Review: Thomas' Bagel Thins

I love bagels.  Seriously, I love bagels.  I love bagels with cream cheese, I love bagels toasted with sliced cheese, I love bagels as sandwich holders, and sometimes I just eat a cold bagel by itself because they're delicious.

You can imagine my excitement, then, when I was asked to review Thomas' new Bagel Thins.  With no trans fat, no cholesterol, lower sodium and carbs, and only 110 calories per bagel, I was looking forward to a healthier option than my usual carb- and calorie-laden traditional bagel.

I decided to give the Everything Bagel Thins a go.  These have ample sesame and poppy seeds on the exterior and a nice, bold onion flavor throughout.  I first tried them plain and untoasted; then toasted with a little cream cheese; then finally used as the "bread" in a tuna salad sandwich.

And, as much as I hate to say it, I found them merely decent.

The flavor is quite good, but the strongest selling point of the Bagel Thins (lower calories, lower carb) is what I liked least about them.  That chewy, bready interior of a traditional bagel is my favorite part and that's missing in these babies.  Unfortunately for those watching their calorie intake, my favorite part is what was largely removed to make these healthier.

See how thin they are in this ad photo?  In real life, they're even skimpier.

They're good, don't get me wrong.  My only complaint is that Bagel Thins are mostly the exterior crust of a traditional bagel and it felt out of balance to me.  It's just too much crust for my preference; in my opinion bagels should have a very thin chewy exterior to offset the soft, substantial interior and that's missing in these.

On the upside: the flavor is good, the bagels are double-bagged so they're very fresh tasting, and at about $3 for an 8 pack at my local grocery store - about $.38ea - they're pretty affordable.  

In addition, for those watching their caloric intake, these are a tasty alternative at 110 calories to a traditional bagel's 270 calories.  The sodium content is also much lower (470mg in a standard bagel vs. 190mg in Bagel Thins) and the Thins have 24g of carbs vs. 50g in regular bagels. 

One option that I didn't try is using the Bagel Thins as a personal pizza base.  At the time it didn't occur to me, but after the package was gone I thought these would be great under the broiler with some tomatoes, cheese, onions & pepperoni.  I may pick up another package in the near future and try that out.

note: I was provided with a package of Thomas' Bagel Thins to facilitate this review.  I received no other compensation.  My opinions are my own.

Dual Drugstore Deals: $172 for $10 - you light up my life

Christmas clearance, snacks, light bulbs, and Maalox.  What a combo!

Not pictured: eight 2 liters Diet Pepsi

Our first stop was Walgreens - shelf price $72.81
6 Maalox - $5.24ea, $31.44 ($6.99, on sale for 25% off)
5 Chex Mix - $1.33ea, $6.65
8 Diet Pepsi - $1.25ea, $10
Subtotal $48.09, less six $5 off Maalox, two $.50 off 2 Chex Mix, five $.33 off Chex Mix store coupon, eight $.25 off Pepsi store coupon
Total $13.44, received back $13.50 RR ($10 for spending $30 on Maalox, $3.50 for 5 Chex Mix)

$.06 profit!!

Then, on to Rite Aid - shelf price $98.69
6 GE Soft White light bulbs, 4pk - $1.99ea, $11.94 (LIMIT SIX)
2 Special K cereal bars - $2.50ea, $5
1 Animal Planet toy - $1.99 (90% clearance)
4 mini Christmas lights - $.39ea, $1.56 (90% clearance)
3 rolls ribbon $.24ea, $.72 (90% clearance)
1 box Christmas cards - $.99 (90% clearance)
1 snowman tin - $.59 (90% clearance)
1 medium gift bag - $.29 (90% clearance)
2 small gift bags - $.19ea, $.38 (90% clearance)
1 box shortbread cookies - $.10 (90% clearance)
Subtotal $23.56, less $1 off two Special K
Total $22.56, received back $11.94 +UPs ($1.99 for each box of light bulbs, LIMIT SIX)
Out of pocket $10.62!!


