The Cost of Convenience

What is the extra price customers pay for convenience?  I got to thinking about this because a customer came through my line a little while ago and bought a bag of pre-sliced apples. I couldn't help thinking that it would probably be cheaper (and would probably taste better) just to buy a whole apple and slice it whenever you were ready to eat it. I was curious so I decided to check it out and here's what I found out:

• Our produce department has pre-cut fruit for kids that comes in a container shaped like Disney characters. They are really cute and I think it might be a good way to get kids to eat fruit. These snack packs contain sliced apples, raisins and peanut butter or apples, cheese, and pretzels. These are $3.49 for 5 ozs and that works out to $11.17 per pound! I just think that's a lot money for a few pieces of fruit and few raisins.  Presliced apple wedges are $3.59 and come in a 12 oz. bag.  It just seems to me that I would rather just buy the apple--especially when you consider that you could buy a 3 lb. bag of apples for around $3.99 or loose apples for around $1.99 a lb.
• Pre-sliced celery or presliced red onions in an 8 oz container is $2.99. That doesn't sound like a lot but it works out to $5.98 a lb--which is pretty expensive. So then take a walk over the package of celery and a whole package of celery is $1.50. Red onions are $1.89 per pound. That's an easy way to save some money if you have the time to cut your own vegetables. 
• A bag of lettuce is normally ranges around $3.25 (for a bag of iceberg lettuce) for 8 oz. to $5.90 (for romaine lettuce) for 10 ozs.  Compare that to getting a head of iceberg lettuce that is $1.70 or romaine or greenleaf lettuce that is $1.99.  So, if you're on a budget, looking for an easy way to save a few bucks skipped the prebagged lettuce and just grab a whole head of lettuce.

And hey--I'm not making judgments here. For some people it may be worth it to pay a little bit more for a package of fruit that they could throw in their kids lunch or it may be worth it to buy onions or celery that is already cut. A bagged salad might be a bit more expensive but maybe it makes things a lot easier...but I just think fresh lettuce tastes better, is cheaper, and lasts longer.