[USMA:31221] Re: Consumer Issues: Unit Pricing

[Carleton MacDonald]

Maybe because people have written to her before about it.  Just the fact that she brought it up means that it's in her consciousness (she's the Post consumer reporter).  Of all of my friends, most would like to see the change happen, and most recognize the institutional, social, and political barriers to it in the USA -- and consider those barriers stupid.  But it's not at the top of their list of priorities.   Carleton   -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of Euric Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2004 20:48 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:31214] Re: Consumer Issues: Unit Pricing Interesting how she says "flood".  Even if all of us on this list wrote to her, I doubt it would add up to a trickle.  So I wonder where the flood is coming from.   Which makes me wonder something.  The government won't convert because it thinks the people don't want it.  But who says the people don't want it?  I wonder if there is some way it can be put to a vote.  Even if metrication would lose, we could find out how close the count was and by what age, cultural and sex groups, etc. voted for and against it.   Euric     ----- Original Message ----- From: Carleton MacDonald To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Sunday, 2004-10-03 15:05 Subject: [USMA:31213] Consumer Issues: Unit Pricing From The Washington Post, Sunday, October 3, 2004.  Emphasis added.  Carleton http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2278-2004Oct2.html Shoppers Raise Their Red Flags By Margaret Webb Pressler Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, October 3, 2004; Page F01 Whenever I organize my e-mails for an occasional column on reader feedback, I am amazed at the deluge on any subject involving customer service. Here's how your comments on shopping have stacked up in the past few months. (snip) � Who's minding the store? Another big irritant to shoppers is problems in store operations that seem to crop up over and over and never get fixed. Falling clearly into that category are the discrepancies shoppers find in unit pricing at supermarkets, when two brands of the same product display unit prices in different measures, such as price per ounce vs. price per pound. It makes it hard to figure out what product offers the best deal. "I can't believe that after all the years of unit pricing, store chains have not implemented uniform standards," wrote an annoyed shopper. "I cannot believe this is not intentional," wrote another. Shoppers have an eagle eye for inconsistency, especially when it comes to price. But what really struck me in so many comments was the degree to which readers refused to give stores the benefit of the doubt. They are bitter and assume they're being "taken." Any story on unit pricing is also going to invite the inevitable flood of tirades about how stupid our measuring system is compared with the simplicity of metric measurements. A reader from London explained that unit pricing problems are nonexistent in Britain. "Everything here is metric, so it's way easier to compare value. Time for a change?"