Consumer Watch with Candice Evans: Unit pricing hack to help your dollar go further when grocery shopping

Grocery shopping is a fact of life, and with cost-of-living pressures continuing to bite, many people are spending more time hunting for ways to stretch their shopping dollars further. One simple way to help you save money and get more bang for your buck is to use unit pricing. Unit pricing doesn’t just show you what a product costs, it shows you the price per standard unit of measurement, such as per 100g, per kilogram, or per litre. This makes it much easier to compare value across different brands, package sizes, specials, and even between packaged and unpackaged or fresh and frozen products. Most supermarkets, large grocery stores and online grocery retailers are required to display unit pricing in-store, online, and in advertising for most everyday grocery items like food, drinks, cleaning products and personal care items. Smaller stores and retailers that don’t sell a wide range of groceries don’t have to display unit pricing, but they can choose to. Some products, including hardware, appliances, toys, alcohol, and clothing, are exempt from unit pricing requirements. Consumer Protection encourages shoppers to keep a few practical tips in mind when using unit pricing. Larger packs often, but not always, work out cheaper per unit than smaller ones, so it pays to compare all sizes and brands before you buy. At the same time, there’s no real saving if a bigger pack is likely to go to waste. Special offers can sometimes deliver the lowest unit price, but it’s still worth checking whether a larger size might offer even better value. If a product is sold both loose and packaged, compare the unit price of each. For example, a 2kg bag of onions on special for $3 will show a unit price of $1.50 per kilo, while the loose onions have a price of $1.20 per kilo. Seeing the unit prices side by side makes it much easier to decide what offers the best value for your needs. It’s also smart to compare unit prices in different parts of the supermarket, as the same type of product may appear in more than one section. Nuts and dried fruit, for instance, can often be found in both the baking aisle and the health food section at different prices. Finally, keep your grocery receipts and check that items scan at the advertised price. Businesses must display clear and accurate pricing. If more than one price is shown for the same product, or the checkout price doesn’t match the shelf price, the retailer must sell the item for the lowest displayed price or withdraw it from sale until the error is corrected. Some supermarkets also have policies that give you the item for free if it scans at a higher price than the shelf label. For more information on unit pricing and how it can help you save money, visit the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission website at accc.gov.au/consumers/groceries/grocery-unit-prices. Candice Evans is the senior regional officer for Consumer Protection in the Mid West