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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Catie McLeod Consumer affairs reporter

The capsicum paradox: new Australian supermarket pricing a ‘massive transparency fail’ for customers

Capsicums at food market
Because supermarkets are not required to display a per-kilo price, or even the average weight of items, shoppers are unlikely to know whether they’re actually getting a good deal when paying a set price per item. Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

Supermarkets are increasingly charging customers for fresh produce by the item, rather than by weight, in a strategy that is leading to “wild volatility” in pricing with some items more than 50% more expensive, new analysis shows.

A Sydney-based data analyst who compared the “per each” price online with the actual “per kilo” shelf price of 15 fruits and vegetables at their local Woolworths store found the price variations were “completely arbitrary”.

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