The Special K bars were a test.  Someone had heard that they might be producing a $1 +UP per box; they're not, and that's fine.  They make a fairly healthy snack and Andy likes to take one to work with him sometimes. 
With all the awesome monthly "hidden" +UPs for January ending yesterday, we're eagerly awaiting the discovery of the new ones.  This is usually how Rite Aid addicts discover the monthly bonus +UPs - by buying one or two items to see if something works and sharing the results.  The Special K bars don't work.  =D
My store had a small little section of leftover Christmas clearance at 90% off so I took a good amount of it off their hands.  The Animal Planet toy will be a great birthday gift for my baby nephew this summer, and the other seasonal items will get packed away for next year.


Today was a fairly small trip overall.  There wasn't much I particularly wanted beyond the Maalox, Chex Mix, and light bulbs so I'm happy that I was able to find everything I was looking for.

Next week, however.  Ohhhh next week is shaping up to be one hell of a trip!!


Aside: we also made a quick stop at Giant Eagle today for milk, produce, eggs, bagels, and some BOGO sirloin tip roasts to the tune of $23.53.

On Coupons & Marketing

This week's debacle at Rite Aid got me to thinking.

Back in another lifetime, I worked in advertising & marketing.  Everywhere we go every single day, we're constantly surrounded by suggestions on where to shop and what to buy, and for the most part marketers have 'how to get people to buy their shit' down pat.  It's part psychology, part math, and part voodoo, really, but - let's face it - it works.  Marketing works, especially when it's done right.

Businesses don't offer sales and manufacturers don't issue coupons because they're nice.   They do it to make money.  Nothing more, nothing less; sales and coupons are a form of marketing and the whole point of marketing is to sell product.

When Rite Aid decided to "give away" their store-branded paper products this week, it was likely for one of two reasons.  Either they wanted to get their product out there in order to entice folks to buy it at full price after the sale is over, or they planned on it being what's called a loss leader.
A loss leader is an item that is advertised at a crazy cheap price for the sole purpose of getting customers in the door where they will generally buy additional items since they're at the store already.  When your grocery store offers meat for $1.49lb marked down from $3.29lb, that's a loss leader.  Shoppers will rush to the store to get the inexpensive meat, and since they're in the store anyway they're more likely to buy other items - whether it's grabbing a candy bar at the checkout or loading a basket with some ice cream and rolls and soda.
Many times a manufacturer will introduce a new product to the market by organizing big sale with the stores and issuing a coupon on top of it.  The goal is to get the new product into the market (we're the market, if you didn't know) and, hopefully, consumers will discover they like the product and not only buy it again, but tell their friends and family about this great new product.  It even works on me: CVS had Evolution of Smooth lip balm free after ECB with a limit of one some weeks back.  I got my lone EOS lip balm and discovered that's it's pretty damn awesome.  I even commented to Andy that I'd totally pay full price for this stuff once my existing balm was gone.

Well, Rite Aid's plan worked - whether that plan was to introduce their product to more consumers, get shoppers into the stores, or a combination of both.
People went apeshit over free TP.  I've seen reports around the blogosphere about shoppers waiting in line before stores opened and running to the paper products to sweep everything they could into their carts.  Shoppers went from store to store to store to scoop up literally hundreds of the free TP and facial tissue.  There have been tantrums and screaming fits and lots of angry, disappointed customers who weren't able to find a single roll of TP anywhere in their area.  Come Monday morning Rite Aid quickly imposed a limit of one paper product per Wellness card; after a sea of complaints, they raised it to a limit of three items per card for the remainder of the sales week.

So while the plan worked, it also backfired horribly.  Rite Aid made a glaring mistake: they made it way too easy to get free necessities.
Toilet paper is expensive.  Everyone needs toilet paper.  In this terrible economy, a lot of families are trying to cut back and save money wherever they can, and when it comes to toilet paper you're effectively flushing money down the sewer.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you could rush to Rite Aid, load up your cart, pay for ten rolls of TP in cash and use the +UPs you get to pay for the next ten, and the next ten, and so on, effectively only shelling out $10 at the beginning of the day to get a vanload of paper products and still having $10 in store credit at the end to grab some milk or cold medicine.

