Cheap Batteries!
I was in Rite Aid last week, and quickly scanned the ad. I noticed that Duracell batteries were on sale for 2 packages (e.g. 4 AA/AAA or 2 C/D)/$6, plus they had a $1 coupon off 2 packages, limit 1. (There was no stated limit on the sale price.) I decided to get 2 packages, and headed for the battery section. When I got there I discovered that they also had a variable rebate:
$3 for a $10+ battery purchase or
$6 for a $14+ battery purchase or
$10 for a $20+ battery purchase.
Two packages would cost $8.98 retail, $6 sale, $5 after coupon. I had no idea which amount would be used for calculating the rebate value, so I began running through different options in my mind, with different size packages (trying to determine if any of the larger packs were more cost effect than the smaller sale packs). Complicating things were two issues: 1) I was in a rush, and 2) I wasn't sure they'd honor the sale price on more than two packs. In fact, I was pretty sure they wouldn't.
I ended up grabbing 5 packages (I'm not sure how I came to that number), and checked out. They rang up the batteries, and the way their register works, it was unclear what price things were ringing up for. The coupon didn't ring up right either - the register didn't seem to accept it, so the clerk had to do an override.
When the purchase went through, I wasn't sure what they had charged me. It wasn't until I got home that I had a chance to analyze the receipt and found that they had charged each pack at $3, as desired, plus taken off $4.49, the retail price of a package, instead of $1, for the coupon.
With great curiousity, I submitted the rebate online, and just this morning found out that it's a $6 rebate.
The final cost on these batteries is as follows:
$11.77 (including tax, after coupon) - $6 (rebate) = 5.77, or $0.2885 per battery. Usually when I buy batteries I get them for around $0.50+tax, so I'm pleased.