The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) reports that a caped calculator character called Unit Man appears soon in supermarkets and grocery catalogues across Australia to help consumers better understand unit pricing.

Unit pricing is a labelling system that helps shoppers more easily compare the price of products of different sizes and brands by showing prices per standard unit of measurement such as by volume or by weight. For example, laundry detergent in a 2.5 litre bottle priced at $7.62 will have a unit price per litre of $3.05.

"Unit Man has been developed to capture consumer attention and encourage shoppers to make the most of unit pricing, which makes it quicker and easier to compare the price of products across all sizes and brands," ACCC Chairman Graeme Samuel said.

Unit Man will start to appear in grocery catalogues and online in early November. Consumers will also see Unit Man at some check out screens in the lead-up to 1 December when unit pricing becomes compulsory for supermarkets with a floor space greater than 1000 square metres that sell a minimum range of food-based groceries.

3 November, 2009