Buy 3 Items - Get Cheapest One Free - Watchout

[Mossycat]

In the run up to Christmas many stores will run the promotion buy 3 items marked with a sticker and get the cheapest one free. Boots and Sainsbury's are already doing this now, but be careful how you pay for them.

 

If you are only buying 3 items it's OK, the cheapest will be free, however if you buy more than 3 you might want to pay for them seperately......

 

The software at the POS (Point of Sale) will know which items are on this promotion and it will make the cheapest one free, except consider this

 

If you buy 3 items worth £20 each, cheapest one free is £20 you pay £40 in total, all well and good.

 

If you buy 6 items, 3 at £20 and 3 at £5, the software will make the two cheapest items free (ie those at £5) so you will pay £65 in total for all 6. If you ask for them to be tilled up seperately and put the 3 at £20 through and then pay for them (£40) and then do the next 3 items (the ones at £5) then pay for them (£10), you will still have all 6 items but you will only have paid £50 for them.

 

It's worth arranging the items in this promotion into 3's according to value (highest first), and paying for them seperately.

 

Mossy

[SharpmanTF1]

good tip

[Weird Al Yankovic]

In the run up to Christmas many stores will run the promotion buy 3 items marked with a sticker and get the cheapest one free. Boots and Sainsbury's are already doing this now, but be careful how you pay for them.

 

If you are only buying 3 items it's OK, the cheapest will be free, however if you buy more than 3 you might want to pay for them seperately......

 

The software at the POS (Point of Sale) will know which items are on this promotion and it will make the cheapest one free, except consider this

 

If you buy 3 items worth £20 each, cheapest one free is £20 you pay £40 in total, all well and good.

 

If you buy 6 items, 3 at £20 and 3 at £5, the software will make the two cheapest items free (ie those at £5) so you will pay £65 in total for all 6. If you ask for them to be tilled up seperately and put the 3 at £20 through and then pay for them (£40) and then do the next 3 items (the ones at £5) then pay for them (£10), you will still have all 6 items but you will only have paid £50 for them.

 

It's worth arranging the items in this promotion into 3's according to value (highest first), and paying for them seperately.

 

Mossy

 

Don't know where you got this from and 3 for 2 offers run all year round, not just Christmas, and the two stores you happen to mention I use often.

 

I'm afraid you are incorrect with your advice here.

 

The 3 for 2 offers are specific to those particular products and cannot be interchanged with other 3 for 2 offers and the barcode will relate this.

 

[SharpmanTF1]

The 3 for 2 offers are specific to those particular products and cannot be interchanged with other 3 for 2 offers and the barcode will relate this.

 

if that was the case then why would it say cheapest one free?

[Weird Al Yankovic]

if that was the case then why would it say cheapest one free?

 

Because in Sainsburys, for example, there could be a 3 for 2 offer on Colgate products, ie toothpaste, mouth wash, toothbrushes, floss etc etc.

 

Also, there could be a 3 for 2 offer with Fosters lager.

 

You don't buy 2 slabs of Fosters and 1 pack of Colgate toothpaste and get the toothpaste free!!

 

The offers are 3 for 2 specific to those products. The above example does not qualify as one would only have purchased 2 of one promotion and 1 of the other!!

:D

[barracad]

Boots do this specifically at Christmas, on all items with a specific label on them (a purple gift sticker I believe). The 3 for 2 applies to all items with this sticker on, it's not restricted to particular brands or combinations. From what the OP has posted I guess Sainsburys do something similar.

[saintly_1]

In boots though the 3 for 2 offers at xmas are the ones with a gift box and it is possible to do as mossycat says ... I know I usually divide purchases between myself and Mr Saintly to maximise the savings

[SharpmanTF1]

so the OPs tip still stands in principal.

 

in your example for instance the colgate products. not all colgate products cost the same. so for arguments sake I wanted to buy some stuff for christmas stocking fillers. 3 tubes of tooth paste and 3 tooth brushes and 3 bottles of mouth wash. you'd put the most expensive through first pay for it, then the next and so on. so it would work in theory, altho in this case it would probably be pennies save. but every penny counts these days.

[HSBCrusher]

I always break up my 3 for 2 purchases, I have found that otherwise the two cheapest come off instead of the 6th and 3rd.

