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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Why BOGOF? Why not half price...???

29 replies

flootshoot · 09/04/2010 16:41

Was looking at suncream earlier for DS. It was £12 (£12! but that's another thread...). It was 'buy one get one free'. But I don't want two, I want one. Why not just sell them for £6 - tis the same difference surely? You'd probably shift more that way anyway. And do they order even numbers of everything on BOGOF deals? What if there's only one left? Why am I so bothered by this? I think I have supermarket madness.........!

OP posts:

Goingspare · 09/04/2010 16:43

Because it incorporates the word 'free', which probably presses more buttons than 'half-price'.

And yes, the price of sun cream...

AMumInScotland · 09/04/2010 16:43

You might well find they are only £6 each in another shop anyway - I have a serious doubt about a lot of BOGOF deals. DH was shopping today and got unsmoked bacon at £1.50 a pack. The same stuff but smoked was there as "buy one get one free", but at £3.00 the pack....

Fel1x · 09/04/2010 16:43

its so people take 2 at 12 pounds rather than 1 at 6 pounds. simple

Original poster

flootshoot · 09/04/2010 16:47

When I rule the world they will be banned. Just remembered DH once tried to argue when there was only one item left that was on a BOGOF that he should get it for half price and they wouldn't sell it to him at all. Madness.

OP posts:

LetThereBeRock · 09/04/2010 16:49

I may be having a brunette moment but why would they want to order odd numbers of an item which is BOGOF?

If there are 50 of that item on that shelf and it's BOGOF then surely people will take two of them,meaning 25 people get that offer.
If they order 51 of the item then 25 people get the deal and one person is left with one bottle even though the item is on special and they should be able to have two for the price of one.

Mrsdoasyouwouldbedoneby · 09/04/2010 16:50

It frustrates me more that they sometimes do both, but different products. So some half price, and some bogof.

Also annoying when multipacks are actually more expensive than buying 2 or more smaller packs of the same product.

So for eg, you can get a multipack of tinned sweetcorn in one store (pack of 3), but it is actually CHEAPER to buy 3 individual tins (of the same brand and type).

muggglewump · 09/04/2010 16:51

Because you will buy two because of the bargain and then become more familiar with the brand than had you only bought one and be more likely to buy it again.

KurriKurri · 09/04/2010 16:52

It is madness - I would never want two bottles of suncream at once - I use a lot, but one bottle lasts ages, and it goes off I think. I hate attempts to force me to buy stuff I don't want.

W.H.Smiths is a prime example, whenever I go in for a Radio Times, I get asked if I want a cheapo chocolate orange or something. Why??? why would I? there is no relationship between those items.

CarGirl · 09/04/2010 16:57

It's to do with turnover. One of the financial indicators that one looks at to see how a company is performing is to do with turnover and ermm something else both of which want a high quantity of sales and high amount of ££££££££££££££ through the till rather than just the amount of profit made.

It was iceland that introduced BOGOFs and the company share prices soared because of how it changed the financial stats.

Goingspare · 09/04/2010 16:57

I sometimes end up not buying something at all because I don't want two of it and don't want to pay full price when there's a half-price offer on, illogical as that may be.

muggglewump · 09/04/2010 17:04

I like BOGOFs, but then I'm a canny shopper and will only buy two if it will keep and be used.
I like any bargain really but I'm not so daft as to pay more or buy something I don't want just because it appears cheaper.

cyb · 09/04/2010 17:06

you lot need to get out more

Goingspare · 09/04/2010 17:08

Can't argue with that.

KurriKurri · 09/04/2010 17:12

That's so true Cyb

cyb · 09/04/2010 17:15

lol at Whsmiths and their chocolate orange obsession

muggglewump · 09/04/2010 17:15

I hate it when other people are right.

I got so excited at the BOGOF on Ariel liquitabs last time I did an Asda Online.

Kinda sums up my life really, a bit boring and nowt better to do then the washing.

Original poster

flootshoot · 09/04/2010 17:17

cyb, I do go out. But often it's to the supermarket.........

OP posts:

Bonsoir · 09/04/2010 17:24

Because the retailer wants to make sales...

Kaloki · 09/04/2010 17:37

letthereberock plenty of people will only buy one item even if it is BOGOF (because people are strange)

Also, BOGOF encourages you to be loyal to a brand. The longer you use a brand, the less likely you are to switch. Half price would make it slightly less likely that you would buy the item again, especially if it returned to it's full price.

BOGOF also puts you in a more "oh well, I may as well" mood, rather then an "oh, that's cheaper" mood. Guess which one the shops need more?

Oenopod · 09/04/2010 17:42

Bear in mind that the big stores have maybe (not always) forced their suppliers into 'funding' these promotions. They will sell it to the suppliers as building brand awareness and loyalty in consumers therefore leading to future sales.

More likely is that you will wait for it to be discounted again before buying, or you won't be prepared to pay full price because you can't believe it really costs that much after seeing it discounted.

So the suppliers get shafted again. The supermarket/shop will not be losing out on the deal.

nickelbabe · 09/04/2010 17:47

i run a BOGOF offer and it really does work: people really do see a bargain when they're getting somethign free.
I've had stuff at half-price before and it just doesn't work the same.

Kaloki has the point exactly; we want you to buy more, not to buy the same amount of stuff at half the price.

a half-price picturebook at £2.99 only puts £2.99 in the till, but a BOGOF set of two picturebooks puts £5.99 in the till. the customer sees it the same, but we see twice the money and twice the stuff out of the shop. (those who buy half price will only buy one item, normally)

Itsjustafleshwound · 09/04/2010 17:49

I don't mind BOGOFs (half price is still preferable) - as long as it is non perishable goods that can keep. BOGOFs on soft fruit and end of season clementines ... just no!!

Weren't Tesco thinking of offering vouchers for the 2nd BOGOF offer so the shopper could stagger when the offer was taken up - or was that just one of those stories doing the rounds ?

AngryWasp · 09/04/2010 18:17

What I love is when this happens:

Example

1)Cheese costs £2.50 and is BOGOF

2)Till scanner recognises 2 £2.50 cheeses and that it is BOGOF and so refunds £2.50 to your bill.

3)But you got cheese from bargain bucket where it had been reduced due to sell-by date and so you only paid £1 for each of the 2 cheeses.

Therefore, you paid £2 and got £2.50 back.
You made 50p and got TWO free cheeses!

Original poster

flootshoot · 09/04/2010 18:20

Angrywasp you are obviously some kind of supermarket genius.

I remember years ago there was a guy who worked out that bananas gave more money back in clubcard points than they cost (due to some special offer or something, not sure why exactly). He went into our local Tesco and bought literally every banana on the shelves and stood outside giving them out to passers by for free, having made a tidy profit (that he could only spend in Tesco of course!).

OP posts:

EggyAllenPoe · 09/04/2010 18:28

indeed, angryywasp is right, volume of sales is necessary to make a promo profitable - just half price doesn't generate anythng like the same volume.

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