Evening star., 1949-06-17
Gripes About Prices
Not Easily Calculated
To the Edisas ef Ins star

Everyone talks about the high cost OF livtng
and. like the weather. nobody does anything
about 1t. One thing which surprises me and
which have never seen discussed In any
newspaper In that housewives all over the
United States daily are muicted out of
Thousands Of dollars through not only dis
honest pricing but careless calculation by the
clerks This sounds like q very broad accusa-
ton but Just eonsider the following:
Have you ever noticed that nothing and
] mean nothing. in grocery and butcher
shops. including all the chain groceries. Is
priced 30 that II can readily be calculated
in even dollars and cents? For instance.
everyone learns In school that there are six
teen ounces 70 the pound. but there may as
well be just nine or so TO the pound as far
as the butcher Is concerned for II is i'm
possible TO calculate anything as four cents
an ounce or "a cents a pound or Ave cents
an ounce or 80 cents a pound. Nothing
that you can buy can be calculated in evsn
figures. Therefore. meat will be 10 cents q
pound. 80 cents q pound. $l.ls or 81 - q
pound. etc Now try TO figure out how much
this Is an ounce. You may say, But we do
not buy meat by the ounce," True. not by
the ounce but by the pound. less one ounce
or plus one ounce. ETC.. for where is the
butcher these days who closes his eyes to so
much as q quarter Of an ounce or q half
ounce over the pound7 And have you ever
seen the ridiculous calculations that take
place regarding this extra ounce7
Nov my only alternative Is 70 have the
butcher juggle chops all day until he can
find four or five TO make an even pound or
to have . law passed making II compulsory
for dealers TO charge honest divisible prices
Let things sell for 80 cents a pound lat 20
cents pound they are much more expensive
TO the consumer and let's say. 81 cents q
n hasf tka Aanf fax
must say 81 70 cents q pound. Get it1 That
way no matter how good you are at arith-s
metic you can't make l6 20 into l.2e and
come out on top. See what mean9
And while I am about II. why complicate
an already complicated world with prices like
i've pounds for % cents and two pounds OF
something you never use two pounds Of. for
rs cents or 20 cents? Why not just be honest
and say fifteen or thirteen cents poundp
Potatoes and apples and such being almost
like finger prints. no two alike. think Of the
pennies pouring by the millions into the
Golfers Of dealers because nothing hardly
ever comes out an even pound In these
things. and rs say. experiment for yourself
and find out that IL II In an ounce over II Ia
five cents more and II IL Is an ounce under
that ounce is deducted ut 3 cents. etc. and
the rule never works both ways for the poor
consumer who Is on the losing side every
time.
I am also for half pennies II the stores
choose to quote prices which can only be
calculated honestly by using half pennies.
For years the dealers had been getting the
extra half cent from all Of US. Isn't II about
time for us to fool them and coin some half
cents7 It should be Illegal to quote prices
that 1t Is impossible for q machine or man
to calculate honestly. That k my grippe
HB