[Weird Al Yankovic]

so the OPs tip still stands in principal.

 

in your example for instance the colgate products. not all colgate products cost the same. so for arguments sake I wanted to buy some stuff for christmas stocking fillers. 3 tubes of tooth paste and 3 tooth brushes and 3 bottles of mouth wash. you'd put the most expensive through first pay for it, then the next and so on. so it would work in theory, altho in this case it would probably be pennies save. but every penny counts these days.

 

Yes, but you will always get the cheapest item free. So if the thoothbrushes are free then you would get 3 for nothing on the purchases you describe.

 

But one would need to check the prices of all three different products of that brand to determine the best combination at the checkout.

[HSBCrusher]

if you split the purchases up into three batches at the same price then you would save more money

[Weird Al Yankovic]

Boots do this specifically at Christmas, on all items with a specific label on them (a purple gift sticker I believe). The 3 for 2 applies to all items with this sticker on, it's not restricted to particular brands or combinations. From what the OP has posted I guess Sainsburys do something similar.

 

They may do it more often at Christmas but that doesn't mean they do not do it at other times. It is only 33% off in reality and 50% offers are weekly.

 

I bought 3 Dove products back in August where 1 was free from Boots-hardly Xmas time!

 

And I'm afraid you are wrong-one would not be able to buy two Dove 3 for 2 on offer and combine it with, say, just one Nicorette 3 for 2.

 

You would be charged full price on the two Dove products and full price on the one Nicorette product as you are not entering into the promotion of those products as you are not buying 3 of each.

[Mossycat]

Sorry I thought my OP made it clear, it's the XMAS promotions I was referring to (Sainsbury's have a whole range of gifts all marked with a little box and bow), they range in price from £25 to £3.

 

They allow you to choose any 3 items (regardless of price) and you get the cheapest free. All I was saying was watch how you pay for them because that affects which ones are classed as 'free'.

 

I was NOT referring to the everyday promotions that are on household items.

 

Mossy

Edited October 24, 2008 by Mossycat

[saintly_1]

Sorry I thought my OP made it clear, it's the XMAS promotions I was referring to (Sainsbury's have a whole range of gifts all marked with a little box and bow), they range in price from £25 to £3.

 

I was NOT referring to the everyday promotions that are on household items.

 

Mossy

Thats exactly what I thought you were refering to ( the xmas promotions)

[Mossycat]

Thats exactly what I thought you were refering to ( the xmas promotions)

 

Yes but I did try to hide it and disguise it by opening the thread with the following words

 

"In the run up to Christmas many stores will run the promotion buy 3 items marked with a sticker"

 

As opposed to

 

"All year round stores offer BOGOF's and other such promotions"

 

Then more cunningly it went on to say

 

"It's worth arranging the items in this promotion"

 

As opposed to

 

"Do this with as many different brand promotions as you can cos they will never spot it and the barcodes mean diddly squat"

 

 

:-D:-D

 

Mossy

Edited October 24, 2008 by Mossycat

[saintly_1]

Yes but I did try to hide it and disguise it by opening the thread with the following words

 

"In the run up to Christmas many stores will run the promotion buy 3 items marked with a sticker"

 

As opposed to

 

"All year round stores offer BOGOF's and other such promotions"

 

:-D:-D

 

Mossy

 

It was very subtle ;-)

[Weird Al Yankovic]

Yes but I did try to hide it and disguise it by opening the thread with the following words

 

"In the run up to Christmas many stores will run the promotion buy 3 items marked with a sticker"

 

Sorry, but I just recall that any 3 for 2 offer at those two stores at any time of year are always 'marked with a sticker.'

How else would you know otherwise?

 

As opposed to

 

"All year round stores offer BOGOF's and other such promotions"

 

But it is an 'other such promotion.' It just so happens the Christmas 3 for 2 has a pretty purple sticker instead of, say, a sunshine sticker for 3 for 2 offers in June!

 

Then more cunningly it went on to say

 

"It's worth arranging the items in this promotion"

 

'This' promotion is obviously specific to whatever brand is involved in a 3 for 2 promotion.

