Consumer Affairs Victoria is reminding Victorians an easy way to save money when grocery shopping is by comparing the price per unit of items.
Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria Nicole Rich said unit pricing allows consumers to quickly and accurately compare the cost and value of grocery products.
“With many Australians experiencing financial hardship due to the economic impact of coronavirus (COVID-19), it’s more important than ever to know the simple ways to save money,” Ms Rich said.
“Unit pricing means you don’t have to make complicated calculations to work out which product offers you the best value and suits your needs.”
Unit prices for packaged products are located near the selling price and use standard units of measurement. These could be per litre, per kilogram, 100 millilitres, 100 grams, 10 grams or per item, depending on the type of product.
Large grocery stores and some online grocery retailers must display the unit price when selling packaged food and other grocery products, such as bread, eggs, fruit and vegetables and toilet paper.
Victorians are encouraged to keep the following money saving tips in mind during their next visit to the supermarket or grocery store:
- compare the unit price of different sizes of the same brand’s product, as well as different brands of the same product
- look out for special offers which might temporarily have the lowest unit price
- if a product is available loose or pre-packaged, check the unit price of both
- check whether the unit price of a large pack is lower than a small or medium size pack, but avoid buying a bigger pack if it’s likely to go to waste.
More information on unit pricing and where to locate it on different packages can be found on the Grocery unit prices page on the ACCC website.