Price Check Posts

Price Check: Duluth-area Gym Membership

Apr 02, 2017 No Comments

watch-out-for-ice

If you are anything like me, you may have fallen behind on your New Year’s resolutions (or maybe you haven’t even started.) Whether you decided to give up soda or sweets or to get a gym membership, those are big commitments to follow through with.

As April quickly approaches, it is easy to feel depressed about not achieving those resolutions. It is never too late to start though.

You may want to add some weightlifting into your routine a few days a week so your co-worker stops calling you “chicken legs.” Or, you may want to jump-start your weight loss so you feel comfortable in something other than a sweatshirt this summer.

The reason for getting a gym membership does not matter; what matters is that you start.

Here lies the 14th feature for the Price Check series where we compare prices of products and services in Duluth. The prices below reflect the monthly rate the establishment charges, with tax included, for those who sign on for a one-year membership. Various caveats are noted.

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Price Check: Ice Melt

Jan 23, 2017 1 Comment

watch-out-for-iceAre the freezing and thawing temperature shifts keeping you down? Literally, keeping you down on the ground because it’s so slippery outside?

Do not fear; ice melt price check is here.

It can be hard to decide what kind of ice melt to purchase. Do you really need a 50 lb. bag to get you through the winter? Do you have dogs so you need to be conscious of pet-safe ice melt? Are you grabbing a quick 10 lb. bag to get your car tires unstuck down the block?

Because everyone’s needs vary, we compared four different kinds of ice melt: Road Runner, Morton Safe-T-Salt, Safe Step Pet Friendly and Safe Step Dual Blend. Whether you are snagging a bag at the closest convenience store or stocking up for the winter at a big chain retailer, these price comparisons can will keep you informed.

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Price Check: Poinsettia

Dec 11, 2016 No Comments

poinsettia

While some may still be recovering from food comatose, the rest of us must prepare for rounds two and three: food on Christmas Eve and presents on Christmas Day.

What if you cannot think of what to bring for Grandma’s Christmas Dinner? Bring her a poinsettia. It is the appropriate response to both a table decoration near the ham and a gift to warm her heart.

As I explained this price check to a coworker and she said, “my grandma puts like 20 of those around her house for Christmas.” I laughed because it happened to be my exact memory of poinsettias.

The red and green foliage is perfect for Christmas display. These plants can be found in all types of sizes, but for the purposes of this price check, the prices below reflect 6-inch or 6.5-inch poinsettias.

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Random, Recommendations

Price Check: Thanksgiving Turkey

Nov 20, 2016 1 Comment

Turkey

Shopping for the annual thankfulness feast can involve a whole gamut of traditional offerings — mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce — but the age-old staple is turkey. What will that bird cost ya? Well, we’ve chased down prices at a variety of Duluth-area grocery stores for this report.

Listed first are three variations of brand-name mass-marketed turkey: frozen Jennie-O Grade A, premium fresh Jennie-O and premium frozen Butterball. Our fourth comparison is of turkeys purported to be a bit more naturally produced.

Here lies the eleventh feature for PDD’s Price Check series where we compare the cost of goods and services in Duluth and Superior. The amounts below reflect the per-pound price each establishment charges. Minnesota and Wisconsin classify unprepared foods and food ingredients as exempt from tax.

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Price Check: Ames 26-inch Poly Leaf Rake

Sep 18, 2016 No Comments

AmesRakeIt’s that time of year again when T-shirts become long sleeves, cups of coffee become pumpkin spice lattes, and the emerald and sage colored leaves become sandstone orange and rosewood red.

Breathe in the crisp morning air, take pictures of the vibrant Midwestern colors, and maybe toss a puppy or a child into that pile of dead leaves. After you have finished having your fall fun, those leaves will not rake themselves.

An Ames 26-inch Poly Leaf Rake could be the tool that helps you through the dreaded yearly task. The handle has a cushion grip to deter blisters and all the tines touch the ground simultaneously.

Whether you are a first-rake, first-home buyer or a second mortgage home remodeler, this product could liven up your yard again.

Here lies the tenth feature for the Price Check series where we compare prices of products and services in Duluth. The prices below reflect the rate the establishment charges with tax included. The combined tax in Duluth is 8.375 percent. This is the summation of Minnesota sales tax (6.875 percent), St. Louis County transit sales/use tax (0.5 percent) and Duluth general sales tax (1.0 percent). Hermantown’s general sales tax is the same as Duluth, and the same state and county taxes apply.

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Price Check: Off! Deep Woods Insect Repellent

Aug 02, 2016 1 Comment

OFF!BugSpray

It does not matter if you are eating at a restaurant with a lakeside seat, boating on Lake Superior, or strolling on the Lake Superior Hiking Trail, you are bound to encounter the force of the squitos.

Saying “avoid the outdoors at dusk and dawn” to protect yourself from mosquito bites is like saying “stay indoors to avoid sunburn.”

Purchasing a 6 oz. can of Off! Deep Woods is more practical than avoiding the outdoors for a third of the day. The aerosol spray contains 25 percent DEET, which is an active ingredient to repel mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, gnats and chiggers.

The stench of insect repellent may “bug” you even after a few showers, but it beats the days of putting Xs on squito bites with your longest fingernail (or scratching with the nearest sharp object).

Here lies the ninth feature for the Price Check series where we compare prices of products and services in Duluth. The prices below reflect the rate the establishment charges with tax included. The combined tax in Duluth is 8.375 percent. This is the summation of Minnesota sales tax (6.875 percent), St. Louis County transit sales/use tax (0.5 percent) and Duluth general sales tax (1.0 percent). Hermantown’s general sales tax is the same as Duluth, and the same state and county taxes apply.

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Outdoors, Recommendations

Price Check: Duluth Coffee Company’s Peru Cajamarca Norte

Jun 19, 2016 No Comments

Duluth Coffee Company launched as a boutique wholesale roaster in 2011 and expanded to open a retail café in Downtown Duluth in 2012. The café sells roasted coffees, brewing devices, grinders and coffee brewed by the cup to order.

Peru Cajamarca Norte is a full-city roast grown in Cajamarca, Peru. There is some oil on the surface of the bean, whereas light roasts have no oil and dark roasts are oily. Other characteristics of this coffee are heavy body and bitterness, with a rich and dark color. Duluth Coffee Company roasts beans onsite in a 3-kilo roaster, exposing the beans to higher temperatures for a darker roast.

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Price Check: Kayaks

May 16, 2016 No Comments

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Price checking kayaks is like shopping for puppies, with so many colors and personalities. There might never be a perfect time to get a puppy, but May is damn-near the perfect time to buy a kayak. The summer bug starts crawlin’ in with dreams of sunshine and light campfires. 

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Price Check: Pint of Bent Hop

Apr 22, 2016 3 Comments

Frigidaire Dishwasher

Bent Hop is a golden India pale ale brewed in Duluth’s friendly West End by Bent Paddle Brewing, a 30-barrel production brewery and taproom that uses water from Lake Superior. Bent Hop has a big citrus bitterness with a medium malt support. The alcohol by volume is 6.2 percent. Compare that to the domestics with an average ABV of 4.2%, and you have yourself a craft beer that’ll bend you over during hoppy hour.

For the purposes of this price check, we compared prices of Bent Hop on tap rather than in a can.

Here lies the sixth feature for the Price Check series where we compare prices of products — from bars and restaurants in this case — in Duluth and Superior. The prices below reflect the rate the establishment charges with tax included. For the most part, bars factor the tax into a flat, rounded off price. Many restaurants, however, don’t mind picking up pocket change. Duluth establishments charge 13.125 percent tax on alcoholic beverages; Superior establishments charge 5.5 percent tax. Since the taxes are extra complicated on this Price Check, we break them down at the end of the list.

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Price Check: Frigidaire Dishwasher

Apr 03, 2016 1 Comment

Frigidaire DishwasherAre you sick of arguing with your spouse and children about whose turn it is to wash the dishes by hand? Do you despise the smell and texture of greasy, pruney phalanges? Perfect Duluth Day’s Price Check series has a solution for your loathing: The Frigidaire 24-inch Built-in Dishwasher in Stainless Steel.

This model # FFBD2411NS dishwasher features a spacious, removable silverware basket, a delay start option so it runs on your schedule, a removable, stainless steel filter, five wash cycle options, and a control lock option.

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Price Check: Iggy Pop and Gwen Stefani

Mar 21, 2016 No Comments

postpopdepression-e1453865021601

On Friday, March 18, two solo artists released their newest albums. As usual with Perfect Duluth Day’s Price Check, the cost of purchasing said albums varies — in this case not just from store to store but by format and artist. Odd as it might seem, Iggy Pop tends to be a tad more expensive than Gwen Stefani.

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Price Check: Cuisinart Griddler Grill

Mar 07, 2016 2 Comments

Cuisinart Griddler GrillWhen you decide a Cuisinart Griddler is the most valuable appliance in your home, you will find yourself mollycoddling it like a 4-month-old tot. This brushed stainless steel grill functions as a contact grill, panini press, full grill, full griddle, or half grill / half griddle. It has a hinged floating cover that adjusts to the thickness of hamburgers, paninis or steaks.

The cooking plates are removable, reversible, nonstick and dishwasher-safe, with an integrated drip tray to collect grease. The two temperature controls make it easy to cook eggs and steak at the same time. It’s also BPA free for those concerned with the health effects of potential poisonous packaging.

Here lies the third feature for the Price Check series where we compare prices on basic, practical products and services around Duluth and Superior. The prices below reflect the rate the establishment charges with tax included. Minnesota and Duluth sales tax total 7.875%. Wisconsin and Douglas County sales tax total 5.5%.

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Price Check: Women’s Columbia Fleece

Feb 25, 2016 No Comments

Columbia JacketStores are shifting from winter to spring gear and this means one of many things: clearance coats everywhere. The most common women’s Columbia Sportswear Company product is the Columbia Benton Springs Full Zip Fleece. This fleece features two zipping pockets so there is a slim chance of your precious iPhone falling to its death. It can also be dressed-up with a scarf and heels or dressed-down with sweatpants and your favorite hoodie.

Here lies the second feature for the Price Check series where we compare prices on basic, practical products and services around Duluth and Superior.

The prices below reflect the rate the establishment charges with tax included. Clothing is exempt from Minnesota’s sales tax. Wisconsin and Douglas County sales tax total 5.5%. 

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Recommendations

Price Check: Oil Change

Feb 16, 2016 8 Comments

oil changeThe light on the dashboard catches your eye. Add an oil change to your list of mundane, human deeds to complete in the near future: file taxes, buy milk and diapers, DMV to renew tabs, post office for stamps, gas, and now, an oil change.

Here lies the start to a new series where we compare prices on basic, practical products and services around Duluth and Superior. First off, oil changes.

The prices below reflect the rate the establishment charges with tax included. Wisconsin and Douglas County sales tax total 5.5%. Minnesota and Duluth sales tax total 7.875%.

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