It Burns
by digby
In this time of economic turbulence, get ready for more of the stupidest news segments ever:
LEMON: All right, looking to save some money in this economy? Of course you are. Who isn’t? Well, give us couple of minutes now. We’ll save you some bucks. Our simple solution to the rising cost of food.
Here’s a trip to the grocery store with a consumer expert and CNN’s T.J. Holmes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: We haven’t made it to a single item, no groceries at all, no food, but still, we need to be working right now and be mindful of what’s going on, what’s happening here.
ROBYN SPIZMAN, CONSUMER EXPERT: Exactly, before you put your foot in the door, you want to check out the stores.
The first thing I’m going to do is I’m going to look at the store circulars, see if there’s any manufacturer coupons. And already, I’ve hit the big one. Just pages and pages of coupons right here, ready for me to use. And then, I might look to see how long they’re good for, which this says all month. So, now I know if I don’t have time to use them now, I can use them later.
HOLMES: One of the first things you often see when you come into the store are …
SPIZMAN: Deals.
HOLMES: Deals, the signs. They often have these very kiosks like this set up. And you look through them, buy one, get one free, two for this, two for that. These are important to stop at always — why?
SPIZMAN: Why, because first of all, take a look at them, take a second. It doesn’t mean spend all day.
HOLMES: Right.
SPIZMAN: I’m going to spend just a few minutes. But for example, this vinegar, it’s two for $4, it’s a name brand that I use all the time. And I’m saving $2.38 on buying two.
HOLMES: A lot of people pantries are full of stuff — we don’t even know what’s in there.
SPIZMAN: I promise you that most — and most women in particularly, like we have 10 bottles of salad dressing. Not all of us, but some of us. And so, you want to start looking at what are you really using and running out of, so you don’t have to run out every time.
The rule is to look high and to look low because store brands and manufacturers of popular brands often will pay more for what’s called a slotting fee. And according to the grocers that I’ve spoken to, they say that’s why, you know, there’s these brands in the middle. They paid for that right.
Seasonal is so important because one, that means the price is going to be better. And then, it also means that the product is in season, so it’s going to be juicier. You’re going to get the value.
I think the goal is to be a conscious society and also, we can save money in the interim by buying smart, sometimes buying less and knowing what you’re buying. And there’s great power in that because you only have to learn it once. And once you know, you’re ready to go.
Let’s figure out what we’ve learned here.
You should check to see what you are running out of before you shop. “Seasonal” means the product is in season. And ladies if you already have 10 bottles of salad dressing, you don’t need to buy any more! Oh, and try to buy items that are “on sale” which means they cost less than when they’re full price.
People pay this woman money for advice like this, which just proves that they actually don’t know the value of a dollar and probably need it.
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