Maths when shopping

We do this all the time, if there is a special offer it is sometimes cheaper to buy two so it’s always best to check. Laundry products are tricky as they come in several different sizes but we have a calculator on our phones. The information on the ticket description helps but we always check if it is a special offer. When I used to use cash I used to mentally add up items in my basket and have the money ready to give the cashier.

We have vlear pricing here in the UK but I think the issue is comparing things.

Six apples for x or apples y per kilo is just one example.

grandtanteJE65

I am fortunate, as I live in a country where all goods are clearly marked with the price for the quantity you are considering buying and the price per kilo or per litre as appropriate,

This makes comparing prices simpler.

It’s usually the same here, at least in any supermarket I use.

Over the years I've seen it everywhere.

Mainly I shop online I confess - and like Ocado best as they have a "price per" filter (which unless the conversion is obvious I do tend to trust) - but I have a huge range of supermarkets nearby. I have seen the "per 100g" error on Waitrose online but in store in Sainsbury's and Tesco.
I think they all do it probably.

The six tomatoes/ apples annoys me too.
Waitrose (in store) had six russets in a pack last week. You could have six small apples size (say, 45 -55) or six larger ones (say, 55 to 65). They were different growers but the larger ones were a whole lot heavier so it wasn't weight. They were the same price.

NotSpaghetti

Unfortunately NotAGran55 the calculations are quite often wrong on the shelf!
It drives me bonkers!

I also hate the six tomatoes for x with no weights!

I hadn’t noticed NotSpaghetti 😬 I’d better start looking properly! Is this Waitrose too?

Even I do it shopping with different size packs it’s not always easy to and there is no common theme, some you have to take a photo with the phone and enlarge it to read the print

I've used my phone calculator too jocork. It's irritating though and I can't see why it should happen at all.

NotSpaghetti

Unfortunately NotAGran55 the calculations are quite often wrong on the shelf!
It drives me bonkers!

I also hate the six tomatoes for x with no weights!

I check the shelf edge price per 100g etc but if I think it's wrong I get my calculator out to check. I used to add up the shopping as I went round but now I use the scan as you shop handset which gives a total as you go so my brain gets a rest sometimes. When my shopping was scanned by an assistant there were often mistakes so adding it up in my head saved a trip back if there was an error. I could check my receipt before I left the store and challenge mistakes.

I wasn't saying the unit price was incorrect in this case - I was just saying that several times I've worked out that the price per 100g or per kg (as stated on the shelf) is wrong.

It annoys me but if you point it out nobody cares!

pce612

This isn’t maths, it’s arithmetic.
And yes I do do it.
In Sainsburys, its own brand peanut butter is cheaper in small size for the same amount in one big jar. What a waste of glass and metal.

When you did maths, what did you do!
Since its beginning, mathematics was primarily divided into geometry and arithmetic

I don't understand that last comment. Howdon you know the unit prices shown were incorrect?

per kg...

I always compare unit prices. It's well worth it especially with expensive items like dishwasher tablets. Be careful though because sometimes the unit price is led kg and sometimes per 100g. With tissues and toilet rolls it's per 100...

The price per 100g isn't always right though.
I was looking at something similar last week regarding small chocolate bars like these. They had three different sizes of the same bars in different packets (say 10, 9 and 6) all different prices per 100g.

Logically if there's more/less chocolate to biscuit ratio that can explain some of it but...

In only look at price per 100 grams .

NotSpaghetti

Obviously the bar sizes are quite different here.
The 9 pack is a 10 pack on the label though...

You’re right about the bar sizes. , but it doesn’t mention that, does it.
In the 4pack, each bar is 136/4grams or 34g each
In the 10 pack (there are 10 Twirls) each bar is 215/10 grams or 21.5g each.
What a cheat!

Obviously the bar sizes are quite different here.
The 9 pack is a 10 pack on the label though...

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202411/medium-335285-img-7737.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202411/medium-172095-img-7736.jpeg

This morning it was really confusing. I wanted some mini choc bars.
They were 4 for £2, or £1.50 Nectar price.
Next to them was a pack of 9 minibars for £3.
No brainer I thought, but then , looking at the multipacks (4 or 10) of Twirls I noticed a discrepancy.
Can you see what I mean? Did you know about it already?

Yesterday late afternoon I was in a town where I don’t live. The bakery was selling off cakes for 50p each. I ended up with 3 scones, 3 cheese scones, 2 cream cakes, a doughnut, 3 pasties of different types plus a pack of cheese straws - all for £8. Bargain! I came home feeling very smug. I probably won’t feel as smug once I get on the bathroom scales!

Hellsbelles

We always read the price per 100g on the shelf ( tiny writing under the price )
You sometimes see the larger size on offer , but when you read the cost per 100g it's no cheaper than the other size .

Yes, same here although I have had to educate MrA who was of the opinion that 'biggest is best' - not always the case - always look at the price per gr/ml!

I am fortunate, as I live in a country where all goods are clearly marked with the price for the quantity you are considering buying and the price per kilo or per litre as appropriate,

This makes comparing prices simpler.

pce612

This isn’t maths, it’s arithmetic.
And yes I do do it.
In Sainsburys, its own brand peanut butter is cheaper in small size for the same amount in one big jar. What a waste of glass and metal.

Well, if we're going to be pedantic, technically arithmetics is a branch of maths!

This isn’t maths, it’s arithmetic.
And yes I do do it.
In Sainsburys, its own brand peanut butter is cheaper in small size for the same amount in one big jar. What a waste of glass and metal.

I ordered a 300ml bottle of Molten Brown shower gel for £25 for my SILs birthday. A few days later I saw 3 x 100ml bottles for £18! 😟

Unfortunately NotAGran55 the calculations are quite often wrong on the shelf!
It drives me bonkers!

I also hate the six tomatoes for x with no weights!