How many times have you been coming home from work and suddenly you remember you need some groceries? Rather than deal with parking the car at the supermarket and waiting in line to checkout, you decide to pop into a “convenience” store to get what you need. You buy a small amount of groceries (usually enough to get you through a day or so) and head home, feeling happy that you didn’t have to “deal with” the grocery store.
It is very tempting to use a convenience store for small purchases in order to avoid waiting in line or parking your car. But you pay a very steep price for doing so. In fact, prices at “convenience” stores are often anywhere from 20% to 200% higher than the prices for the very same items in a supermarket. This is especially true for personal care items, beverages and snacks.
When you think about the amount of time you save by using these convenience stores, it is often not significant. It is usually not worth paying 20% to 200% more for your groceries just to save a few minutes.
