20.10.2026 14:11
The prices in chain supermarkets' 'buy one get one free' campaigns have revealed the true face of the discounts. While the campaign price of toothpaste, two of which are sold for 259 lira 80 kuruş at other markets, is 439 lira 95 kuruş, the advantage provided on paper towels remained only at 20 lira 5 kuruş. Consumers claimed that some supermarkets increased prices before the campaign.
When the prices in chain supermarkets' "buy 1 get 1 free" campaigns were compared with normal sale prices in different supermarkets, striking results emerged. For some products, the campaign price was seen to approach the normal total cost of two products, and even exceed that amount. In particular, the price differences in toothpaste, paper towels, and diapers raised the question of how much advantage the discounts actually provide to consumers.
NOT A DISCOUNT BUT A HIGHER PRICE IN TOOTHPASTE
In the price comparison covered in main news bulletins, the most striking example was toothpaste. Toothpaste sold for 129 lira 90 kuruş in other supermarkets was offered for sale with a price tag of 439 lira 95 kuruş at the supermarket running a "buy 1 get 1 free" campaign.
While the total amount a consumer would pay to buy two toothpastes at the same price in other supermarkets would be 259 lira 80 kuruş, in the campaign purchase this figure rose to 439 lira 95 kuruş. Thus, when the consumer wanted to buy two products through the campaign, they had to pay 180 lira 15 kuruş more.
THE DISCOUNT ON PAPER TOWELS REMAINED LIMITED TO 20 LIRA
A similar picture emerged in paper towel prices. A 16-pack of paper towels sold in the market for around 200 lira was put on sale for 379 lira 95 kuruş as part of the campaign.
While the normal total cost of two packs of paper towels was about 400 lira, the savings provided by the "buy 1 get 1 free" campaign was only 20 lira 5 kuruş. Thus, the campaign, which gave the impression of a 50 percent discount, was seen to provide an advantage of about 5 percent compared with the normal sale prices used in the comparison.
A SIMILAR PICTURE IN BABY DIAPERS
Another product included in the comparison was baby diapers. Two packs of baby diapers with a normal sale price of 279 lira 90 kuruş can be bought for a total of 559 lira 80 kuruş at supermarkets not running the campaign.
In the "buy 1 get 1 free" campaign, however, 499 lira is paid for two packs. In this case, the advantage gained by the consumer remains at 60 lira 80 kuruş.
CONSUMERS REACT TO PRICE INCREASES
Some consumers whose views on the campaigns were sought claimed that product prices were raised before the discounts.
One customer described their experience with the words, "Beforehand it jumps from 600 lira to 1000 lira, then it falls back to around 500. Those things happen, yes."
Another consumer stated that they did not trust the campaigns and argued that prices were increased before the discount announcements.
NOT THE DISCOUNT TAG, BUT THE TOTAL PRICE IS DECISIVE
The resulting price differences showed that evaluating campaigns solely according to the announced discount rate can be misleading. Especially in offers that require buying more than one product, it is important to compare the campaign total cost with prices at different points of sale.
Consumer complaints that prices were increased before the campaign stand out as a separate issue that needs to be examined. Although the shared comparisons reveal the price differences, they do not on their own prove that a price increase was made before the campaign.