The math is not mathing: Is this really a saving?
Wait...what? The math is not mathing! When "saving" makes you spend more, something is definitely wrong.
Every time we walk into a shop, we’re on the hunt for the best deals. Whether we need them or not, who doesn’t love a bargain – even if it’s just a psychological victory?
Recently, a woman spotted a savings deal on Freshpak teabags. However, upon closer inspection, it started looking less like a deal and more like an inside joke at our expense.
The supermarket offered a box of 40 teabags for R39.99 – but, wait! You could buy two boxes of 40 for just R70.
That's a huge savings, right? Well… that was until she noticed that a box of 80 teabags was going for R45.
So, is this really an extra saving when you’re actually spending more, but also less, but somehow way more? That’s exactly what had TikTok users spiralling in the comments.
One user summed it up perfectly: “Maths lit with a 30% pass.”
Another gave us a chilling warning: “Minister of Education is now Minister of Defense, so imagine the trouble we’re in.”
@ronniemel0 ♬ original sound - RonnieMel#🇿🇦
While it’s clearly a pricing blunder, some conspiracy theorists (maybe they’re just really strategic thinkers) saw this as a genius marketing strategy.
If you’re not paying attention, you’d assume that two 40s are the better deal because we’ve been trained to believe bulk equals bargain.
Yet if you actually do the math (or just glance a little longer at the shelf), you’d realise they’re tricking you into spending more for something that was never that expensive to begin with.
The result? They clear stock faster and make extra money at your expense.
Ouch. Not such a sweet deal now, is it?
ALSO READ: ‘Jozi, witness this transformation’. Really?
So, was this a clever scheme or just a case of someone in the pricing department failing Grade 9 maths? We may never know.
But one thing remains certain: in South Africa, the things that make no sense… somehow always make perfect sense.
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