Paul Trusten, R.Ph. Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. www.metric.org 3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apt. 122 Midland TX 79707-2872 USA [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I was recently introduced to the delights of the clementine, an orange-like
citrus fruit imported from South Africa. This morning, as I picked up my
next 2.27 kg case of them (well, yeah, 5 pounds is how it comes), I noticed
that the unit price stated, "$1.19 per OUNCE." That would be about $95 for
the case (the actual price for the case is $5.99). Of course, "$1.19 per
POUND was meant. I removed the sign and took it to the store's customer
service counter. While I didn't talk to a manager there, I did mention the
error to the associate at the counter, and added, "Here is why we need to
change over to the metric system. Then, we could just move decimal points to
figure a unit price." What was also interesting is that when I pointed out
the use of OUNCE instead of pound, I gathered, from the look on the young
lady's face, that she didn't understand the error. We Americans generally
do not know the "system" of measurement to which we cling so stubbornly.
