It’s a sign of contemporary society that the single serving of a food item is readily available. You can buy mashed potatoes, soups, chips, beverages, for one. Also pot pies, Hostess cupcakes, and milk. Yes, the cost is probably higher; but you might waste less, especially if you live alone.
On the other hand, it’s difficult to buy a single roll of Scotch tape, one ballpoint pen, or one roll of tape for a calculator that prints. You can’t buy one banker’s box or one shirt box either. All these now come as multiples.
Then there’s Costco, the king of multiples. We bought three ketchups, two Romano cheese imitations, and two olive oils because that’s how they came packaged. Six pounds of ground beef is the minimum as is six packages of chicken breasts.
I realize Costco is geared for families, so I’m willing to excuse the excess in play even though I go home and repackage everything for a family of two.
And now there are BOGOs, the buy one-get one free phenomenon. If it’s really two for the price of one, I think that’s a great deal although the price of one is probably inflated. Additionally, these days many BOGOs are buy one-get one for fifty percent off. I guess if you need two in the first place it’s still a great deal. But what if you don’t?
The allure of getting a bargain often overshadows the fact that if you don’t need two, then the price of one is the best investment.
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