• About
  • Mortgage Basics
  • $40K Challenge
  • Aunt Doris
  • Grandfather Says
  • Privacy
  • Archives

Len Penzo dot Com

The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people.

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Then Guess the Price of This.

By Len Penzo

Last week while we were shopping for groceries in a Hawaii supermarket, I was reminded of why folks should always be vigilant when it comes to finding the best deals.

The supermarket was offering two sizes of All Stainlifter laundry detergent as you can see here:

No, we didn’t buy both of them. One of the bottles was in our condo when we arrived — and it was empty.

Anyway, the bottle on the left contains enough soap to wash 32 loads of laundry; the one on the right, 12 loads.

The grocery store was selling the 12-load bottle for $4.69.

With only that information at your disposal … Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

What do you think the supermarket’s shelf price was for the 32-load bottle?

If you’re up to the challenge, leave your best guess below and I’ll post the answer later this week in the comments section. Don’t be shy; this is not an easy question.

The lucky guy or gal who comes closest to guessing the actual price will officially be crowned the “Smartest Person in the Room” — well, at least until my next “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” post. 😉

Good luck!

July 25, 2012

Comments

  1. 1

    tracee says

    $5.17

  2. 2

    Ryan says

    I’ll say $14.99.

  3. 3

    Deb says

    $4.69

  4. 4

    jefferson says

    I have no idea how the Hawaii factor would effect prices…

    But my guess is $10.99

  5. 5

    Ken says

    11.89

  6. 6

    Lance@MoneyLife&More says

    My guess is 6.98 Bob… or should I say Drew now? Only time will tell if the price is right…

  7. 7

    Amanda says

    $17.98

  8. 8

    Monty says

    $4.99

  9. 9

    Kelly says

    $12.99

  10. 10

    Cindy says

    $5.29

  11. 11

    Linda from Hawaii says

    $8.79

  12. 12

    Sandy says

    Why do I think this a trick question? lol

    $9.99

  13. 13

    Tata says

    11.99

  14. 14

    dan says

    if the price per load is equal it should cost @12.51 but why should logic enter into it , probably 14.99 lol

  15. 15

    Maritess says

    5.29

  16. 16

    Libby says

    $3.97

  17. 17

    Debt Free Teen says

    $4.89 is my guess

  18. 18

    Shaun says

    $9.38

  19. 19

    Michael in SoCal says

    I’m with Dan – $12.51.

  20. 20

    Tricia says

    I’ve been to Hawaii, so my guess is 300 dollars.

    • 21

      Len Penzo says

      Hee hee!

      That about sums up my stays there too, Tricia! 😉

  21. 22

    Mrs H says

    $8.20 is my guess

  22. 23

    mc says

    $4.99

  23. 24

    Lola says

    I’m going to guess… $17.39

  24. 25

    Oscar says

    We all know that, typically, unit cost goes down in larger quantities, meaning the price would likely be lower than the $12.51 that is the unit cost of the smaller bottle extrapolated to the larger bottle.

    Of course, I doubt such a situation would have even been worth your time to notice or care about, so that warrants a guess in the opposite direction, and probably extremely so: $21.99

  25. 26

    SF says

    Given the setup for this post, $17.49

  26. 27

    Allyn says

    Well, I know groceries are usually more expensive in Hawaii because nothing can be trucked overland, so I’d initally guess high; but logic tells me you wouldn’t be making a big deal about it if the price was predictable.

    So let’s use logic. According to the weekly specials, a 50 oz bottle of All Oxi-Active Stainlifter is $5.99 (club price) at Safeway on Keahole St and a 50 oz bottle of Tide is $6.99 (with the Maika’i card) this week at the Foodland Ala Moana on Ala Moana Blvd, both in Honolulu.

    So I’m going to split the difference and guess $6.49.

  27. 28

    Sabz says

    Either $5.78 or $13.89.

  28. 29

    krantcents says

    My guess is 12.99

  29. 30

    Phil says

    5.99

  30. 31

    Susan says

    $6.96

  31. 32

    Nina says

    I am going to assume you are in a prime “touristy” area which would mean that they probably sell a lot more of the smaller bottles than they do the larger bottles, so naturally they would jack up the price of the smaller ones. That being said, I think the larger bottle is probably about 20 cents more…or $4.89.

  32. 33

    Dr Dean says

    8.99

  33. 34

    DemosCat says

    Assumption: The price given in the article is the Hawaiian price, so no issues about mainland vs island pricing.

    The unit cost for the 12-load bottle extrapolates to $12.51 for 32 loads. IF (a big if) pricing is rational, the 32-load bottle should be less. However, I’m guessing it was more; otherwise you have nothing to write about. 🙂

    How about $12.99?

  34. 35

    Nathan says

    $9.99

  35. 36

    Joe says

    $13.99

  36. 37

    Mindimoo says

    Well I’m with Tricia, if it was in a touristy place then it’s probably ridiculously overpriced. My guess is $18.50.

  37. 38

    BUNDY IN MIAMI says

    buy the small one get the big one free

  38. 39

    VB says

    $10.79

  39. 40

    Scott says

    $14.69

  40. 41

    Lisa says

    $7.99. Regardless of the outcome of this quiz, I AM smarter than a 5th grader. Dammit!

