Introduction
Over the last couple of days of the year (including New Year), I decided to work on something that has been annoying me for some time. As a cheapskate, my objective is always to get the most for the least… and this includes when grocery shopping. This app/site was born out of my desire to understand which location, which size/pack option, etc would give me the best “bang for my buck”.
Should I buy the pack of 27 for THB 105, or the pack of 40 for THB 145? Or maybe the pack of 60 for THB 196? What’s the cost per unit? Maybe I need a price comparison tool? Which option gives me the best value? You may already know the answer instinctually if you are decent at math, but it’s unlikely that you’ll know the exact savings or efficiency of each item. Or maybe you’re good at math and know all of these things… but now you’re old and you just don’t remember the stats for Item #1 once you reach the other aisle where Item #2 is sitting… and you end up going back and forth a couple of times. This app/site solves this issue by allowing inputs of data from multiple items, then comparing them to each other and displaying the processed output in a neat table with a clearly marked efficiency winner (or winners in the case of a tie).
Try the calculator here: http://projects.biatch0.net/cpcalculator
This tool is for anyone comparing prices across different pack sizes, stores, or promotions – especially when mental math stops being reliable. Or your brain… whichever.
Live Preview
In this scenario, which was one of the first times I wished an app/site like this existed, I was doing my grocery shopping for my 3-in-1 coffee. Birdie (Robusta) Red to be specific. As can be seen from the screenshot (hopefully):
- Tops – Sells a pack of 27 satchets for THB 105
- Lotus – Sells a pack of 40 satchets for THB 145
- Makro – Sells a pack of 60 satchets for THB 196
The Live Preview window at the bottom then spits out the key information that a user might be interested in – Makro is the cheapest, with each satchet bought there averaging out to cost THB 3.27 as compared to THB 3.63 at Lotus, and 3.89 at Tops.
Of course, economy of scale is a simple way to look at these things, and a larger pack should in theory always be cheaper… BUT, this is not always the case. This scenario was only an example anyway, and promotions, and especially those “online” like via Lazada/Shopee can really make the math rather interesting (once you take into account shipping costs as well where necessary).
For the most part, the Live Preview section should be enough for most of us to make an informed decision. If you’re looking for more information, or if you prefer neater tables, you can click Compare, and we’ll be whisked off to the next page.
Comparison Results
Here, we’re treated to a marginally nicer looking table with like 1 extra column showing efficiency % versus the worst performer. In hindsight, I’m not even sure why I created a new page for this single extra stat… but I personally like it… and that’s good enough for me.
The Calculator
If you skipped ahead, you can try out the calculator here http://projects.biatch0.net/cpcalculator. I’m not sure if I’ll update it any further, since it has 99% of the functionality that I personally require… but we’ll see.
Update: I’ve updated it. Mainly UI based changes. I’ve also placed it on a separate domain where I plan to host all my “tools”.
Notes
- No, you don’t need to input ALL details including the Labels. By default, items are labeled as “Item #1” and so on… and this doesn’t affect the calculations in any way. It’s just there for user convenience, in case you need a label to keep track of different locations for example.
- Only unit count and unit price are required for calculations. Once you’ve filled the default 3 item list with a unit count and price, the calculator should add another row for input, and keep doing this for each item you “fill out”.
- This tool doesn’t replace common sense—shipping costs, promotions, and availability still matter—but it removes guesswork from the core math.