Manufacturers issue coupons because the vast majority of the coupons that get used are redeemed one or two at a time.  If you want to get 10 free widgets by using coupons, you have to jump through a few hoops to get there.  You've got to either buy 10 newspapers, beg extra coupons from friends & family, buy coupons from a clipping service, or scrounge up discarded newspapers.  The effort involved deters what I'd guess to be 99% of the consumer base from getting multiple items.  Most folks will take their lone coupon from the Sunday paper and get one free widget because there are too many hoops to jump through to get more.

The big three drug stores almost always have at least one "free" item each week that you don't need a single coupon to get.  There are hoops, though.

Dual Drugstore Deals: $185 for $11 - pass the toilet paper!

We are awash in toilet paper.

LATE EDIT:  As of Monday, 1/20/10, the TP & facial tissue at Rite Aid is now LIMIT ONE. Only one $1 +UP will print on your receipt.
LATER EDIT: As of late Monday, 1/20/10, the limit on this deal is THREE items.  You will only get three $1 +UPs no matter how many you buy.  Three total all week.   
As an aside, I understand a company not wanting to lose money.  I really do.  But, c'mon, you're offering free toilet paper and kleenex with absolutely zero hoops to jump through or work involved - in this economy, what do you think is going to happen??  It seems like this wasn't very well thought-out.  Yes, it drew tons of people into the stores and exposed customers to your product, but did no one stop and think that folks would load the hell up on one of life's necessities for free?

Not pictured: four 2 liters Diet Pepsi

Walgreens - shelf price $32.28
4 Thermacare Back & Neck $2.50ea, $10
4 Diet Pepsi $1.25ea, $5
4 Kraft Homestyle Mac & Cheese $1.67ea, $6.68
Subtotal $21.68, less four $1 off Kraft, less one $1 off 4 Pepsi store coupon, less four $.50 off Kraft store coupon
Total $14.68, received back $10 RR ($2.50ea for Thermacare)
Out of pocket $4.68



Rite Aid gets a little complicated so I'm going to break this down a little differently than normal.

Rite Aid - shelf price $153.21
13 single roll toilet paper $1ea, $13 - rec'd $13 in +UPs NOW LIMIT 3
6 4pk toilet paper $.90ea (with discount), $5.40 *see note - rec'd $6 in +UPs NOW LIMIT 3
1 box facial tissue $1 - rec'd $1 +UP NOW LIMIT 3
12 bags TGIFridays snacks $.97ea, $11.64 - rec'd $12 in +UPs
2 Toms of Maine products $3.99ea, $7.98 - rec'd $6 in +UPs
3 Hormel chili $1.25ea, $3.75 - rec'd $3 in +UPs
2 Ester-C $5.99 BOGO, raincheck, $3.99 total (used two $2 coupons - FREE)
2 Pilot pens $2.06ea (with discount), $4.12 - rec'd $4 +UP

Then there was the clearance stuff!
2 Physician's Formula mascara $2.43ea, $4.86 (used $5 coupon adjusted down - FREE)
1 Olay Complete moisturizer $2.24 (used $2 coupon)
3 rolls wrapping paper $.19ea, $.57
3 big rolls wrapping paper $.39ea, $1.17
3 boxes shortbread cookies $.10ea, $.30
2 chocolate marshmallow Santas $.08ea, $.16
1 massive box candy canes $.99
1 snowman tin $.59
1 holiday tin $.29

Subtotal for everything $62.05, less $10.86 in coupons
Total $51.19, received back $45 in +UPs
Out of pocket $6.19!!

This was a crazy insane trip:

Dual Drugstore Deals: $272 for $17!

We had an excellent trip to the drugstores today, though by looking at the photo you probably wouldn't think that's where we went.

