Why unit price of products matters more than the big number

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I used to think inflation just meant that prices are going up, but shrinkflation is worse than that because it is deceptive. You are paying the same amount or potentially more, but the package is smaller and lighter, the bottle is smaller and has less product, and the biscuit box has fewer rows in it. They hope you won't notice.

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You see a large package that has serious branding on it and then you look inside and see a lot less product than before. Well yeah, they are not breaking the law, by quietly shrinking things down slowly over time while maintaining the same price or increasing it slightly, most consumers don't realize until they are halfway through their biscuit box that it didn't last long.

The unit price is a good thing to look out for because this is the small number that is located at the bottom corner of the shelf label, which gives you a per kilogram or per litre or per 100 grams price. Instead of looking at the total price of the packet, the unit price gives you an actual cost of what you are getting for your money. Once you start checking the unit price, you will begin to see that just because something is in a big pack does not mean it is the cheapest option or how a new attractive package size can actually cost more per gram than an older size.

Yes, I have also been in situations where I have forgotten to check the unit price because I was in a rush and because I did not think of it, but when I do check it, it can save me money. It may not save me a lot of money at once, but it does add up.

I am not saying that checking the unit price will fix all of your problems, prices are still going to be going up either way, but at least you are now able to see what you actually paid for before pulling your money out of your wallet.