I recently needed to purchase Children’s Motrin, which I had bought from Walmart a few days ago for $7.68. However, since Walmart is a bit far from my location, I decided to compare prices online at Rite Aid and CVS. To my surprise, Rite Aid listed it for $8.79, while CVS had it priced at $8.99.

Opting for convenience, I headed to Rite Aid, only to discover that the in-store price was $11.99, and the medicine was kept in a locked cabinet. When I pointed out the online price discrepancy to a staff member, he explained that the higher price was for the dye-free version. Since I didn’t need the dye-free option, he retrieved the regular version, but it still rang up at $11.99 at the register. His response? Online prices differ from in-store prices.

Frustrated, I decided to try CVS, hoping to find the medicine for their online price of $8.99. However, upon arrival, I noticed that the posted price was $9.99. Not wanting to risk another pricing surprise, I returned to Walmart, where I found both the dye-free and regular versions for the original price of $7.68 each.

This experience left me wondering about the significant price variations across different stores. It makes me question how much extra we unknowingly pay for essential items, especially prescription medications.