Eagle-eyed shopper explains why you should always buy loosely arranged fruits and vegetables after finding out the pre-packaged option will cost you SIX times more
- Man draws attention to price difference between packaged and loose chillies
- If a customer buys them in plastic it’s $175 per kilo, but loose is just $28 per kilo
- This same discrepancy can be seen with mushrooms, celery and apples
- Some people might choose pre-packaged out of convenience but it’s pricey
An eagle-eyed shopper has pointed out the huge price difference between pre-packaged and loose fruits and vegetables from the supermarket – proving how expensive the ‘lazier’ option is.
The Australian man used the example of Coles’ birds eye chillies to show that purchasing your groceries in plastic – which is packaged that way for convenience – is up to six times the price of choosing the produce yourself.
In the photographs posted to social media, he showed how buying the packet of the birds eye variety was $3.50 for 20 grams, which works out to be $175 a kilo, whereas the loose chillies are $28 a kilo.
Often the prices per kilo are written in a smaller font so it’s not immediately obvious that you’ll be charged more depending on how many you buy.
The Australian man used the example of Coles’ birds eye chillies to show that purchasing your groceries in plastic is up to six times the price of choosing the produce yourself
His post garnered a huge response online, with many saying it was ‘insane’ how different the prices are, not to mention a waste of plastic.
‘My hubby actually pointed out the same thing the other day… I honestly had never really noticed it before I only ever looked at quality and freshness. Glad I know now,’ one woman said.
‘It’s the same with salmon. From the deli when it’s not on special it’s $30 a kilo whereas on the shelf it’s $48 a kilo,’ said another.
The same can be said for mushrooms, which are often completely different prices depending on whether you bother to use the brown paper bags provided to pick them from the box.
The same can be said for mushrooms, which are often completely different prices depending on whether you bother to use the brown paper bags provided to pick them from the basket
In the case of Woolworths they advertise plastic-wrapped mushrooms for $2.50 for 200 grams, or $12.50 a kilo, whereas the loose mushrooms are $11 a kilo.
If you’re looking to save money choosing your own is the way forward, but an interesting comment left on the post posed doubt over the freshness of the ingredients.
‘I actually work in the mushroom industry,’ claimed one commenter.
‘I would buy pre-packaged ones. They are picked and packed on the same day as the boxes and no one has touched them.
Whole celery differs in price to celery sticks and celery hearts you can buy pre-packaged, as do apples and oranges customers can pick out
‘If you watch people, they rummage through the box looking for a good mushroom which causes damage and bruising to them, and you’re not meant to wash mushrooms. So unless you like everyone else’s cooties, buy pre-packaged.’
Whole celery differs in price to celery sticks and celery hearts you can buy pre-packaged, as do apples and oranges customers can pick out.
Some people in the comments weren’t surprised by the revelation.
‘I always check the price per kilo, for almost everything. I’m actually surprised a lot of people don’t,’ one person said.
‘Common sense. Do this for every product. Buy by weight not price,’ said another.