Had to pick between whole carcass or boxed primals, took the gamble

Last month my supplier offered me a deal on a whole beef carcass for about $3.80 a pound versus the boxed primals at $4.50, which sounds like a no brainer but nobody warned me about the yield loss. I went with the whole carcass thinking I'd save a chunk and maybe learn something, and honestly the breakdown took me two full evenings after my regular shifts. I lost maybe 18 percent to fat, bone, and trim that I couldn't move as anything but ground, so my actual cost landed closer to $4.65 a pound in the end. The upside was having really specific cuts for my regulars, like the deckle and the flat iron, which they go crazy for. But if I had to do it over, I'd only take a whole carcass when I know I've got prep time and a plan for the odd bits. Anyone else run the numbers on this and find the boxed stuff worth the convenience, or am I just bad at breaking down?