Compare unit prices for best buy

The "unit price" tells you the cost per pound, quart, or other unit of weight or volume of a food package. It is usually posted on the shelf below the food. The shelf tag shows the total price (item price) and price per unit (unit price) for the food item.

Find the best buy

• Unit prices tell you the cost of one unit, such as an ounce.
• Find unit price labels on the shelf edge right under the package.
• Use unit prices to compare costs of different brands of the same food.
• Unit pricing makes it easy to compare the prices of different sizes of the same brand.
• Use unit prices to compare different forms (such as fresh, canned, or frozen) of the same food.
• Choose the food that has the lowest price per unit to save money.

Be aware of downsizing. A trend in recent years is for manufacturers to keep the same sized packaging and same product price, but reduce the quantity of product inside the package. This trend has been most commonly seen in paper products, baby food, coffee and cleaning products.

Price books help you keep track of the price as well as the quantity or weight you are buying.