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I don't know about where you shop but our supermarket (Wegman's) has a good size bulk section where you can buy everything from nuts to after dinner mints to grains to chocolate candies by the pound. You grab a plastic bag and use the little scoops to take as much or as little as you want of each item. Then you weigh them on the scale and print your price label right there.
There are a number of items that I regularly buy in the department - almonds, pumpkin seeds, mints, chocolate nonpareils, etc. However, I was reminded today that you can't just assume that buying loose from the bulk bins is the cheapest way to get everything.
We needed mini chocolate chips as my wife and daughter had made cookies the other day and used up our supply. I checked the bulk aisle and they were $3.99/lb. I strolled over to the baking aisle and the bags of Nestle's chips were only $3.49/lb. I also wanted some nonpareils. The bulk price was $5.99/lb. On the shelf directly above that bin were 1lb containers of the very same nonpareils and they were only $4.70/lb.
So use the bulk aisle for times when you only want a small quantity, significantly less than what comes in a package, or when you want something that the store doesn't sell any other way. But for everything else, always compare the price to buying it prepackaged. You may be surprised to learn that buying bulk actually costs more money. Obviously, the store wants you to assume that buying in bulk will save you money. It just doesn't happen to be true in every case.
There are a number of items that I regularly buy in the department - almonds, pumpkin seeds, mints, chocolate nonpareils, etc. However, I was reminded today that you can't just assume that buying loose from the bulk bins is the cheapest way to get everything.
We needed mini chocolate chips as my wife and daughter had made cookies the other day and used up our supply. I checked the bulk aisle and they were $3.99/lb. I strolled over to the baking aisle and the bags of Nestle's chips were only $3.49/lb. I also wanted some nonpareils. The bulk price was $5.99/lb. On the shelf directly above that bin were 1lb containers of the very same nonpareils and they were only $4.70/lb.
So use the bulk aisle for times when you only want a small quantity, significantly less than what comes in a package, or when you want something that the store doesn't sell any other way. But for everything else, always compare the price to buying it prepackaged. You may be surprised to learn that buying bulk actually costs more money. Obviously, the store wants you to assume that buying in bulk will save you money. It just doesn't happen to be true in every case.
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