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Copmparing Apples and Oranges
By Marisa | February 26, 2008
I have a gripe. I’m not sure if anyone else has ever run into this but I’m guessing that it can’t be just me. Surely, others comparison shop also.
I normally do my grocery shopping at Krogers simply because it’s the closest store to me. When I shop, I almost always check the unit price listed in order to get the best bargain. Believe it or not, the biggest size isn’t always the best buy. That’s why I like to check the tags for unit price.
Last week I needed to buy cooking oil. My husband has been on a fried chicken kick lately, giving our deep fryer a real workout. As I began to compare unit prices I realized that several of the oils were priced as ounces while the larger size bottles were unit prices as quarts. Uh, thanks a lot but how does that help me? What good is it to know the price per ounce of a 32 ounce bottle of cooking oil and the price per quart of the gallon bottle?
Yes, I know how to do the math to find the answer. However, I didn’t have a calculator with me but I did have a 2 year old trying to get out of the buggy while I attempted to work the math in my head. I think I bought the best bargain but I’m still not certain.
Whatever the difference in price of that oil, it isn’t going to make or break me. That isn’t the point. If a store is going to list unit prices so consumers can comparison shop, then use the same unit across all brands and sizes of each product. Otherwise, it jsut looks shady.
Topics: Shopping |
2 Comments
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Of course it’s shady. That’s capitalism at it’s best. The idea behind all pricing is to make you think you’re getting a bargain. This one doesn’t sound like kroger’s handywork. The cooking oil producer probably uses different measurement systems beyond a certain size. Why? who knows? most likely to confuse you.
I’m a totally freak when it comes to bargain shopping. I’ll actually stand there for like 10 minutes comparing prices - trying to get the best deal.