‘Save up to $3’: Man spots Dawn soap at Target. Then he takes a closer look at the label

A man was left confused after he happened upon a Dawn dishwashing liquid display at Target. He was unable to discern which option was cheapest based on the pricing and the discounts.

The video showing this escapade came from the It's Money Your Business account (@itsmoneyyourbusiness). It got more than 352,000 views to a video initially posted on Nov. 18.

"Don't do this with your pricing strategy," he begins, before setting the scene that he's in Target in front of the Dawn display.

"I can get a sprayer bottle for $4.99, I can get the refill for $3.99 but wait, I can get two refills for $12.59, but wait, isn't that more expensive than two refills at $3.99?" he says.

He then shows a "Save up to $3" label on one of the packages adding a new layer of confusion.

"I can save up to $3; maybe there's an aftermarket coupon," he observes. "Oh, wait, no, that's just versus buying sprayer bottles. Oh, I see it's 34% large refills, so maybe this is the better deal."

He then comes upon identically-sized twin-pack refills, one for $11.19 and one for $12.59, and wonders why they're differently priced if they are indeed the same.

He then comments on the sign announcing that Dawn is selling for $4.99, wondering, "Why is this such a big sign?" and then adding, "Is that on sale? Is that a better deal?"

His lesson from this is: "Don't make prospective clients or customers do math. Pricing should be clear and obvious and help your prospective clients know what would be the best package for them."

How to do the math

It's possible to determine what's the best deal in these scenarios, but it involves breaking down a price to its unit (say, one fluid ounce if you're dealing with Dawn dishwashing liquid) and calculating what's cheaper.

This is where a tool like an online unit price calculator can be helpful. Taking the Omni Calculator for a spin, we find that $3.99 for a 16-fluid-ounce refill is about 25 cents per fluid ounce, whereas the two-pack for $12.59, containing 43 fluid ounces, is 29 cents per fluid ounce, making it more expensive in the long run even though it's packaged to look like a better deal.

However, the $11.19 twin-pack would only be 26 cents a fluid ounce—but less than $4 for 16 fluid ounces is still the better deal.

Viewers weigh in

People coming in to respond to the video were also math-averse.

"They should be required to put price per oz on every product," one said.

"When I see this, I just go buy a different product entirely," another observed.

"I had this same discourse in my head buying these last week," someone else shared.

The creator responded, "I wound up just going with the single bottle at the regular price because I had to stop doing MATH."

Another commenter had a solution at the ready.

"I just get it at Costco and trust they have my back," another wrote.

@itsmoneyyourbusiness Offer 3 packages at clear, distinct price points that speak to different needs and don’t offer discounts. #freelancer #freelancertips #pricingstrategy #itsmoneyyourbusiness ♬ original sound - It’s Money Your Business

The Daily Dot has reached out to Procter & Gamble (Dawn's parent company) and Target via email and to the creator via TikTok comment.

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The post ‘Save up to $3’: Man spots Dawn soap at Target. Then he takes a closer look at the label appeared first on The Daily Dot.

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