Comments on: Watch that unit price!

By: jennydecki

jennydecki — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:13:44 +0000

When we first realized that the bigger items were sometimes more than the smaller we were SHOCKED! But it makes sense…everyone just assumes that the larger item will be more economical…this belief means the store makes a profit from people who want to be frugal but aren’t paying attention to detail.

If I’m at a store that does not list the price per oz. (or whatever) I will break out my cell phone and do the math. I do not want to ever pay more for the same product!

By: Megan

Megan — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:37:14 +0000

That’s a really good tip. I should check out the store’s numbers, just to be sure. Thanks!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:25:56 +0000

This is also true with a lot of detergents – the medium sized is cheaper per load/oz than the larger. Can I add one small piece of advice to your great post? Take a calculator with you to the store & double check their posted information? First, I have found many many mistakes – last week it was my daughter’s diapers – they configured the unit price not taking into account the “now with 5 more free!” promo. Second, the units are sometimes arbitrary – Tide is calculated by the load, when the storebrand is calculated by the ounce! You’d catch that issue with a glance, but pre-packaged meats are sometimes also listed by serving rather than by lb…It’s helpful. Thanks again for the reminder – I’m not super-vigilant to compile a price book, so this kind of tip is helpful!

By: Ericka

Ericka — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:11:35 +0000

If the bigger container was a plastic one sometimes that can up the cost of the unit price. If you could use the container again to hold the litter then that would be the only reason I would buy it. Maybe it will be on sale at a later date to make up for the cost difference.

By: Zyzzyx

Zyzzyx — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:45:15 +0000

I’ve noticed the same thing recently, but with peanut butter. I like my Skippy Creamy peanut butter, and eat too much of it. I don’t remember the numbers, but the medium sized container is the best unit price by about 10-15%.

Hooray for the stores that post the unit pricing! Though in my experiences, any store bigger than a gas station mini-mart does post the unit pricing.