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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.
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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.