Supermarket Sleuths: The important detail on pre-packaged foods most customers miss
Finding the best prices possible at the supermarket can prove tricky, particularly when it comes to how much items cost and figuring out which is the cheapest.
There are the standard price signs and the yellow sales signs you find on shelves, and then there are the white price stickers used on pre-packaged meats and produce that customers need to decode.
At first glance, this large package of Costco beef mince seems to be a bargain.
Customers make the assumption that because it is a bulk buy it is automatically the cheapest, and with the overall price marked as $47.21, purchasing it seems to be an easy choice.
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Always check the labels carefully on pre-packaged meat - it could slash your grocery bills. 9Honey
However, these details are a distraction, aimed at enticing you to purchase the package without checking if it is the best price possible.
The detail you need to pay the closest attention to is actually the per kilo price, which in this case is $9.99.
To Costco's credit, the main sign above this display stated this. The store attracts savvy shoppers, many of whom already know the per kilo price is the one to look out for.
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These details are aimed at enticing you to purchase the package without checking if it is the best price possible. 9Honey
So too the ground pork mince at $7.49 per kilo and the lamb loin chops at $19.99 per kilo.
These stickers are also used for chicken products such as chicken breast at $10.39 a kilo.
But here's the catch.
The per kilo price point is key to paying the best price possible. 9Honey
Even chicken products use the same pricing strategy. 9Honey
While it can seem like a bargain to purchase these products due to their low per kilo price point, you need to have a plan for it.
That means you need to make a plan to use it all up which can involve meal planning and portioning it out on the day of purchase – just a couple of extra steps to ensure you get the most out of your bargain purchase.
Now, let's compare the Costco prices on these products with other supermarkets, which can be easily done online. This is where customer suggestions that Costco install coffee bars would come in handy, or perhaps you can do this research over an American-style hot dog at the entrance.
Coles and Woolies use similar price tags for their pre-packaged goods. Now that you know what to look for you can see it is $12 per kilo, which is a couple of dollars more than at Costco. Woolies is selling their beef mince for the same price.
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Pork mince at Costco costs $7.49 per kilo. Woolworths pork mince is coming pretty close at $8.75 per kilo and Coles is selling their pork mince for $11 per kilo.
Lamb loin cutlets selling at Costco for $19.99 per kilo. At Coles they cost $21 per kilo and at Woolies they are the same.
Costco customers can compare per kilo prices online. Coles
Costco's chicken breast at $10.39 per kilo is just a little cheaper than Woolies and Coles at $11 per kilo.
It can seem as though seeking out the cheapest price possible for these items is more trouble than it's worth, but savvy shoppers know that is not the case. When you shop weekly or fortnightly for a family, spending upwards of $250 per week, those savings all add up.
It's about developing good shopping habits that you save in the long run.
The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.
Price comparisons are based on availabilities at the time of publication.