  41. 42

    Dr Dean says

    OK Penzo, it is “later in the week”….

    • 43

      Len Penzo says

      Ha ha ha!

      That’s a switch, Dr. Dean; a doctor (instead of his patients) complaining about waiting! 😉

  42. 44

    SassyMamaw says

    $8.99

  43. 45

    Len Penzo says

    Believe it or not, the store was selling the 32-load detergent for … wait for it …

    $4.69

    I know. It is absolutely unbelievable — but true. That’s why we bought the 32-load size even though we were only washing a few loads of clothes.

    It makes me wonder how many people who were staying in the area on vacation failed to observe the price tags and bought the 12-load package anyway.

    Congratulations are in order to Deb, who is officially “The Smartest Person in the Room” — at least until the next edition of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader. She hit the price on the button; great job, Deb! 🙂

    Thanks to everyone who participated!

  44. 46

    maria@moneyprinciple says

    Darn! I was going to say $4.99 and didn’t manage to get in on time ;). Will teach me to stop by much more often and comment on time.

  45. 47

    Jd says

    Makes sense in a perverted way. The store assumes a lot of folks are tourists who don’t need the larger bottle and arent paying attention. Thus they drastically increase the price on smaller quantity items. Their regular customers don’t care because they buy the larger quantity products.

  46. 48

    C.A. Burns says

    I would have guessed correctly b/c *I’ve* seen the same exact thing in stores and have bought the larger quantity for the same price as the lower quantity.
    Cathy in New Hampshire

  47. 49

    mary says

    $6.29

Trackbacks

  1. Black Coffee: Spoiled Kids, Sad Husbands and Other Sorry Schlubs – Len Penzo dot Com says:
    January 17, 2020 at 4:07 pm

    […] Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Then Guess the Price of This Detergent. […]

The Question of the Week:

Are cryptocurrencies a legitimate wealth preservation asset?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Recent Posts

  • 5 Expert Tips for Saving Money with a Credit Card
  • How to Implement Strategic Planning Processes
  • Is It Better to Borrow From Your 401k or Take an Early Withdrawal?
  • When It Doesn’t Pay to Buy Big-Ticket Items on Sale
  • Black Coffee: Digital Castles in the Air
  • How to Improve Your Sports Betting Success
  • Toyota Has Started Accepting Bitcoin for Payment
  • 100 Words On: Why You Need Emergency Savings AND a Rainy Day Fund
  • Why You Should Consider a 203k Mortgage When Buying a Fixer-Upper
  • 6 Ways to Avoid Becoming a Pickpocket Victim

Disclaimer

This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and the content herein should not be mistaken for professional financial advice. In fact, making investment decisions based on information published here, or any other website for that matter, is more than unwise; it is folly. This website accepts advertising in the form of monetary and other compensation; as such, topics of discussion are occasionally influenced by these advertisers. Sometimes, an article may also include affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, this blog earns a commission if you click through and make a purchase (for example, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases). Remember, you and you alone are responsible for the decisions you make in life, so please contact an independent financial professional for advice regarding your unique personal situation.

Sign up for the weekly Len Penzo dot Com newsletter
Len Penzo dot Com Delivered Weekly
Join more than 40,000 readers and fans who enjoy personal finance and macroeconomics with an offbeat twist!
Invalid email address
Thanks for subscribing!

Popular Now:

  1. 1. The 6 Most Valuable Grocery Store Products
  2. 2. Series I Savings Bonds Are Now Paying 9.62%; Here Are Their Pros & Cons
  3. 3. 25 Examples of Shrinkflation That No Longer Fool Consumers
  4. 4. 7 Big Reasons Why a Roth IRA Isn’t the Best Way to Save for Retirement
  5. 5. 3 Ways That Great Sleep Helps You Get Richer
  6. 6. What’s the Fastest Way to Pay Down Your Mortgage Early?
  7. 7. How to Save Money on Dental Care So You Won’t Go Broke at the Dentist
  8. 8. Historical Gold & Silver Benchmarks for Wages and Commodity Prices
  9. 9. Tip Inflation: We’ve Got Nobody to Blame But Ourselves
  10. 10. 4 Good Reasons Why Some Quarters Are Painted Red

All-Time Most Popular:

  1. 1. 19 Things Your Suburban Millionaire Neighbor Won’t Tell You
  2. 2. Dear Friend: Here Are 41 Reasons Why I’m NOT Lending You the Money
  3. 3. Why Your Expensive Luxury Car Doesn’t Impress Smart People
  4. 4. If You Can’t Live on $40,000 Annually It’s Your Own Fault
  5. 5. 21 Reasons Why Corner Lots Are for Suckers
  6. 6. 4 Smart Reasons Why College Isn’t for Everyone
  7. 7. 18 Fast Facts About Social Security Numbers
  8. 8. My Ketchup Taste Test: Upset! Guess Which Brand Topped Heinz
  9. 9. Why I Prefer a Spreadsheet to Track Expenses and Manage My Finances
  10. 10. Here’s a Simple Trick for Getting Credit Card Interest Charges Waived

Copyright © 2022 Len Penzo dot Com · All Rights Reserved · Designed by Nuts and Bolts Media

© Len Penzo dot Com 2008–2022