The tool says the two packs are a tie: how do I choose between them?

Two kinds of tie in the tool

• Everything equal: a 500 g pack at 10 and a 1 kg pack at 20 both cost 20 per kg. Each shows Tie: same cost, with a message saying none is cheaper than the others.
• A tie for best only: add a third pack, 250 g at 6, which costs 24 per kg. The first two show Tie: best value, and the third shows 20% more expensive.

When a small gap is not a tie

Change the big pack's price from 20 to 19.95, just 5 halalas. The big pack becomes the Best value, and the small one reads 0.25% more expensive. The tool does not ignore real differences however small; it only treats a gap below one part in a billion as a tie, since that comes from computer arithmetic, not from the price. Whether 0.25% should change your mind is your call.

What decides it when there is a tie

1. Actual need: if you use half a kilo a month and do not stockpile, the small pack does the job at no extra cost.
2. Shelf life and storage: an opened big pack can pick up moisture or go stale before you finish it.
3. Cash and space: with a tie, nothing justifies paying more up front or giving up more shelf space.
4. Flexibility: two small packs let you try a different brand next time without losing anything.

When you are the seller

If your store sells a product in two sizes at the same price per kilo, a customer comparing prices has no reason to choose the larger size. You may choose to make the larger size slightly cheaper per kilo to encourage it, which is a pricing decision for you, so check your profit on each size before changing it with the Selling-price calculator. If the tie comes from a temporary discount on one size, work out the discounted price exactly with the Discount calculator and run the comparison again in the Unit-price comparison tool.