Grocery stores have gotten very good at making prices look cheaper than they really are.
A package is $3.99. Another is $4.49. At first glance, the $3.99 option looks like the obvious choice.
Then you notice one package has 12 ounces and the other has 20.
Now the cheaper package isn’t necessarily cheaper at all.
This is why comparing the sticker price alone can lead you to make some pretty bad grocery decisions. If you want to know what you’re actually paying, you need to look beyond the number printed in large type.
Don’t Compare Packages. Compare the Amount You’re Getting.
The easiest way to avoid getting fooled by package size is to compare products using the same measurement.
That might be:
- Price per ounce
- Price per pound
- Price per 100 grams
- Price per quart
- Price per item
- Price per count
The measurement depends on the food.
For cereal, price per ounce is useful.
For meat, look at price per pound.
For paper products, price per roll isn’t always enough because rolls can contain very different amounts.
The idea is simple: make the packages speak the same language before deciding which one costs less.
Find the Unit Price on the Shelf
Many grocery stores print a small unit price somewhere on the shelf tag.
It might say something like:
$0.18 / oz
or
$2.49 / lb
It’s easy to overlook because it’s usually much smaller than the main price.
But that little number can save you a lot of guesswork.
If you’re comparing two bags of rice, you don’t have to pull out your calculator and divide the price by the weight yourself if the store has already done it for you.
Just compare the unit prices.
A Bigger Package Isn’t Automatically a Better Deal
We’ve all heard that buying in bulk is cheaper.
Sometimes it is.
Sometimes it really isn’t.
A large package may have a higher price per ounce than a smaller one. Stores know that shoppers often assume the biggest package is the best value, so don’t make that assumption automatically.
Check.
If the large package is cheaper per ounce, great.
If the smaller package is cheaper, there’s no reason to pay extra just because the larger one looks like the “family size.”
Watch Out for Different Package Sizes Between Brands
This gets especially confusing when you’re comparing store brands with name brands.
One cereal might come in a 12-ounce box.
Another might be 14.5 ounces.
A third might be 18 ounces.
Looking only at the shelf price makes the comparison almost meaningless.
The larger box may cost more but give you considerably more food for the money.
This is where unit pricing really matters.
Sale Stickers Can Be Misleading
A big sale sign can make a product feel like a bargain before you’ve even looked at the price.
But you still need to compare it with everything else.
Imagine one brand is:
$5.00 → $3.50
and another is:
$3.25
The first product looks like a fantastic deal because you’ve “saved” $1.50.
But if the second product is the same size and you like it just as much, you’re still spending 25 cents more for the sale item.
And if the package sizes are different, the unit price may tell an entirely different story.
The word “SALE” doesn’t change the math.
Be Careful With “Two for” Deals
Two-for deals can be useful, but don’t assume you need to buy two.
If the sign says:
2 for $5
check whether the store requires you to purchase two to get the price.
Also check what the regular price is.
Sometimes a two-for promotion is a good deal.
Sometimes it’s simply a clever way of encouraging you to buy more than you intended.
If you were going to buy one anyway, figure out what that one actually costs.
Multipacks Can Hide the Real Price
This comes up a lot with snacks and drinks.
A package might contain six individually wrapped items while another contains ten.
Comparing $4.99 to $6.99 doesn’t tell you much.
Instead, compare the cost per item.
If you’re buying bottled drinks, you might also want to compare the amount of liquid you’re getting rather than just the number of bottles.
The right measurement depends on what you’re actually trying to buy.
Don’t Ignore the “Per Count” Problem
Sometimes price per unit isn’t as useful as it sounds.
Suppose you’re buying paper towels.
One package has six rolls and another has eight.
The eight-roll package looks like the better deal.
But if the rolls contain different numbers of sheets, you’re not really comparing the same thing.
The same issue comes up with trash bags, tissues, diapers and other products sold in counts.
Whenever the individual items can vary significantly in size, look for a more useful measurement.
Promotions Can Change the Unit Price
A coupon or store discount can completely change which package is the better deal.
Suppose:
Store brand: $3.00 for 16 ounces
Name brand: $5.00 for 20 ounces
The store brand looks cheaper.
But if the name brand has a $2 coupon, the final price becomes $3 for 20 ounces.
Now you’re getting more product for the same amount of money.
This is why you should compare the final price after discounts, not just the original shelf prices.
Watch Out for Shrinkflation
Sometimes the package looks exactly the same, but there’s less food inside.
Maybe your favorite cereal used to contain 18 ounces and now contains 16.
Maybe a snack package still looks full but has fewer pieces.
This is one reason it’s useful to pay attention to the actual weight or quantity rather than relying on the package’s appearance.
If the price stays the same while the amount gets smaller, you’re effectively paying more per ounce.
Compare the Same Product at Different Stores
Unit pricing is also useful when you’re deciding where to shop.
You might find your usual coffee for $9.99 at one store and $10.49 at another.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the first store has the better deal if the packages are different sizes.
Once you compare the price per ounce, you may discover that the difference is much smaller—or much larger—than it appeared.
This can help you decide which stores are actually cheaper for the foods you buy regularly.
Keep Your Own Price Benchmarks
You don’t need to memorize every grocery price.
Just keep track of a few things you buy frequently.
If you know that your usual cereal is normally around 25 cents per ounce, you’ll recognize when 18 cents per ounce is a good deal.
If chicken normally costs you $3.99 per pound, a $2.49 price is worth noticing.
Over time, you start building your own idea of what a good price looks like.
That makes grocery shopping much faster.
When the Cheapest Unit Price Isn’t the Best Choice
There’s one important catch.
The lowest unit price isn’t always the right choice.
If you live alone and the giant package of strawberries is going to spoil before you can eat it, buying the smaller package may save you money in the long run.
The same goes for foods you don’t use often.
There’s no savings in buying more food than you can reasonably consume.
Consider storage space, shelf life and how quickly your household goes through the product.
Make the Unit Price Your Default Comparison
Once you get used to looking at unit prices, grocery shopping becomes much less confusing.
You stop asking:
“Which package costs less?”
and start asking:
“Which one gives me more for my money?”
That’s a much better question.
Check the weight.
Check the quantity.
Look at the unit price.
Factor in coupons and sales.
Then consider whether you’ll actually use everything you’re buying.
It only takes a few extra seconds, but those seconds can keep you from paying more simply because one package was designed to look like the better deal.
At the grocery store, the biggest package isn’t always the cheapest, the sale sticker isn’t always a bargain, and the lowest shelf price isn’t always the lowest cost.
The small print is often where the real deal is hiding.