Skip to content
  • Privacy Policy
Dagbók Hrefnu og Finns
  • Privacy Policy

At the Store

Iceland is a special little country were ‘common sense’ does’t always work the way you think it would.  Case in point: price per weight for goods of varying packaging sizes.

Example 1: Basmati Rice:

The cheapest rice per weight: 296 isk for 500 g that come in four handy bags to boil the rice in so it's easier to wash your pot afterwards. This works out to 592 isk/kg

Here's the SAME AMOUNT, 500 g, of the SAME KIND of rice but now it's 429 isk, and not 296 isk. Oh, and yes, it comes in one bag and not a box with four bags. This works out to 858 isk/kg instead of 592 isk/kg.

And last, but not least, here is the biggest bag they have for sale of this kind of rice: it's 1000 g or twice the weight of the other ones. This package costs 759 isk/kg, which is 99 isk/kg cheaper than the 500 g bag (with no extra bags), but 167 isk/kg more expensive than the box with four bags in it!!

To summarize:

500 g in a paper box with four plastic boil-in bags: 296 isk or 592 isk/kg
500 g in a bag: 429 isk or 858 isk/kg.  The difference 429 – 296 = 133 is slightly more than a dollar (currenctly 114 isk in a dollar)
1000 g in a bag : 759 isk/kg.  Yes, it’s cheaper than the 500 g in one bag, but more expensive than the 500 g in a box with four bags.

It boggles the mind.

Example 2: Laundry Detergent:

Ooh look! A box of 1.9 kg of laundry detergent is 696 isk, or 366 isk/kg (just north of $3 for 4 lbs).

Here is the exact same laundry detergent, but much more of it in one box, a whopping 8 kg (17 lbs). This box will set you back 3185 isk, or 398 isk/kg, which is 32 isk/kg MORE than the small box, utterly contradicting the 'okonomikob' label which is Danish for 'Economic buying'. While I was there scratching my head over this conundrum, a couple came up and grabbed a 8 kg box. I politely mentioned that they were paying more per kg for the big box, and they switched to a smaller box. I felt slightly victorious!

Sadly, I neglected to take a picture of the same type of laundry detergent ‘for colored laundry’, which costs an arm and a leg for a tiny box.  I think it was about a quarter of the size of the smaller box, and a lot more expensive!  Why?!?!  Whyyyyyyy?!?!?

Archives

  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • May 2005
  • April 2005
  • March 2005
  • February 2005
  • January 2005
  • December 2004
  • November 2004
  • October 2004
  • September 2004
  • August 2004
  • July 2004
  • June 2004
  • May 2004
  • April 2004
  • March 2004
  • February 2004
  • January 2004
  • December 2003
  • November 2003
  • October 2003
  • September 2003
  • August 2003
  • July 2003
  • June 2003
  • May 2003
  • April 2003
  • March 2003
  • February 2003
  • January 2003
  • December 2002
  • November 2002
  • October 2002
  • September 2002
  • August 2002
  • July 2002
  • June 2002
  • May 2002
  • April 2002
  • March 2002
  • February 2002
  • January 2002
  • December 2001
  • November 2001
  • October 2001

Calendar

June 2011
S M T W T F S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« May   Jul »

Categories

  • Akureyri
  • Anna
  • Belgium
  • Birthday
  • Bjarki
  • Canada
  • Christmas
  • Concert
  • Confirmation
  • Denmark
  • Easter
  • Emma
  • Events
  • Families
  • Family
  • FFF
  • Finland
  • Finnur's family
  • France
  • Friends
  • Germany
  • Graduation
  • Guitar
  • gymnastics
  • Hiking
  • Holland
  • Hrefna
  • Hrefna's family
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Laugarvatn
  • New Year's Eve
  • Píanó
  • snow
  • Sweden
  • Tenerife
  • Thanksgiving
  • Traveling
  • UK
  • UK
  • Uncategorized
  • Uppskriftir
  • Us
  • USA
  • Visitors
  • Weather

Copyright Dagbók Hrefnu og Finns 2025 | Theme by ThemeinProgress | Proudly powered by WordPress