September 2011

Scholastic v. Amazon

With the back-to-school season in full force, we reached an early milestone when we received our first Scholastic Book Club order form. Of course, reading is a worthwhile endeavor. But, how does Scholastic compare to Amazon?

Llama Llama Home with Mama sells for $9.89 at Amazon, but $12.00 at Scholastic. Both are the hardback editions.

The older Llama Llama Red Pajama is unavailable directly from Amazon, but Scholastic sells it in paperback for $4.00.

Stuck in the Mud (Thomas & Friends) sells for $3.99 from Amazon, and $4.00 from Scholastic.

Where Scholastic comes ahead is when Amazon only sells the hardcover edition. For example, Amazon only offers the hardcover edition of If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (If You Give… Books), which it sells for $9.99. Scholastic sells a paperback edition for $4.00.

So, Amazon has the better selection by far. However, where Amazon no longer has a book in print or only offers a hardcover edition, Scholastic may be a better buy if it has a paperback edition for sale.

Leapfrog: Let’s Go to School

From iTunes, you can buy Let’s Go to School by LeapFrog for $9.99 or rent it for $2.99. But, Costco is selling LeapFrog DVDs for much less–$5.99 for the same title.

12-inch Saute Pan

I was using a Calphalon 12-inch non-stick pan that I had purchased from Target for about 40+ dollars. As with all non-stick pans, the nonstick interior started to degrade over time. Since Calphalon has a lifetime guarantee, I thought about returning the pan for a replacement. But, a quick trip to the UPS store gave me second thoughts since postage was going to run about $15, not to mention another $5 for the shipping box.

At Costco, I was evaluating the alternatives. The Tramontina Sauté Pan Set ran $23.99 for 8, 10 and 12-inch pans. I only wanted a 12-inch pan, since I already had relatively new 8-inch and 10-inch pans. But, the $23.99 price was compelling.

For a tad bit less, the Tramontina 12-inch covered everyday pan was selling for $21.99. I already had a 12-inch lid. However, I would have preferred a long handle instead of the shorter side handles. The difference is that you can control the pan with one hand with a long handle, but need two hands when gripping both side handles.

So, the Tramontina 3-pack ended up in the shopping cart. Let’s see how long this set will last.