Find out why buying at the lowest price is not always the most cost effective.
May 2016 - A few months ago I decided that my yard needed a new, fresh, thick layer of pine straw. I found prices ranging from $3.00 to $7.00 per bale. After numerous phone calls, I finally found a local company (actually it was just one guy with a pickup) that would deliver 200 bales for $2.50 each!!! I was proud of my accomplishment in securing what I thought was the best price EVER for pine straw. It wasn’t until about 3 weeks later that I realized that the straw consisted mainly of short needle and not the healthier long needle. I also noticed the bales seemed very light in weight, which leads me to believe there was far less quantity of straw. Needless to say, the beds looked weathered and dense within a couple of weeks, which forced me to buy more pine straw later at a much higher price. Buying the lowest priced pine straw actually cost me more money in the end.
As consumers, we always want the best quality products and to maximize our dollar and get the most “bang for our buck”. Unfortunately, there are too many of us that truly believe the lowest price is ALWAYS the best price. This is rarely the case.
