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7.1 SUPERMARKET VS. DISCOUNT DEPARTMENT STORES, NON-FOOD ITEMS; COMPARISON SHOPPING

Non-food items usually cost more in supermarkets than at discount department stores. But just how much are you really saving? Is it worth the extra time and driving to make a separate trip? We checked our local discount supermarket vs. the local discount department store, which is another 20 minutes drive from us. At the supermarket we found that most soaps and household paper goods such as paper towels were very competitively priced and sometimes cost even less. However, other items were a good deal more. There was also much less selection so that we were often forced to buy name brand products in small quantity packages. Here is a list of what we found.

Item                   Supermarket   Disc. Dept. Store   Savings
==================================================================
Car Oil (Havoline)       $1.49         $1.12               25%
Video Tape (160-VHS)     $2.99         $2.33               22%
Paper Tissues (Kleenex)  $1.12          $.88               21%
Light bulbs (4-60 watt)  $2.39          $.88               63%
Envelopes (100-large)    $2.18          $.99               55%
===================================================================
                    Average difference = 37%

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Free Budget Calculators
Loans, Insurance, Cash Flow, Irregular Payments
Generic Vs. Name Brand Products
Brown Bagging Lunch