Today, my daughter and I went to the store to look at the unit prices of groceries. There was a 5 pound bag of shredded mozzarella cheese for about $14. We compared that deal to the smaller units of cheese. There was a 2 pound bag of the same kind of cheese for about $8, and we did the math. Two of those 2 pounds bags would be $16 for 4 pounds, which is a pound less than the $14. Then we looked at an even smaller bag of the same cheese. It was a 1 pound bag that was almost $5, and if you got five of those, would pretty much be $25. So, in getting the 5 pound bag of mozzarella cheese for $14, we would be getting the best deal. My question is, have any of you done the math and checked unit price for the best deal?
I only ever did sometimes but now that I have lost my job I need to look more closely at what I am spending. For the most part, when you buy in bulk it is better but sometimes like when things are on sale in the smaller sizes it can be cheaper to go that route. It is nice that some stores have that unit pricing on their shelf labels. Makes it a lot easier than going around using the calculator. I don't like spending too much time in the grocery store. It's not my favorite errand to run.
I do use unit price when I'm shopping. I like to do this when I'm shopping for toilet paper and paper towels. Often you can find that something sounds cheaper but when you compare unit price it isn't a deal. I teach grade 5/6 and I'm teaching how to calculate unit price. It's part of the curriculum. Being able to do this is a lifelong skill that will help you save money. I think that it's important skill for people to know how to do. I find that often when I talk about unit price many people don't know what I'm talking about.
I do this most of the time and learned about it a year ago...probably on this forum! LOL. It is amazing the things that you think are good deals, but then find out that a similar regular price item is a much better deal because you get more volume for your money. I even learned to grab the largest fruits and vegetables from the display when they are on sale for a unit price. The most popular ones are green peppers and lettuce heads. They will be sold for X amount per piece and so you always want to grab the largest piece you can find.
Yes and we also try to compare brands with each other, and their respective sizes so that we could get the most product for our money. We found out that buying items that are in larger quantities often gave us discounts compared to when buying them in single units. That's why whenever we buy items, we make sure that we're buying the larger ones in order to save more money in the long run.
I always do the math. I like to try to save all the money I can! @thenextGeek I find that is often the case. Some stores are even kind enough to put labels below the stuff and tell you how much cheaper it is to buy in quantity. If you're going to buy a LOT of something a lot, if you talk to the manager you can usually get a deal too.
You know what, I honestly don't. I've seen them displayed and actually find them annoying. I didn't know people actually took them seriously. I just go off the unit price of the item LOL I could probably save a few pennies, but my Maths is not the best even at the best of times, I wouldn't want to add to my headache hehe
Well, in certain cases, getting the largest quantity isn't always the best deal. You are right about considering different brands versus generic. That's a factor in determining unit price as well. Of course, knowing which brands are better than others also helps. Really, somewhere in all of this, opinion is also going to slip in as a factor.
Here is one experience that can be a lesson. Last week we were in the supermarket and my husband picked 2 small bottles of Mott's apple juice. When I checked the price, that small bottle costs 164 pesos while the big bottle that is equivalent to 2 small bottles costs 210 pesos. If you compare, there is a big difference, right? So naturally, my husband returned the 2 small bottles and took the big bottle instead.
I usually just look at the ounces or the product and do the math as to whether the larger or smaller size of the product is the better buy. Oftentimes in my case though, the smaller product is all I can afford, or since I usually buy generic, I buy the generic in whatever size it is.
I have started unit price checking as well. I usually buy dish soap and the fabuloso cleanser. If you buy the regular 12 Oz size it cost like $2. If you buy the big gallon version it will cost about $5 for a 56oz of dish soap. I could refill the small bottle about 4 times with a little left over.
I always check the unit price, because it doesn't always save money especially if an item is on special. In most stores int he US they already do this on the shelf labels, and in the UK nearly everywhere does this. They even do the drained weight for some items like tinned pears so you know how much the actual weight of the product is these days.
I do check the unit price, because although it seems you'd save money by buying the larger package, due to economies of scale, that's not always the case. Even though the manufacturer saves money on packaging by putting things into one larger bag (using pet food as an example), sometimes the larger bag costs more per unit. I'm not sure if this is because they think people will assume it's cheaper to buy the larger one and they'll sell more and make more money this way, or for some other reason. I used to grab the larger bag, assuming I was saving money, but then I started paying attention to unit price, and I realized that the 22 lb bag of the particular cat food I buy was a better deal than the 30 lb bag. Sometimes I'll still buy the 30 lb bag if I need enough for the month and don't plan on going back to the store, since I'd then have to factor in my time and gas to get to the store for another trip, but other times I'll save a little money and buy the 22 lb bag.
I definitely compare the per unit pricing. I do more now than ever, since there have been times when the supposedly "economy size" of a product actually worked out to cost more than just buying the regular size. I've noticed that this happens a lot more frequently lately. @Diane Lane I'd bet that a lot of people don't notice, or it wouldn't continue to happen. They just expect the larger package to be cheaper overall, so they grab it. I used to do the same thing. Now, I always check.
I do this all the time. The problem is sometimes I'm really slow at math or I just start thinking about something else in the middle of calculation so I end up just standing here looking like an idiot who is lost lol. After that I tend to focus and really try and concentrate on my calculations though and sometimes I have to really compare them again and again just to make sure I am getting the numbers right, but the upshot is that once I figure out the best brand to get then I could just use that information to make the better decision everytime after that, so a little effort does go a long way
Yes, unit price is one of the biggest decision maker in my grocery shopping and I don't see any reasons why I should care about the overall price at all if I don't consider the volume. It probably saves me about 30 percent so for example if I count the unit price then my 30 dollars grocery will be reduced to 20 dollars. It is not exaggeration because the pricing that the supermarkets use are tricky and with so many products with so many volumes, things are even messier. Without paying attention to this, what appears to be cheap might not actually be.
Yes, I do check on the unit price of a product, because this allows me to have an idea of how much I would really be spending before I get to the checkout counter.The unit price is also useful when comparing costs for the various brands.
I shop at Costco and other wholesalers a lot so I definitely check the unit price. A lot of times especially for non food items it's cheaper to buy the smaller quantity. I also unit price to compare items between the brand name and store brand items. A lot of times things are prices to make you think you are getting a deal but you really aren't.
Well I always just kind of assumed that it was second nature for everyone to do this, because I really just have to do that to keep my own sanity when I am shopping to try and see if I can get the most for my money. Of course there is a reason why people buy in bulk, for this very reason, but not everything is advertised so just doing a little math in your head can save you a good amount of money.
