Doing the Math on a Snack About a decade ago, the founder of the company that makes these bars, Daniel Lubetzky, delivered them to bodegas and stores himself, on foot. These days, the company sells more than 20 million bars a month, at 80,000 locations nationwide, 2,000 of them in the city. Last year, consumption of the bars rose more than 100 percent. The suggested retail price of a bar is $1.99, but as anyone who has shopped for a Kind bar knows, the actual price can vary from as little as $1 a bar to a top price, at least that we have seen, of $3.50. How can that be? To find out, we surveyed the prices at a half-dozen spots and talked to retailers about the differences. Our findings are laid out in the chart below. The dirty secret, Robert L. Phillips, the director of Columbia University's Center for Pricing and Revenue Management, said, is that there isn't much science behind the pricing of such products. Mostly, retailers will charge whatever they think they can get away with, he said, especially if they know they have a captive audience. On a recent Wednesday, Mr. Phillips paid $2.50 for a maple-glazed pecan and sea salt Kind bar at Taasha Deli, on the corner of Broome and Centre Streets in SoHo. Was it worth it? "I think so," he replied in an e-mail. "$1.50 for the bar. $1.00 for the virtuous healthy feeling I got from buying it." Retailer Whole Foods, Columbus Circle Price per bar $1 to $1.99 Why do they cost that much? Belying its "whole paycheck" nickname, Whole Foods charged less for the bars than almost any other retailer. While the bars on the shelves are often marked at $1.99, when buyers get to the register the bars are often marked down, to four for $5, for example. Whole Foods purchases directly from Kind, according to a spokesman. Presumably it has struck a good deal. Placement in store Technically, they are a grocery item, which means they are on shelves in the dry goods area, but they are sometimes displayed in a bin or rack near the register, or by the prepared foods bar, for the impulse buyer. F.Y.I. If you lined up all the Kind bars sold nationally at Whole Foods Markets last year, they would stretch from New York to Chicago. Retailer Trader Joe's, Court Street, Brooklyn Price per bar $1.49 A spokeswoman said she was unable to comment on pricing because Trader Joe's is a privately held company. But according to a store manager, the price dropped 20 cents in 2010. Placement in store In the cereal and dried fruit and nut aisle, on shelves with protein powders and other snack bars. F.Y.I. They sell four varieties and keep extra cases on the shelves for customers looking to stock up. More bars are sold on weekends. Retailer Duane Reade, Eighth Avenue and 40th Street Price per bar $1.99 to $2.79 Prices varied within the store. Fruit and nut bars, on shelves near the cereals, were priced at $1.99 each, but in the impulse-buy area near checkout, the dark chocolate nuts and sea salt bars and the peanut butter dark chocolate bars were priced at $2.79. Placement in store In trays lining the checkout line and on shelves near the cereal aisle. F.Y.I. Dark chocolate nuts and sea salt, peanut butter dark chocolate and blueberry pecan fiber are best sellers. Retailer New Star Cafe, Seventh Avenue and 40th Street Price per bar $2.75 A sales associate said that shops near subway entrances tended to get good business, but that they also paid premium rent for their locations. The store's owner hung up on a reporter. Placement in store Traditional impulse-buy territory near checkout on a five-tier wire rack adorned with bags of fruit chews and protein bars. F.Y.I. Last week, the store had 19 varieties in stock. Retailer Hudson News, Kennedy Airport Price per bar $3.50 Generally speaking, overhead is high at airports, and stores must pay a percentage of their gross revenue to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Staffing costs are higher, too, because stores are open 365 days a year. Staff must get security clearances and merchandise must also pass through security; someone has to pay for those bomb-sniffing dogs. A spokes- woman declined to comment. Placement in store At the candy counter by the register. F.Y.I. Sales of Kind bars have nearly doubled every year since 2011. Rebecca Han contributed reporting.