Editor:

You and I are getting ripped off, and many of us don't know it. When we "biggie size" a meal, that extra food is really pretty cheap. Historically, this has also been true in grocery stores. The unit price was always better with the "economy size" or "family size." We should not assume this is always the case! My dad was disappointed recently at a local grocery store. He was comparing the unit price between a 4 lb. "economy size" can of peanut butter, and the regular 2 lb. size. He assumed that the larger one would be more economically priced, since it was labeled as though it was. But to his surprise, the smaller jar was a penny or two cheaper per ounce than the "economy" one. We ought to be aware of this deception. We should pay closer attention, because bigger doesn't always mean cheaper. Are the stores intentionally trying to trick consumers? Are they trying to lie to us?

Stores use words and bulk packaging to lure us to buy more. Economy size? Family size? These words are big, impressive, and pack a lot of meaning. But unfortunately, some stores use them to trick you. Another example of this is with paper towels, where the unit price for the 24-pack is also a few pennies more than the 12-pack. Imagine that, two smaller packages of the same thing is often actually cheaper then the big thing. They should not try to deceive us, true, but we should pay attention and not sucker into this ploy.

Another contributor to this trend is the "big box" store. Costco and Sam's Club specialize in bulk size goods. We assume the unit price is less, but in those stores there are no smaller containers with which to compare. We know the prices are better on some of the products we buy in smaller sizes from the grocery store, so we trust that we really are paying less per unit on most things. With this big box mentality, consumers often assume bigger is cheaper, and stores are taking advantage of that to their profit. They know shoppers usually don't have a calculator to use in the store, and often the bulk-packaged items read "exempt" on the unit pricing. As busy as our lives are, people often grab larger size items without size/cost comparing, assuming bigger is more economical. My dad almost always compares unit prices, using a calculator when the larger size is "exempt," and has seen this happen a lot.

Too many of our grocery stores these days seem to take advantage of people and how busy we are. They take advantage of our past experience that bigger is cheaper, and that most people won't pay attention to this. Though sometimes bigger is still cheaper, it often is not.

Some stores are trying to deceive us, so if we pay attention to this when we shop, and not reward stores for this practice, maybe they will stop. Remember, it's up to you next time not to be cheated.



Analise Barker

7th grade

Mueller Park Jr. High