A business’s way of marking down items might not always make the most sense to customers—but there is usually a rhyme and reason.
Even if it is as simple as having too much stock of a certain item.
A Lowe’s shopper has taken to social media to kindly ask how a simple battery pack can be priced higher than a special from the retailer offering a battery, charger, and two lawn car devices from the same brand.
A stark difference
In a video that has drawn over 92,000 views on TikTok, user @thegoodunc, who primarily produces content about their day-to-day life, asks for someone to explain how such a thing could be possible.
“Someone please explain to me why you can get a weed eater and a blower with a battery and a charger for $99,” he says in the video. “When it’s not on sale, it’s $149. But if you want a battery by itself, it’s $119. Help me understand that.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @thegoodunc via comment on the video as well as to Lowe’s regarding the video.
So, what’s with the price difference?
The poster is looking at an in-store special for a CRAFTSMAN V20 20-volt Max Cordless Battery String Trimmer and Leaf Blower Combo Kit 2 Ah, which comes with a battery and charger included. On the Lowe’s website, this is actually on special for $149.
In the video, the $99 price tag appears to be referring to a solo string trimmer—a weed eater—and not the combination of tools he is talking about.
He is comparing it to a CRAFTSMAN 20.0 -Volt, 4.0 Ah Lithium Ion (Li-ion) Battery, which is listed at $119—but on sale for $49 on the Lowe’s website.
The difference between pricing appears to be that the 4.0 Ah battery is double the capacity of the 2.0 Ah battery. In this case “Ah” means amp hours, meaning the larger capacity battery can deliver about double the amount of time it is useful for powering a power tool like a leaf blower or weed eater.
How much is the CRAFTSMAN 2.0 Ah battery on its own?
The same lower-powered CRAFTSMAN battery currently retails for $79 on the Lowe’s website, but is not on sale.
Viewers share their theories
Several viewers suggested that the leaf blower and weed eater were priced low to entice new people to buy into the craftsman brand and its ecosystem of tools.
“The combo is a loss leader to get you into the brand,” one commenter wrote.
“Because you’ll have to buy the same $99 set next spring too,” another commenter wrote.
“Those batteries are expensive. The one in the box last 20mins,” a commenter wrote. “the one by itself last alot longer. So then you come back and buy a better battery. That’s marketing.”
@thegoodunc Wait #what? ♬ original sound – Uncle Paul Gen-❌
Others likened the approach to buying a printer, wherein the purchase of a new printer and ink cartridge together is similar in price to that of a couple of cartridges on their own.
“Reminds me of buying a printer with ink vs buying just ink,” a user wrote.
“Exactly, like printers,” another said.
“It like the printers and ink,” one wrote.
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