LATE EDIT: the Bumble Bee tuna & Hormel Compleats deal as detailed in the Rite Aid section of this entry is no longer working as of 1/11/11.  Hormel is now giving a single $1 +UP per package, Bumble Bee is giving a $1 +UP per 4.

Look at all that food!  Not pictured: 2 ceramic plates shaped like cupcakes, 4 2 liters Diet Coke

Walgreens - shelf price $34.02
3 EOS lip balm $2.99ea, $8.97
3 Snickers bars, 3 for $2
2 L'Oreal lip gloss $2.29ea, $4.58 (clearance)
Subtotal $15.55
Less two $2 off L'Oreal, total $11.55, received back $6 RRs ($2 for each EOS)
Out of pocket $5.55

I really only wanted to get the EOS today because that is an amazing lip balm and I'm glad to pay $.99 after RR for one.  Seriously, I love this stuff.  A quick trip 'round the cosmetics area and I found some L'Oreal lip glosses clearanced down to $2.29ea.  I had some $2 off coupons for L'Oreal cosmetics; with these normally priced at $9.99, $.29ea is a steal.
The Snickers bars are the cashiers' suggestive sell item this month.  As I've mentioned, they get a small bonus for selling these items so I try to pick some up when I can.  It never hurts to help out your cashiers; they'll remember you for it and it makes life much easier in the long run!


Rite Aid - shelf price $238.11

Dual Drugstore Deals: $369 for $11

We had two pretty crazy trips today. Without unnecessary chit-chat (because I don't have much time to blog this evening!), let's get to the good stuff.

Not pictured: four 2 liters Diet Coke, four 14lb pails of Tidy Cats cat litter

Walgreens - shelf price $219.31
5 Salonpas arthritis pain relief patches, 5ct - $5.99ea, $29.95
4 20ct Advil - $3ea, $12
4 Pantene - $3.50ea, $14
4 Nivea for Men shave gel/moisturizer - $3.99ea, $15.96
4 14lb pails Tidy Cats - $5ea, $20
2 Theraflu - $4.99ea, $9.98
2 Breathe-Rite strips, 10ct - $6.79ea, $13.58
4 L'Oreal lipstick - $2.79ea (clearance), $11.16
2 L'Oreal lip gloss - $2.59ea (clearance), $5.18
2 L'Oreal eyeliner - $3.59ea (clearance), $7.18
Subtotal $138.99
Total after coupons $70.22, received back $59 in Register Rewards
Out of pocket $11.22

I'll be honest here; I don't remember quite how I did this.  There were 7 transactions involved and, fortunately, my cashier knew exactly what she was doing and why I was doing what I was doing.
Salonpas - $5.99ea, receive back $6 RR
Advil - $3ea, I had $2 off coupons, got back a $3 RR for spending $10, so $.25 per bottle
Pantene - This is a push item this month for the Cosmetics cashiers; they get a small commission for each bottle they sell, so I got 4 bottles.  It worked out to $1ea after coupon & RR.
Breathe-Rite - The Catalina machine spit out two coupons for free Breathe-Rite on my transactions with the Theraflu, so Andy ran to grab a couple boxes.  Can't beat free!
L'Oreal - you may notice I've never posted makeup deals before.  I don't really wear makeup save for a little lipstick & mascara, and eyeliner when I'm gettin' real gussied up - ergo I never buy the stuff unless I get paid to take it.  With all this stuff on super deep clearance combined with a stack of $5 off 2 coupons AND a $5 RR back when you buy $15...they paid me to take the makeup.

Then, on to Rite Aid - shelf price $149.43

Hickory Farms - 75% off

Hickory Farms has a sitewide sale - 75% off everything.  No coupon codes are required; just add stuff to your cart and check out.  Shipping is a little pricey ($8-15 or so), but if you like this brand it's a good deal.

They'll also ship free to APO/FPO addresses, so if you know any soldiers currently serving, this is a great time to send them a little treat.  If you don't know any personally, you can find one to adopt at anysoldier.com.  I know they'd appreciate some Hickory Farms.