Quantity pricing math - what am I missing?

[FUEGO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Collar Guy My Father had a local delicatessen. He had different prices for different people, lol. But, I remember asking him why would people buy the tiny jar of mayo when for maybe 20 cents more they could get the quart size. He said that for one thing they might keep that jar for 6 months and not want a quart to sit in the fridge for 2 years, and second they didnt have the other 20 cents.

We sometimes buy smaller containers of condiments even when the much larger quantity is significantly cheaper on a per-unit basis. Our fridge isn't huge and we only have one of them. Our kitchen is rather small, so the fridge size is capped. We do, however, save a lot by owning less real estate than many (lower capital cost, lower ongoing cost to insure, maintain, pay taxes, etc) and we don't spend the extra $25/yr or so on electricity for a second refrigerator like many people have.

I'm pretty sure spending an extra $0.60 on ketchup occasionally is more than offset by all these other savings.

[Totoro]

Anecdote isn't data, anyway:
Yesterday bought chocolates to give away ('Merci', variety of flavors). The big box was about 50% more expensive per unit than the smaller box.

[marko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut Does it require the same units of measure? .

Yes. "Per 100 count", "Per ounce" etc.

[Rustic23]

Been sometime since I have looked but Sams use to be notorious about unit pricing with different units. i.e oz, lbs, sheets, inches, feet. similar products different measure. As I said, have not looked in a couple of years, so don't know if they have standardized.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 Around here, I don't even look at the price. I get the Megaroll size of Charmin. Why? Because that's what DW wants. End of discussion.

Happy Wife. Happy Life.

[ncbill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustic23 Been sometime since I have looked but Sams use to be notorious about unit pricing with different units. i.e oz, lbs, sheets, inches, feet. similar products different measure. As I said, have not looked in a couple of years, so don't know if they have standardized.

Local grocery store is the same.

For example, paper towels. The small size might be unit priced in sheets, the larger size unit priced based on total feet.

The cynic in me says it's probably intentional to make it harder to compare the required-by-law unit prices.

[kcowan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound I occasionally see the same product at two different prices. A new batch comes in and is priced higher due to inflation, and the shelf restocker neglected to reprice the old stock.

And they stick the new stuff at the front so if you dig you get the bargain-priced stock!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ncbill For example, paper towels. The small size might be unit priced in sheets, the larger size unit priced based on total feet. The cynic in me says it's probably intentional to make it harder to compare the required-by-law unit prices.

Yes and in Canada, ML and MG are common. one volume the other weight! Where is my specific gravity app?

[FIREmenow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcowan Where is my specific gravity app?

Right here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...lculator&hl=en

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Collar Guy ...why would people buy the tiny jar of mayo when for maybe 20 cents more they could get the quart size.

DW likes the smaller size of coffee cans because it is easier for her hands to handle, even though the per-unit cost of the coffee is higher that way. Sometimes it just ain't worth arguing about....

[RobbieB]

The TP thing must be common I see it every time I buy. Two 12 packs are less than one 24 pack. Easier too, one pack for each bathroom.

[Music Lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Collar Guy My Father had a local delicatessen. He had different prices for different people, lol. But, I remember asking him why would people buy the tiny jar of mayo when for maybe 20 cents more they could get the quart size. He said that for one thing they might keep that jar for 6 months and not want a quart to sit in the fridge for 2 years, and second they didnt have the other 20 cents.

Obviously, I can afford mayo, but waste bothers me...even though I'm saving money it bugs me to buy more than I will use before it goes bad. I solve the mayo dilemma by buying the large container from Costco for my parents who use a lot of it...I just scoop out 10% - 15% of it for my small container.

[CaptTom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GravitySucks ...I said it's the number in the orange field of the price label. She said she never noticed that and was unsure what unit pricing was. We all have our weak spots.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music Lover All of our grocery stores here have a "price per 100mg or per 100 ml" (about 3.5 ounces) for most products, so it's relatively simple to determine which size is the better price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Totoro One thing I did notice though in stores here is that most of the time the retailer did some math for you: apart from the total price you also get a price per kilo/liter (in small print). Super convenient but frankly I don't get it why they do it.

Be aware that the math-challenged also calculate those unit price numbers in the small print, or in orange, or whatever.

Sometimes their math is flat-out wrong. Other times they are comparing different units ("each" vs. "ounce" or whatever.)

I always do the math in my head before deciding which size to buy, or whether to buy the store brand or name brand. A hold-over from when I was poor, I guess. It's not really that difficult if you use round numbers. If you need a calculator to get the exact price difference, it's probably close enough not to worry about.