Real-Life Reading © Scholastic Teaching Resources
3. Unit Price
When shopping at a supermarket, you’ve probably seen Unit Price labels like the one
Unit price means the price per ounce or the
price per pound of an item. Below is an example of a Unit Price label.
below on various items.
the item or product
and product number
the brand name
M PAUL
ONION RINGS
UNIT PRICE
$2.24
PER POUND
505050
The total weight of the
product is five ounces.
5 oz.
YOU PAY
$.60
the amount you will
pay for 5 ounces of
onion rings
81781
This shows that a pound (16 ounces) of the onion rings costs $2.24. So,
an ounce costs 14 cents (2.24 –: 16). Therefore, a 5-oz. pack would usually
cost 70 cents (5 x 14). This pack, however, costs 65 cents ($.65).
(You actually save 5 cents on this package of onion rings.)
Doing the numbers isn’t always easy. But you should learn how to read labels, like the
one above, on products that you often buy. In the long run, you can save money by
figuring out whether what
you pay is a real reduction in price. For example, a label
like this would show that you are not getting a reduction:
M PAUL
UNIT PRICE
$2.24
PER POUND
Words and Meanings
lb.—pound
oz.—ounce (16 ounces = 1 pound)
per—each (for example, per pound, per ounce)
unit—one single element (ounce, pound, etc.)
40
ONION RINGS
505050
81781
5 oz.
YOU PAY
$.60
$.70
Real-Life Reading © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Use what you’ve learned. Circle the answers you choose.
Use the picture below to help you answer
questions 3–6.
1. Which item below weighs the most?
a
M PAUL
FISH CAKES
8 oz.
UNIT PRICE
$1.80
PER POUND
505050
YOU PAY
$.90
3. What will you pay for two pounds of onions?
b
M PAUL
a $2.99
b $5.98
DRIED YAMS
12 oz.
4. How much does one bag of potatoes cost?
a $2.99
UNIT PRICE
$1.20
PER POUND
c $6.00
81881
505050
b $3.99
c $1.29
YOU PAY
$.90
81781
5. Three bunches of broccoli will cost
c
a $1.29.
M PAUL
UNIT PRICE
$4.40
PER POUND
SHRIMP CAKES
505050
b $2.58.
c $3.87.
5 oz.
YOU PAY
$1.65
81781
6. For eight oranges, you’ll pay
a $1.00.
b $3.00.
Broccoli $1.29/
bunch
s/
enth
c
9 c
y 8 bun
r
e
Cel
c $2.00.
Cabbage
59 cents/lb.
2. You want to buy a pack of onion rings. The pack
has this label:
M PAUL
UNIT PRICE
$2.24
PER POUND
ONION RINGS
505050
5 oz.
YOU PAY
$.65
81781
The store also sells a 15-oz. pack for $1.60. If
you buy the 15-oz. pack instead of the 5-oz.
pack, you will
a get more onion rings for your money.
b get fewer onion rings for your money.
c pay the same for the number of onion rings.
Oranges 4/$1.00
Potatoes
$3.99/bag
Onions $2.99/lb.
41
page 41
1. b
2. a
3. b
4. b
5. c
6. c