AIBU to use my calculator in the supermarket

[GrassIsntGreener]

You'd think so by the looks I get! I think it's sensible as we can't afford to waste a penny or get a shock at the till.

So why do I get weird looks? Is it a supermarket faux par? Is it because I do it in 'budget' supermarkets?

Maybe it's seen as unreasonable. I remember my mother doing it, one shop even had a little calculator on the trolly handle once!

[Meglet]

Yanbu. I use my phone calculator when I'm down to my last £6.43p and have to spend every penny wisely.

[MousyMouse]

cumfy
they schould be but often aren't.

[Morloth]

I round up as well.

Feels like a discount when you check out.

[MrsMook]

I did it when I started uni and didn't have much idea about how much my shopping was going to be.

Ahh, the good old days when prices stayed the same for more than a week

[cumfy]

Aren't all the prices per kilo displayed now ?

[Vivacia]

AnnaRack for the cheese example you gave, what would you put in to the calculator?

[ClutchingPearls]

I take my tablet with a spread sheet consisting of shopping list, quantity, price, 'good price, buy lots', and the broken down cost I.e.£/100g. I update it as I go along .

I also use the fruit scales if they have an offer but mismatch the price breakdown I.e. unit price on one and per 100g on the other.

I am completely immune to the looks. I don't care, I save money and don't get conned by the supermarkets.

[Donkeyok]

I need to do this too.

[Pixel]

Perhaps people are staring because they think you are from a rival supermarket checking up on prices so you can have a sign saying "cheaper than x and y" .

[AnnaRack]

vivacia and missstrawberry it's a simple enough calculation in itself but my brain somehow goes to mush in a busy supermarket with kids in tow! And often there are 3 or 4 similar products in different sized packets which makes it hard to compare prices per unit or per 100g grammes. And the larger packets arent always cheaper, sometimes they are more expensive (per unit/gramme that is).
Using my phone calculator would really help, but i would need to do it every time as prices fluctuate, special offers come and go etc.

[2kidsintow]

Anyone else vaguely remember when the Tesco (I think) trolleys had a little calculator built into the handle area? That was good.

Bet they broke rather quickly when left outside in the rain, though.

[NoComet]

Nope, as other say dishwasher tablets often warrant a calculator as does squash, washing liquid and other things that come in different pack sizes and volumes.

My metal maths is ok, but a calculator is quicker.

[teacherandguideleader]

I really should do this ...

[YoureAllABunchOfBastards]

Our local Tesco has just got Scan and Shop - a little handheld scanner that slots into the trolley. You scan as you go, it alerts you if you miss an offer and it keeps a running total. If you want, you can put stuff back if you go over budget. I love it!

[TeWiSavesTheDay]

That really peed me off too mousy!

Some tabs give no per Unit info at all, which is also very irritating.

With the fruit and veg I always have to weigh the bags because their prices are given per unit, but the loose is given per 100g/1kg then do the conversion to compare. Complete waste of time when everything could be described the same way.

Sometimes it's hard to compare online for the same reasons.

We also have to check all the allergy labels so supermarket shopping takes a hideously long time.

[MousyMouse]

yanbu
I am really angry with supermarket making a real effort to not make prices comparable.
recent example:
pack of same sorts of bisquits

1. branded biscuit price per 100g (fair enough)
   
2. own brand price per biscuit, but no indication how many biscuits per pack
   
3. value biscuit price per unit + number of biscuits per unit, but no information how many biscuits per pack (wtaf)

[MissStrawberry]

On most price tickets they do state how much per item so it will say how much per dishwasher tablet.

[GemmaTeller]

And thats why I take my DH to costco with me

[Jan49]

I wonder if people are looking at your calculator thinking "what kind of mobile has she got there?" because it is a similar size and mobiles are so common.

I think it's a very sensible idea. But if I did it, I'd make lots of mistakes and get the total all wrong.

[irishe]

Yanbu. If I don't have DH with me, who really is a human calculator, I whip out my phone to check on prices. I think the supermarkets are deliberately obfuscating in how prices are displayed. For some reason I find it hard to work out cheapest dishwasher tablets and toilet roll sometimes.

[MissStrawberry]

300g for £2.99, there is nothing in it.

1p.

[Vivacia]

I think it's a good idea, but it's something you could reasonably be expected to do in your head.

I can never work out whether it's cheaper to buy 300g of cheddar for £2.99 or 350g for £3.50

Seriously?

[liquidstate]

I check online beforehand using mysupermarket. I shop at Sainsburys mostly so if things are cheaper at Tesco and Asda then I get the voucher for the difference.

I tot up in my head as I got round but I round up for ease so its usually a bit cheaper at the till.

use your calculator, it wouldn't make me stare.

[RobotLover68]

I was in Costco the other day and was using my calculator to work out which was the cheapest deal on dishwasher tabs.

The "special offer" on the all singing and dancing tabs was considerably dearer than the run of the mill tabs. I noticed an old man watching me as I looked up and he turned to his wife and whispered "let's wait until she's worked it out" so I looked at him and pointed to the cheaper deal - him and his wife went off happy - OP YANBU - my nan used to say, take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves