Day 6 Sunbeam Alkaline AA Batteries

Batteries not included. This was at the end of pretty much every toy commercial I saw as a kid. And I always wondered why not. If the toy sells for $29.99 or whatever how much could it cost to throw in a couple of AA batteries? Especially because the toy manufacturer could buy them in bulk and get them for almost nothing.

One semi-convincing explanation I heard is that in the old days, batteries were prone to leaking and the caustic leakage could damage the toy. I don't buy this as an explanation though because these dollar store batteries have a guaranteed shelf life of seven years. It's just one of those unsolvable mysteries like why hot dogs come in packages of ten and buns are sold in packages of eight. But I digress.

Batteries are about the best bargain in the dollar store. All of the alkaline batteries are pretty much the same in my experience so you might as well buy the cheapest. These are destined for a Norelco travel shaver and a pair of Skullcandy Crusher headphones in case you were curious.





 One thing to watch out for though, is that there are two kinds of batteries for sale: these alkaline ones, in packs of four, and "super heavy duty" batteries (the white and red one on the right) in packs of eight. You would think a super heavy duty battery would last longer than a regular alkaline but actually the opposite is true. The "super heavy duty" batteries are based on the older zinc-carbon battery technology and actually contain only about 1/3 as much energy as alkaline batteries.(according to Wikipedia). My recommendation: stick to the alkalines. They cost twice as much per battery but have three times as much electricity inside.