around to help out, too, whereas Lowe's is famous for hiring clueless youngsters. I realize that kids need jobs, but it is sometimes so frustrating to have to call the manufacturers themselves to get answers, as our local home improvement center cannot provide the info! (Especially on the WEEKEND!)