Did you know that UltraBrite toothpaste, 6 oz for $1 at Dollar Tree, not only has exactly the same ingredients in exactly the same order as Colgate, but it’s also manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive! They sell the same toothpase dyed and repackaged and marketed heavily for over twice as much! I can’t believe how much money I’ve spent over the years that I didn’t need to…
This is really fascinating. It’s essentially a complete reversal of the old paradigm. Instead of a store charging you a fee to borrow money from them, they’re paying you to borrow them money! Fascinating. From a retail operations perspective, it’s also incredibly prudent because it will increase their cash supply just when they need it to ramp up inventories for the holidays and the cards will then be redeemed, essentially for the merchandise they used the cash to purchase! It’s like the retailer is bypassing the traditional revolving credit facility and instead using the consumer to the fullest advantage.
