A shopper went viral on TikTok when she highlighted how a grocery store’s “Buy 2 Get 2 Free” deal on Diet Coke allows the company to raise prices on the individual stock.
TikToker Melissa Simonson (@realmelissasimo) filmed the short clip in an effort to draw attention to deals that force consumers to purchase more. Viewed over 2.1 million times as of the publication of this story, the clip sparked a debate about the price of groceries.
Simonson’s video began after she noticed that Diet Coke 12-packs were marked at $9.99 per case. “Nobody is actually going to spend this, right?” she said. “$9.99 for a single 12-pack. I thought this is what their goal is; they want people to pay that much. This is how far we’ve fallen. $10 for 12 stinking sodas, right?”
Though $10 per 12-pack seemed outrageous by itself, Simonson believed the signage was a ploy to lure customers into spending more than they planned on luxury goods like brand-name sodas.
“They just raised the price of each 12-pack because they wanna charge people more,” she said. “And not actually give a deal of buy two get two free.”
To give viewers a contrast, Simonson turned her camera toward the 24-packs of Diet Coke marked at $13.99 per case. Generally, 12-packs are half the price of 24-packs, she said. But at this store, Simonson said 12-packs were raised $2-3 above their typical $6.99-7.99 price.
“Instead of doing buy two get two free at the regular price, they jumped up the price in order to get you to buy them,” Simonson said. “The upsetting part is that they could just give people a good deal. They could just give a proper coupon, but they’re instead choosing to make it seem like it’s a better deal than it actually is. This is the kind of unethical, sheisty marketing that I really hate.”
@realmelissasimo Am I crazy or does this type of thing seem to be on the rise? #ethicalmarketing #marketing #exposed #rollingeyes #marketingtactics ♬ original sound – Melissa Simonson
Some argued that it wasn’t a big deal, while others tried to explain that cost increases are forcing daily expenses to skyrocket.
“Ok, if you get 4 12 packs for 20.00, which is 5.00 each. You said normally 7.99 each, so 4 12 packs would be 32 dollars, so isn’t this a 12 dollar savings???” one asked.
“It is. Just the minimum bar for entry for that deal is more expensive now. The store raised the minimum price to guarantee more money on the minimum soda purchase of 1 case,” another replied.
“I miss the 4.99 24 pack days,” a third mourned.
“It used to be 4 for $12,” a fourth said.
Others shared how price increases have altered their shopping habits.
“We stopped buying chips and pop all together because the prices are so ridiculous now,” a viewer said.
“The increase on price of soda has made my household drop it altogether which has been so much healthier for us! Now we only get a 12 pack as a treat!” a second agreed.
Grocery prices have risen dramatically since the pandemic. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, grocery costs increased by 23.5% between February 2020 and May 2023. Though inflation has cooled, food prices have continued to increase by 1.2% annually, CBS News reports. According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, global supply chain disruptions coupled with inflation have caused a perfect storm, leading to the largest food price increase since the 1980s.
Due to the price increases, customers have taken a closer look when offered deals. For example, one Walmart customer noted how a deal on cereal was actually a markup on the original price rather than a reduction. Others have taken to weighing prepackaged food to ensure that the listed weight and actual weight match.
The Daily Dot reached out to Simonson via TikTok comments for further comment.