John Rolfe Cost of Living Editor
August 02, 2013
News Limited Network
SHOPPERS would be able to compare the price of pills per tablet and cost of paint by the litre under a proposal being put to all political parties.
Leading consumer groups want the parties to commit to investigating within a year the extension of unit-pricing to pharmacies and hardware shops.
They also want improvements to the way unit prices are displayed to make them easier to read. They say this change alone could save shoppers $250 million a year.
The push to expand and improve unit pricing is being led by the Queensland Consumers Association’s Ian Jarratt, the man who fought to have it introduced in supermarkets in 2009.
The QCA’s proposal is supported by Choice, the Consumers’ Federation of Australia and the Consumer Action Law Centre.
So far the Greens have indicated they support the proposal and the Nationals have said they aren’t opposed. There has been no response so far by Labor and the Coalition.
“I don’t think any party would say it’s not a good idea to look at it,” Mr Jarratt said. “We haven’t asked them to commit to introducing it.”
Mr Jarratt said unit pricing had helped millions of shoppers to save money by making it easier for them to compare the value of different pack sizes, brands, products and types of packaging.
There was “great potential for Australian consumers to get even more benefits”, he said, if unit pricing was provided by other types of retailers, for example chemists and hardware shops.
The consumer groups also want it to be easier for shoppers to notice, read and use unit prices. Their monitoring has shown widespread instances of unit prices that are illegible, inconsistent – or missing.
“QCA estimates that inadequate provision of grocery unit pricing, and insufficient consumer education, reduce the benefits of grocery unit pricing to consumers by at least $250 million per annum,” Mr Jarratt said.
Choice’s director of campaigns Matt Levey said: “With such a focus on cost-of-living and an ageing population, better unit pricing is one way to make everyday purchases easier for Australian shoppers.”
Subscribe to our free mailing list and always be the first to receive the latest news and updates.