The unit-price is right: advocates commend large retailers for agreeing to provide unit prices online – National Consumers League
June 18, 2014
Contact: Ben Klein, National Consumers League, benk@nclnet.org, (202) 835-3323
Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds the outstanding work by New York’s attorney general, Eric Schneiderman to reach an agreement with six retailers—including Costco, CVS, and Walmart—to ensure that these retailers display unit prices of products listed on their websites. Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia require unit pricing on in-store products. Unit pricing will now be available online to customers of the six retailers, regardless of which state they live in.
Unit pricing is a cornerstone of consumer protection, providing cost per pound, quart, liter, or another unit of weight or volume of a food package. With unit prices, consumers can compare the cost of food packaged in different sized containers or across different brands.
“This is a monumental advance for consumers, who can thank the New York Attorney General for striking this groundbreaking agreement with some of the nation’s biggest online retailers,” said Sally Greenberg, executive director of NCL. “Providing unit prices helps consumers compare prices between items quickly and easily. Particularly important for consumers on a budget, unit pricing gives them the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions.”
“We hope that other retailers follow the lead of Costco, CVS, and Walmart by providing transparent, clear pricing information for consumers, both on their websites and in their retail stores,” said Greenberg.
The six retailers include Costco, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Drugstore.com, and FreshDirect. Each will implement online unit pricing between the end of this year and March 2015.
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About the National Consumers League
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Its mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.
