Unit Pricing
Know what you are really paying for groceries
To know exactly what you are paying for a product at the supermarket, shop using the item’s unit price.
You may have noticed that when you check the price of an item on the shelf at a supermarket, there are actually two prices posted on the edge of the shelf. The price listed on the right is usually the price you pay at the cash register. The price on the left, which is usually in smaller print that the cash register price is the unit price of the item. The shelf tag shows the total price (item price) and price per unit (unit price) for the food item.
You can probably do the math in your head or use a calculator to figure out a product’s unit price. But you don’t have to exert yourself because the supermarket did the hard work for you. You just have to use the information to save money. Some states have passed laws to require supermarket and grocery stores of certain size to post this information.
The unit price of an item tells you the cost per pound, quart, or other unit of weight or volume of the food package. The unit price is the amount you’re paying for each unit, such as ounce or pound, quart or liter, of the product you’re buying. The unit price of a product makes it easy to compare prices across different brands of the same food of different sizes. Use unit prices to compare different forms (such as fresh, canned, or frozen) of the same food. You can save money when you compare the cost of the same food in different sized containers or different brands. The unit price lets you compare “apples to apples.”
The current trend in packaging by food manufacturers is to shrink the content and keep the packaging same size and at the same price. Many people believe that it is the evil big corporations attempt to cheap the small consumer. However, the more logical reason is probable because the manufacturers needed to raise prices on their products because of rising cost of making the products. But instead of retooling to make smaller packaging to hold less of their products and keep the prices at the same level, it would actually be cheaper for the manufacturers to keep the same size packaging but put less of the product in the packaging.
We are used to grabbing our most commonly used products and dashing for the checkout line. Taking the time to check how much product is actually inside the packaging to be sure that you are getting what you think you are paying for. Keeping a record in a small notebook on your favorite products is handy for comparison. Downsized packages are designed to be unnoticeable to most consumers since manufacturers usually don’t want to explain what they are charging the same price or higher prices for less, even if the reason is logical.
Don’t buy something just because it comes in a bigger package that a similar item. Bigger doesn’t mean more and may cost you a lot more. Choose the food that has the lowest price per unit to save real money.
Foods that cost less per unit are not always the better buy. The big, economy size is not a good buy if you cannot store it properly. If you end up with leftovers that spoil or are thrown out, buying the larger size is not a good idea.
Unit pricing can help you decide what brand to buy. Store brands and little known brands are often cheaper than well-known national brands. The way the lower-priced brands look may be the only difference. Sometimes these foods may vary in size, color, or texture more than the national brands. But do check the nutrition facts panel on the food label to see if the nutrients are the same.
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