Comments on: Why Learning Math is Important

By: BL

BL — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:03:24 +0000

i noticed this at walmart some time ago and could not figure out why.

By: Shelby

Shelby — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:28:48 +0000

Wal-mart has been carelessly doing this for years. God only knows how things actually ring up. I won't purchase something there if this funny business is going on.

By: Jett

Jett — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:09:57 +0000

Or you could just look at the orange sticker on each bottle, which appears to be ¢/fl oz.

By: Abbey

Abbey — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:45:34 +0000

I work in an independent health food store in Northern Arkansas and we're constantly hearing how we're "just like Wal-Marts", typically because we've either moved something to expand product line or the customer just can't remember where it is. But I seriously fail to see how we're exactly like a corporation that pulls all kinds of ridiculous schemes from top to bottom, just like this one, not to mention sells mostly unhealthy food at prices that really are not that cheap when you're stuck in a town without many other options.

By: Don Collins

Don Collins — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:44:15 +0000

"I hope people can figure out how this theoretical example plays in their own lives."

Yes, I have figured out exactly how this theoretical example plays in my life: it doesn't, because I don't throw milk away 4 days after buying it. Awesome.

By: Byrd Brain

Byrd Brain — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:55:39 +0000

This is WalMart. This company should be bankrupt due to the complete and utter ineptness of everything about it, but somehow it thrives. I guess prices so low you'll trample your neighbor to death to shop there is what the masses care about.

By: Lemon

Lemon — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:05:31 +0000

@a reminder. Oh please don't get scared of posting because of a few trolls. Some people just read comments and doesn't post and some of them will probably be thankful for your posts. Also your posts are in the minority of comments that actually have something neat to say. So please keep posting and ignore the trolls.

By: SenorMysterioso

SenorMysterioso — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:35:04 +0000

but pulp is much more eco friendly

By: a reminder

a reminder — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:13:45 +0000

My postings were to show again how over-consumptive we can be. I hope people can figure out how this theoretical example plays in their own lives. Don't waste time beating it to a pulp.

Fuck posting.

By: amelia

amelia — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:47:52 +0000

This is actually a really good way to prevent people from overbuying and hence in some indirect way saving the earth cause we dont lose that many natural resources...

By: Ray

Ray — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:34:14 +0000

Here (Ontario) the milk comes in plastic bags, sold in lots of three. We freeze the other two until needed; there's no problem with it going bad. And the bagged milk is (apparently) more "environmentally conscious", but hasn't caught on in the US.

By: SenorMysterioso

SenorMysterioso — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:45:30 +0000

I thought all unicorns were male. I would think twice before drinking their milk

By: b°b

b°b — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:00:20 +0000

I don't like milk. Except unicorn-milk, but you can't get a gallon of that at $2.25 nowadays.

By: SenorMysterioso

SenorMysterioso — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:50:41 +0000

I dont know about anyone else's milk drinking habits but I have never thrown out milk. It always gets consumed long before it could ever expire.

By: Don Collins

Don Collins — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:31:08 +0000

"It’s important to remember that buying more than one needs just because of perceived or actual value is more of a resource strain on this planet. If 25,000 people a day bought the 1 gallon from Walmart when all they needed for 4 days supply was a 1/2 gallon, then that would be 12,500 gallons thrown out in the end."

...what?! Unless milk expires in 4 days (or everyone drinks milk only in 4-day bursts amid weeks of abstinence), why wouldn't the rest of the gallon get consumed after 4 more days?

By: SenorMysterioso

SenorMysterioso — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:28:09 +0000

A reminder, I doubt anyone read your post anyway.

By: a reminder

a reminder — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:09:41 +0000

Hey Sparks-

Just checking how people responded, since I have posted only a few comments on anything on ANY website. I was motivated (and had a few free minutes) to give some MEANINGFUL information to help further peoples connection between how they live and the breaking down of our ecological, economic, and social systems.
I build non-toxic and deep green residential homes for a living, and am the director for regional green building conferences. So I guess I am a wierdo, because I know that my choices and actions on this planet make a difference. How do you spend your day?>........
If this is the quality of interaction that Neatorama readers are capable of, we're hosed.