As there could be some 200 or so brands involved then surely it is wise to point out to other members that 'this' promotion is specific only to the actual offer of that same brand.

SharpmanTF1 was clearly as confused with your OP as I was. As was barracad.

 

 

 

As opposed to

 

"Do this with as many different brand promotions as you can cos they will never spot it and the barcodes mean diddly squat"

 

AS above, re barracad.

 

 

:-D:-D

 

Mossy

 

 

:D:D:D:D

[barracad]

Sorry Al but I'm neither confused nor wrong - the Christmas 3 for 2 gift offer can be mixed across all products and brands, so long as they display the Christmas gift label. So you could, for example, buy a child's scooter, a fajita dinner set, and a perfume gift set. As each are part of the Christmas promo, whichever item is cheapest would be free, despite them being completely different items and brands. You can see full details of this on the Boots website.

 

There's only one person on this thread who appears to be confused.

[tiglet]

Make that two - I'm now confused by all of the confusion

[SharpmanTF1]

Originally Posted by SharpmanTF1

so the OPs tip still stands in principal.

 

in your example for instance the colgate products. not all colgate products cost the same. so for arguments sake I wanted to buy some stuff for christmas stocking fillers. 3 tubes of tooth paste and 3 tooth brushes and 3 bottles of mouth wash. you'd put the most expensive through first pay for it, then the next and so on. so it would work in theory, altho in this case it would probably be pennies save. but every penny counts these days.

 

 

Me thinks your argument is flawed.

 

Yes, but you will always get the cheapest item free. So if the thoothbrushes are free then you would get 3 for nothing on the purchases you describe.

 

But one would need to check the prices of all three different products of that brand to determine the best combination at the checkout.

 

for example:

toothpaste @ 2.50

mouthwash @ 3.00

toothbrush @ .99p

 

put thru 3x mouthwash @3.00 = 9.00 minus 3.00 for the offer total 6.00 pay for it

put thru 3x toothpast @2.50 = 7.50 minus 2.50 for offer total 5.00 pay for it

put thru 3x tooth brush @.99p = 2.97 minus .99p for offer total 1.98 pay for it

 

so in this scenario basket total would be 12.98

 

as opposed to

 

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

--------

19.47

- offer [email protected] =2.97

 

basket after offer

..19.47

- 2.97

-------

16.50

 

Is that correct, could any one point out if my maths is crap (old fart - never was good at maths at school)

[HSBCrusher]

you are exactly right with your maths Sharpman.

 

thank you mossy for your tip, I am sure that everyone (nearly everyone) understands this method of saving some extra money.

[SharpmanTF1]

originaly posted by Weird Al Yankovic

- SharpmanTF1 was clearly as confused with your OP as I was. As was barracad.

 

well somebody is confused and I don't think it's us:)

[Mossycat]

The only person confused on this post is you Weird Al Yankovic.

 

You said that you shopped at the 2 stores I mentioned, have you never seen the Christmas Mix and Match.

 

The clue is in the Mix and Match, where you Mix items from different manufacturers/brands to Match your requirements, which is why all the items included in that promotion have a sticker indicating that the customer can do this.

 

If you have seen this promotion then you cannot argue any further.

 

If you haven't seen this promotion then you don't know what you are talking about and shouldn't argue until you have and you know what you are talking about, then when you have seen it you cannot argue any further.

 

End of.

 

Mossy

[gyzmo]

I really do not see what is confusing despite the confusion. Here's my example of this.

 

Book £5.00

DVD £20.00

PS3 Game £50.00

 

Now suppose I buy 3 games, a dvd and two books.

3 games = £150, DVD = £20, Two books = £10

 

If I purchase the whole lot together, I would expect the books to be free - a saving of a tenner.

 

If however I buy the 3 games in one go I would save £50. Then I would save a fiver on the second purchase of a dvd and two books (getting one book free).

 

If I do go for these offers I always split them up to get the best saving. Sometimes you will get a checkout assistant who will advise the best way to do it for maximum savings, but I wouldnt rely on it.

Edited October 26, 2008 by gyzmo

[davethorp]

I'm fairly sure the last time I bought from this offer in boots, the till was clever enough to sort the items so I got the maximum saving.

 

Can't speak for sainsburys though