The bigger pack is better value. Izzitnot?
Sometimes the family pack is a bargain. Sometimes it is just more expensive waste.
GOT 30 SECONDS?
The short answer
Compare the price per unit, then ask how much you will actually use. A lower price per kilogram is not a saving if the extra food ends up in the bin.
Ignore the size of the discount sticker
Take a simple shopping example: a 500g bag costs RM8 and a 1kg bag costs RM18. The smaller bag works out at RM16 per kilogram. Buying two costs RM2 less than the big bag. Larger packaging did not create better value.
Put both prices on the same ruler
Divide the price by the quantity. Compare per kilogram, litre or item, using the same unit for both products. Australia’s consumer regulator recommends unit prices for like-for-like comparisons. The arithmetic works just as well in ringgit.
Now price the part you actually eat
Suppose 1kg costs RM12, but you use only 600g before the rest spoils. You have paid RM20 per kilogram eaten. A 600g pack at RM9 would have cost less for the amount you needed. The cheap sticker was measuring something different from your household’s result.
What belongs in your trolley?
Bulk buying can suit a large household or something you reliably finish. For an unfamiliar snack, a short-lived ingredient or a cupboard already full, smaller may be smarter. Ask “Will we use it?” before “How much do we save?”
TAKE THIS WITH YOU
Compare the unit price. Then compare the usable quantity. The bargain must survive both tests.
Sources
Used to check the facts in this story.
