I do have to agree with you somewhat as I was calculating this the other day. At WalMart I get a 182oz jug for $2.54 so that is definitely less than what you are finding.

However it has been a royal PITA purchasing the WalMart brand bleach. Half of the jugs I grab have busted seals on the top. So now when I purchase I end up having to open each jug before I put it in the basket. This is time consuming and frustrating at the same time. Now, the seals that are intact do not want to remove with the useless "pull tab". I end up cutting them off. It just seems to be much more of a hassle than it used to be.

On the other hand some of the other methods may seem cheaper initially but it's the side effects they cause that make it more costly and causes one to chase his tail. For instance the trichlor pucks are acidic plus they add stabilizer. Neither is a great option for me as my pH is constant and doesn't swing due to the fact that I chlorinate with bleach.

I guess I got off track a bit however it's all related. The cost may have gone up but I still think it allows maintaining crystal clear water very easily

-Scott