If I wasn’t paying close attention, I would have completely missed this one. At first glance, I thought that Target sold an individual pack of Cetaphil while Costco sold a twin pack.

However, upon closer inspection, I discovered that the Target was selling a 16 oz. bottle, while Costco was selling 2 x 20 oz. bottles. Anyways, Target sells Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion for $0.559 per ounce while Costco sells it for $0.388 per ounce. If Costco sold a 16 oz. bottle at $0.388 per ounce, the total would be $6.21, quite a bit less than the $8.94 Target is charging.

I already know that Costco has the best price on Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner. Who can beat $11.99 for a 1.25 gallon refill container and a 32 oz. spray bottle?

Lowe’s was selling a 128 oz. container of Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner for $15.98, or $0.125 per ounce. Lowe’s price is half way between the $.0236 per ounce price at OSH and the $0.062 per ounce price at Costco.

Lowe’s sells a 16 pack of Duracell AA batteries for $9.97.

Costco sells the same 16 pack for $8.49. The Target 16 pack costs $10.39.

Previously, I had compared the price of Allergan Refresh Plus at Target and Costco.

Wal-Mart sells a 30 single-use containers for $6.98 (or $0.233 per container) or 70 single-use containers for $13.94 (or $0.199 per container). Recall that Target sold the same 30-count box for $6.99, or one penny more than Wal-Mart. As usual, Costco sold Allergan Refresh Plus for lowest per unit price—$0.184 per single-use container.

Comparison shopping within a store is pretty easy with a calculator in hand. However, unless you store all your prices in a spreadsheet, this task can be challenging because quantities for even standard goods may differ.

Case in point: Brita water filters. Costco sells a 10 pack, Target sells a 6 pack, and Wal-Mart sells a 4 pack. Wal-Mart sells a 4 pack of Brita filters for $19.44, or $4.86 per filter. The best price from my last price check was $4.199 per filter from Costco. However, Wal-Mart did edge out Target be a few cents per filter (i.e., $4.86 v. $4.948). However, I spotted a 5-pack of Brita Water Filters at walmart.com selling for $39.98, or $7.996 per filter! The lesson here is to not assume that the in-store and online prices are the same, or that online prices much be cheaper than within a bricks and mortar store.

Last month, I compared the price of Frosted Mini-Wheats at Costco and Safeway.

This past weekend, I stopped by Wal-Mart to shop around. Wal-Mart sells an 18 oz. box of Kellogg’s Frosted Mini-Wheats for $2.33, or $0.129 per ounce. Costco is still the store to beat, but you have to buy a 70 oz. box. For 70 ounces, the Wal-Mart price will be $9.06, compared to $8.49 at Costco. So, I can save $13.71 a year if I can finish two 70 oz. boxes a month.

A few weeks ago, OSH was selling an 8.7 oz. bottle of Shout Gel for $4.99. So, was this a “great value” as the sign proclaimed?

Target, which used to carry Shout Gel, did not have the product on its shelves. Instead, it stocked an 8.7 oz. bottle of Shout Advanced Gel for $2.64. Between the two, Target offered a greater value.

This exercise in tracking the cost of various products that I usually purchase has really focused my attention on consumer prices. I know that gas prices change daily, but what about the price of other consumer goods?

Since the last post on Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner, I noticed that the Costco had changed its price. Since the schools only teach about inflation (and not deflation), you may think that prices will only go up absent a sale or rebate. But, there I was looking at the sign and sure enough, Costco now sells Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner for $11.99 instead of $12.69. No sale. No instant rebate. Just a straightforward price cut. Wow!

Summer is a great time for corn. Every week, I buy 10 ears of the freshest corn for $6.00 from the Mountain View Farmers Market. The yellow corn is the sweetest, but the white and the bi-color corn are delicious as well. Unfortunately, during the week, I have to turn to the canned corn stored in the pantry. Not as fresh and sweet as the corn from the Farmers Market, but it’s corn.

Even the mutant corn is sweet. However, the extra appendage was worthless.

Piazza’s sells a 15.25 oz of S&W Whole Kernel Corn for $1.69.

Costco sells 12×15.25 oz cans of S&W Whole Kernel Corn for $9.39, or $0.783 per can, which is less than half the price at Piazza’s. And, those 12 cans have quite a shelf life, so buying a 12 pack makes sense if you enjoy corn. I really wish Costco will sell cream style corn. That goes well with everything.