Delbert figured the bill would be a little over $15. He had bought seven Hershey’s Special Dark 5-ounce chocolate bars. They were on sale, reduced from $1.49 to $1 each. He had studied the various deals on toilet paper. You need a calculator to figure out what the best deal is, he muttered as he looked at each price tag beneath each item. Knowing that the house brand is almost always cheaper than the name brand, he settled on Ralfs Nice ‘n Soft 2-ply tissue.

The large plastic package proclaimed “Comfy Softness.” The 12 double rolls were reduced from $7.19 to $5.39. Delbert read the small print on the package: “Embossed for softness—Ralfs Bathroom Tissue is Soft, Thick and Plush. Safe for sewer and septic systems.”

He had also bought about 2 ? pounds of bananas, at 67 cents a pound. A week ago, no bananas were available. Instead, a sign had said, “Bad weather in Ecuador is affecting our banana supply.”

Delbert was surprised when the bill came to $15.91. He gave the checker a twenty and got his change. Then he pushed his cart over near the coffee counter to double-check his bill. There it was--$5.91 for the toilet paper. He pushed the cart back to aisle 4. He looked at the price tag on the bottom of the shelf again—it said $5.32. Ha, he thought. He went back to the same checker and told her about the overcharge.