I think you two are talking past each other a bit. Also, cheesepuffs2, your bit above there that I've bolded and underlined puts you in a rather select group on this forum. There are two major "groups" on this board, those that are highly value-driven and tend to hoard the best perceived value (this can be Supertech) they can score and those that buy "premium" oils (typically trying to get a deal on it) and also tend to hoard it. Note the common theme, we've had numerous threads on how much oil people buy and have stashed:
To make this work everybody post their current stash amount and the BITOG running total. Lets keep it to motor oil, not ATF or gear lube or additives, and not count vintage oil that we do not intend to use in a vehicle. Keep it in quarts. We can convert to gallons later. I am betting there are...
bobistheoilguy.com
Similar to the lastest oil change thread What was your latest oil purchase be it on sale or whatever. My last latest buys.
bobistheoilguy.com
I'd wager the group that doesn't maintain a considerable inventory and instead just performs value-driven TOU shopping (describing your approach) is quite small compared to the other two.
IMHO, buying OE isn't about "value", it's about getting a product that says AMSOIL on it for a similar price to Quaker State, Pennzoil, Mobil 1...etc. Supporting a smaller "all American" company who put out a low-cost line for those who are price conscious. I think that's the angle, and I expect it's reasonably effective with the target audience.
For somebody who doesn't care what brand is on the bottle, or where it is made, this approach probably seems ridiculous, but there
IS a group that this caters to.
Being in Canada with oil being expensive and coupled with the periodic sales of various brand-name products at Canadian Tire and Parts Source (you can never count on what is going to be on sale), and also having a preference for particular products and lines, I tend to maintain a considerable inventory, currently mostly consisting of M1 EP 0W-20 and M1 0W-40 procured during those aforementioned sales. But, I also have a fair bit of HPL Super Car on-hand. The procurement of this product is challenging with the massive cost of shipping and so
@Rand was nice enough to bring a couple cases with him the last time he came up here, saving me that.
Many of us also maintain an inventory of filters. This was a wise move with the FRAM Ultra since it was later altered, and if you are ordering them (like the Fleetguard ones I run on our boat) then you typically get a discount. I'm currently stocking AMSOIL EaO's.
Maintaining an inventory also makes sense for somebody like
@FowVay who is making orders of product, to minimize the shipping cost. If he's somebody who doesn't shop at Walmart or doesn't have one nearby, the perceived "simple convenience" of just popping in there, well, isn't. I personally don't shop at Walmart