Rum Question-iPhone App for tracking prices?

[penguinboy]

OK- this is the forum for questions about rum, so here's my question, even though it's not so much about tasting rum as tracking rum

I just got a new ipod touch and I'm really excited about all the different apps I can load up- you know, there's an app for that! I have a small spiral notebook I use to keep track of prices of different rums at the many local liquor stores I frequent. I'm looking for a good spreadsheet type program so I can replace the notebook. Something I can set up the stores on one axis, the names of rums on another, and as I walk the stores, I can easily enter and update the prices.

Anyone out there drink so much rum that this is actually a great tool to save a few bucks every week? If so, and you use and iphone- share the wealth!

Thanks!

-Danny

[Edward Hamilton]

I'm working on a mobile version of this site but with mobile devices getting better a new application isn't as high on the priority list as it used to be.

On the other hand, keeping track of prices at different stores is something that I'll be looking into. One approach may be to add a couple more fields to the favorites list, or maybe another 'shopping list'.

Rum Store Price Date


A couple of the first things that come to mind are the price units and date formats.

Beyond € and $ what other currency units would you like to see?
What date format? mm/dd/yyyy, dd/mm/yyyy, Nov 28, 2009 or

28 Nov, 2009 - Or another date format?

What other fields would be helpful?

[Mistahunter]

Ed -

I think some type of rating would be helpful...might be good to see what forum members think of the rum.

Other demographic info would be good too...country, age, type, etc...

[Edward Hamilton]

Forum members with more than 35 posts can add ratings to rums on their favorite rums list. Currently I don't publish that information but will be doing so in the future.

[Jerry]

mm/dd/yy would work best for me.............

What a neat idea! Thanks, Ed!

you rock.gif

[Ben]

I think it's a great idea. I spent a lot of time trying to keep up on where to find rums at the best price possible.

Without necessarily having all pricing lists for all stores out there, it would be nice to have like the top three best prices for a given rum by state, or province, let's say.

My 2 cents.

[lperry]

For pricing, it may not be that difficult. There is already an app for scanning barcodes that is being widely adopted and adapted. As an example, it's being used to track video game prices through a website. Their reasoning was the same - how do you know if it's a deal? Just scan and check. I'd pay five bucks for it.

Here's the game version:

http://blog.videogamepricecharts.com/2009/10/use-iphone-upc-scanner-on-vgpc.html

[gil]

Sounds a great idea Ed - maybe it could be linked to the Special offers in your area section on the site. If so a £ stirling currency unit would, i'm sure, be appreciated by the small British contingent here.

[RonJames]

Not to sound like a grampa techno geezer here but I usually keep some money in the rum fund for special purchases and "hell of a deal purchases". For instance if I walk into a store and they have Cruzan single barrel on sale (because they are trying to dump old product for new ones) I buy a bunch. From checking internet sites online I usually have an idea of what I can get for what. Your also talking to the low end techno guy who still has a flip phone though.HMMR

[Edward Hamilton]

I'm still waiting to buy a smarter phone myself. I can see enabling forum members the ability to enter prices for rums they buy in a favorites list.
Beyond that would require stores to enter and keep current prices on rums that they sell in this database.

A link to the deals in your area section of the forums is easy to do.

My first inclination is to have a place where you can record prices on various rums and display the last five or ten prices entered and the name of the stores.

In the future, I can see online stores getting in the act and making their price scripts available to third parties like this site. When I look at prices on line for stores that I know, the prices are often non-existent or out of date.

UPC codes are another kettle of fish, but they are certainly on the drawing board of things in the works. Unfortunately, at this time I don't know enough code, or have the time to learn another language, to make it work seamlessly. But I have confidence that this will happen.

[Edward Hamilton]

I just discovered another hurdle with UPC codes, they are different for different countries and bottle sizes. Canada has different codes from the US and the UK is different again. Some of this is due to differences in labeling.

Problems are opportunities.

[penguinboy]

I'm excited that my simple questions has sparked such an interest! For a casual rum consumer, saving a buck or 2 for a bottle isn't that big a deal. But for a super consumer like I imagine many of us are, and since we're buying rums priced all around the spectrum, saving $20-$30 a month does add up. And now that the Mrs has taken a shine to Chacaca, there's another $30 bottle of booze a month!

-Danny