I have had many conversations with many customers who really get annoyed about multibuys. It was after one of these such conversations recently had, I decided it was time to put my oppinion and a few facts some may not be aware of on the subject.

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can be one of the best deals a customer can get in the supermarket. I have many multibuy offers in my Bakery department each week. The manufacturer of the bread will do a deal with the supermaket and they actually are the ones that come up with the price. For example lets call a bread MUM's for an example. Say a loaf of Mum's bread at normal sell price will cost you $4.49. The multibuy usually will sell at 2 for $6.00. So for an extra $1.51 you will get 2 loaves instead of one. Of course if it was NOT on special and you bought two loaves it would cost you $8.98. Therefore the savings by buying the two loaves is actually $2.98. Most of us use more than one loaf a week. Most of us have room in the freezer, so why then wouldn't you buy the special. I have had specials as good as 1 cent extra for the second loaf. The cost of the single is $4.49 but take two and it costs $4.50. And it only registers when the second or whatever the mulibuy amount of items is reached. This is because the register is linked to a computer and the discount comes off after the items are scanned. One fact many consumers are not aware of is that once the original offer is reached you can then buy odd amounts and recieve a part of the discount. For example is if you bought 3 loaves of bread when the multibuy is a 2 for offer, you will recieve a portion off the third loaf of bread. You don't need to buy 4 loaves to get a discount. Now I can kind of understand when some of my customers say they won't buy an item because it is a multibuy and they only want one loaf. And on principle they won't buy a mutlibuy.  And the whole point I want to make is that it is YOUR own choice. No one makes you buy more than you want. I always have single price point specials as well as multibuys. 

I mean come on if it's one cent more. Which of course isn't really the case because one cent doesn't really exsist in our society. If it were me and I really couldn't use the extra loaf I would get it anyway and give it to someone else.     

Oh by the way the most bizzare part of the conversation with this customer I was telling you about was she really just wanted to have a winge and didn't really want to hear anything but her own point of view. Because on this particular week I had a really unusal special. You see this bread that she wanted to buy was both a multibuy and a single price point special at the same time. It was about 70 cent saving of the normal price to buy one. But if you bought two the savings was even greater than twice the 70 cents. I think from memory it was around a $3.18 savings. Now the whole conversation started because as I was putting up bread I heard this loud sigh. So I politely asked if there was anything I could help her with. Thinking that she couldn't find a particular product. She went on to tell me that she preferred how when she went into a little store the bread was the same price and never varied (by this meaning it never went on special), I don't have to think about anything she said. Then going on to telling me she didn't want two loaves of bread. Of course I politley pointed out that I had many breads that were single price savings. She then proceeded to tell me she wanted this particular brand of bread. At which point I showed her that it was on the two type special. Something I had only had happen once before in my three years of being the bakery manager, although it does happen regularly in the grocery department I am told. So she would still get a dicount buying one loaf, which doesn't normally happen with the multibuy. Still not a happy lady. Because wait for it, but I get a better saving by getting two. Yes that's correct I said. But your forcing me into buying two she says. No were not. You can buy just the one if you choose to. And you will still get a discount. 

My whole point is at the end of the day, it IS the consumer that has the final say as to what product goes into their own basket ot trolley. I have bread in my department that is an everyday low price of just $1.49 all the time. And the same grain one is $1.79. It's a plain brand product, it's made in my own state, not imported. It does not keep as long as some of the others as it contains NO preservatives, hey that's not such a bad thing, anyway it never last long in our house. We got through nearly a loaf a day. It is made for our company by one of the major bread suppliers in my state. When my customers are looking for a good buy I always point this product out. I use it for my own family. It far beats any of my other specials, price wise. Sure there are some much more tasty breads out in the market. But to me for my family bread is bread. The bottom line for me is value for money. But having said all of that I still sometimes buy a premium type bread when it is a fantastic multibuy.

They (Multibuys) in my own oppinion are one of the best bargains, appart from clearances and markdowns that you will find in the supermarket. So I say to anyone who says it's a matter of principle, that's fine as long as you don't cut your nose off to spite your face. Keep your options open. If you want to buy a product because that's what you like the go ahead do it. You ARE the one in control.

I of course watch most things on t.v when it comes to supermarkets, products etc. And the one thing I find most amusing is the one about how the supermarket control what you consume. Absolute rubbish. If I want a product and I can't get from my own shop. Then I will get it from somewhere else. I am in control of what I buy. The supermarkets only have control of what goes on their shelves. However at the end of the day they will have on the shelf what the consumer wants. I know this is going a little off track, when I was talking about multibuys. If you want something and your supermarket doesn't stock it anymore, request it. It doesn't mean you'll get it. BUT you won't if you don't ask.   I think maybe that subect is better left for another article. Just remember at the end of the day it is your hard earned money that you are handing over. My advice is get the most for your buck. And the best advice anyone will ever give you where it comes to shopping is NEVER, EVER go shopping without a list. You are then more likely to impulse buy.

 Happy shopping and look out for those Multibuys, they really are good value, in my oppinion.