By: SparkS

SparkS — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:57:14 +0000

a reminder "It’s important to remember that buying more than....." What's really important is to ignore 15 lines of meaningless drivel by some weirdo. Why don't you figure out how much of the earth's resources are wasted by idiots breathing in oxygen? You need to relax some. Courageous Grace "I’m lactose intolerant..." Plus military intolerant but we won't mention that will we. (someone left the door open again)

By: Courageous Grace

Courageous Grace — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:13:41 +0000

I'm lactose intolerant, so I purchase Lactaid. It's always expensive But then the milk itself will last for a couple of weeks.

By: Staxeon

Staxeon — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:13:35 +0000

We go through a gallon of milk a day (myself, the wife, and 3 sons). Here in WNY we pay about that price, roughly $2.50 a gallon, but we never buy it from Wal-Mart.

For one, it tastes horrible. For two, there are so many local dairies it seems silly to get milk trucked in from 600 miles away versus milk bottled 10 miles away.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:19:08 +0000

I've even seen a sign at WalMart that was supposedly a rollback, but the new "lower" price was actually higher than the previous price, posted right there on the sign!

By: ~April

~April — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:13:11 +0000

I'm with Richard.

By: Reed H

Reed H — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:32:23 +0000

Some organic milk will last longer than your nonorganic choice... if the store only carries a national organic brand, then it might have been extra pasteurized so they can ship it across the country. I use Parmalat (ultra-pasteurized) for my coffee at work because it will last forever even at a few teaspoons a day.

By: Reed H

Reed H — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:28:22 +0000

It's a markup for the convenience of not having half your milk go bad if your household don't use very much of it.

I've fallen victim to the assumption that everything at Walmart is cheaper than elsewhere... often not true.

By: Ray

Ray — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:13:35 +0000

Not a skill that is even taught anymore.
Teachers are too busy teaching the crap kids are tested on to be able to teach stuff kids can use.

By: Richard

Richard — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:27:29 +0000

I was told that there would be no math.

By: Alex

Alex — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:14:34 +0000

I don't know about milk, but my wife and I started buying eggs from a local farmer at our farmer's market. I couldn't believe the difference in taste (and size). We still occasionally buy eggs at the grocery store (a matter of convenience) but we now prefer the ones from the farmer's market.

By: a reminder

a reminder — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:13:02 +0000

It's important to remember that buying more than one needs just because of perceived or actual value is more of a resource strain on this planet. If 25,000 people a day bought the 1 gallon from Walmart when all they needed for 4 days supply was a 1/2 gallon, then that would be 12,500 gallons thrown out in the end. If that cycle repeats itself with all 25,000 people all year (approx 90 times), then it is approx 1,125,000 gallons. Approximating, this is about 4 semi truck loads.
Remember- it is pulled from extra cows out in more managed fields being maintained, fed, injected (more pharmaceutical use), etc. and more factory time producing, energy(petroleum) for heating to homogenize, plastic for packaging, gas and truck and road maintenance for shipping, refrigerator space for storing, and heavier strain on recycling/landfill services. Look at all the extra emissions/resource use involved in over-purchasing.
Now translate this to EVERYTHING that is bought/ consumed in a year of one's life. A seemingly insignificant buying decision has actually much larger consequences than we notice in our day to day living.

By: Skipweasel

Skipweasel — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:09:18 +0000

pomokey:- Except it may be wrong. Retailers are supposed to make unit prices in the UK, but the units appear to be left to their choice, so not only can they choose units that make it hard to compare, but also there's more scope for errors.

Also - the larger packet isn't always the cheapest. Heinz ketchup is often cheaper in the second largest pack in UK stores.

By: Frau

Frau — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:04:45 +0000

Milk that does not go bad in a week is usually the organic kind.
I hade learned about "price shopping" waaaay back in home-ec classes. The teacher told us to look out for things that look like a good deal. This was back in the 80's. That wal-mart milk price thing is a perfect example.
I shop at a local independent store that actually carries locally produced milk. So I guess I never would have seen how wal-mart scams their customers.