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Calculator
Bulk buying
A bigger package is cheaper per unit right up until you throw part of it away. Enter both packages and how much you realistically use, and Cotco prices in the waste.
Regular package
Bulk package
Bulk is cheaper
2.9% cheaper per g
- Regular unit price ($11.49 ÷ 24 g)
- $0.4788/g
- Bulk unit price on the label ($18.97 ÷ 48 g)
- $0.3952/g
- Raw saving before waste
- 17.4%
- Bulk quantity you actually use
- 40.8 g
- Adjusted saving after waste
- 2.9%
- Break-even waste rate
- 17.4%
Cost to cover 24 g
Buying regular packages
$11.49
Buying 1 bulk package
$18.97
Whole packages only — you cannot buy 1.3 of a package, and that rounding is often where the bulk saving disappears.
The bulk package stays the better buy as long as you waste less than 17.4% of it. Above that, the regular size wins.
Waste here means anything you paid for and did not use: spoilage, staleness, and the half-bottle at the back of the cupboard. Storage space, freezer cost, and cash tied up in inventory are not modeled.