Retailers to make price comparisons easier
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jun/23/retailers-publish-unit-prices-online/
Retailers to make price comparisons easier
By Katherine Poythress
6 a.m.June 23, 2014
Six major retailers are making it easier for consumers to compare prices online.
Walmart, Costco, CVS, Walgreens, Drugstore.com and e-grocer FreshDirect reached an agreement with New York's attorney general last week to provide the unit prices of the products listed on their websites not just in New York, but in every state.
Unit prices tell consumers the cost of an item per liter, per quart, per pound and so forth. Those are the numbers that make it possible to determine whether you would actually save money by purchasing that large can of tomatoes from Costco instead of the smaller one at Walmart, for example.
"This is a monumental advance for consumers," said Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League, in a statement about the agreement. "Providing unit prices helps consumers compare prices between items quickly and easily. Particularly important for consumers on a budget, unit pricing gives them the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.