Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading is reminding consumers they can check and compare unit prices when shopping for groceries to save money as part of a national awareness campaign launched today.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath said with some Queenslanders experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unit pricing was a great tool for consumers to easily make price comparisons between different brands and sizes based on weight, volume or unit.
“Large grocery stores and some online grocery retailers must display the unit price when selling food and other grocery products, such as bread, eggs, fruit and vegetables and toilet paper,” the Attorney-General said.
“With unit pricing you can quickly and easily compare the value for money of different package sizes and brands and select the one that best fits your budget and needs.
“Is a big pack of cereal more cost effective than a small pack for your family, or is a small pack of another brand on special this week better value?
“Unit pricing makes it easy for you to decide.”
Keep these money-saving tips in mind for your next grocery shop:
- The unit price of large packs is often lower than small or medium size packs – but not always, so it pays to check. Also avoid buying a bigger pack if it’s likely to go to waste.
- 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 both loose and pre-packaged, check the unit price of both. Pre-packaged fruit and veg is often dearer than selecting your product unpackaged.
- Compare unit prices in different parts of the supermarket. The same product may be sold in different sections, for example, cheese may be sold at the deli counter and in the fridges in another part of the store. There may be a unit price difference between the two options.
