Fruit by the litre?

[watchkat]

Has anyone else noticed what I feel is a weird way of selling fruits such as peaches, pears, etc. Why sell in a plastic container by the litre. It is necessary to actually weigh it to discover what you are paying per pound. Walmart was selling 3L for 4.98 and superstore was selling 2L for 3.98 ..........to the best of my memory, but the point is why????
The local orchards in Kelowna offered gorgeous peaches for 90cents a pound picked. I almost made the mistake of heading south to my usual fruit stand until they raised the price to 1.69lb.

You sure have to question the pricing of our local produce these days. Really what the traffic will bear with no real logic to the pricing other than the smaller orchards are cheaper as the packing houses aren't interested in dealing with them and so they sell directly to public.

Love to see a large IGA cardboard bin at my favourite apple orchard. He supplies them and they sell for 1.69 upward while he sells directly on an honour system for 50cents a pound in his cooler.

[Hmmm]

Isn't litre for liquids? How can fruit be sold by the litre? Maybe in KG's? I could be wrong though but have never seen it before.

[pentona]

Has anyone else noticed what I feel is a weird way of selling fruits such as peaches, pears, etc. Why sell in a plastic container by the litre. It is necessary to actually weigh it to discover what you are paying per pound. Walmart was selling 3L for 4.98 and superstore was selling 2L for 3.98 ..........to the best of my memory, but the point is why????
The local orchards in Kelowna offered gorgeous peaches for 90cents a pound picked. I almost made the mistake of heading south to my usual fruit stand until they raised the price to 1.69lb.

You sure have to question the pricing of our local produce these days. Really what the traffic will bear with no real logic to the pricing other than the smaller orchards are cheaper as the packing houses aren't interested in dealing with them and so they sell directly to public.

Love to see a large IGA cardboard bin at my favourite apple orchard. He supplies them and they sell for 1.69 upward while he sells directly on an honour system for 50cents a pound in his cooler.

I have noticed that as well lately. I honestly believe it is just one more way that the stores are trying to confuse the customer, so that they don't know what they are really paying for goods. Its irked me for some time that the Metric system was never fully adopted in Canada but that stores will use it when they think it "looks cheaper" but sometimes by the pound, foot, etc.

We (Canada) needs to either go back to Imperial measurements or go fully metric. Not sure what they teach in school these days but if its not Imperial, then how will children know what a 2x4, gallon, MPH are?

[Catsumi]

Walmart in Vernon is doing the same thing, making it virtually impossible to comparison shop.

Yes, litres indicates liquid measurement, not weight which is normally how one purchases fruit unless it is in juice form.

Bafflegab, a pox upon thee!

[oneh2obabe]

Fruit was sold in litre baskets for years - peaches, nectarines, pears, tomatoes, etc. Used to be an 11L basket then it was downsized to 8L and so on.

[pentona]

So what is next? Selling things by the Bushel or Peck? Good grief, these marketing techniques are getting very clever.

If Litres means liquid, then why do they refer to vehicle engine sizes by litres? Canada's Metric system is completely ____ed.

Note: A peck is an imperial and United States customary unit of dry volume, equivalent to 2 gallons or 8 dry quarts or 16 dry pints (9.09 (UK) or 8.81 (US) liters). Two pecks make a kenning (obsolete), and four pecks make a bushel.

[Jonrox]

This isn't anything new, you're just noticing it now for some reason.

It is somewhat unique to fruit grown in the Okanagan though. There are other items in the produce department sold this way and I'm sure if you look closely over the course of a year, you'll find a few other items that you've bought for years that have always been sold this way (there aren't that many, but there are a few).

To be clear a litre isn't a liquid measurement, it's a volume measurement. When you buy a litre of milk, you're buying the amount of milk that would fit in a cube that's 10cmx10cmx10cm. When you buy a litre of peaches, you're buying an amount of peaches that fits in that same space.

[whitecandle]

So what is next? Selling things by the Bushel or Peck? Good grief, these marketing techniques are getting very clever.

Tomatoes are sold by the bushel along with other vegetables and fruits depending on the grower/farmer/distributor and the demand. A bushel of tomatoes weighs 53 lbs.

[Bpeep]

So what is next? Selling things by the Bushel or Peck?

I ordered a hogshead of beer for delivery and the young girl on the phone didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

[GordonH]

Sound like either Sun-Rype or one of the Wineries, both sell liquid fruit. lol

[Rider59]

So what is next? Selling things by the Bushel or Peck? Good grief, these marketing techniques are getting very clever.

If Litres means liquid, then why do they refer to vehicle engine sizes by litres? Canada's Metric system is completely ____ed.

Note: A peck is an imperial and United States customary unit of dry volume, equivalent to 2 gallons or 8 dry quarts or 16 dry pints (9.09 (UK) or 8.81 (US) liters). Two pecks make a kenning (obsolete), and four pecks make a bushel.

Actually, the metric system is just fine and a lot better than the imperial system. BTW, a litre is a volume measurement (displacement), not just for liquids.

[Bsuds]

I have a small hand held electronic scale that I can use to weigh items. It comes in very handy for things like this.
It didn't cost much direct from that Oriental place across the Pacific. lol
We use it in the kitchen too.

[Green-light]

Pints of blueberries
Quarts of strawberries
Half gallon of plums, pears, peaches
Gallon of apples

All measurements I grew up with in another fruit bearing valley a few hills over a few hills from the few hills I can see here.

[pentona]

Actually, the metric system is just fine and a lot better than the imperial system. BTW, a litre is a volume measurement (displacement), not just for liquids.

I completely agree with you. We in Canada are supposed to be Metric and I "believe" thats what they teach in schools these days. The problem is this back and forth between Metric and Imperial measurements. If we are Metric, then why do they still sell 2x4's, 4x8 sheets of plywood, some meat sold by the pound (if it appears cheaper they will do it that way), yet our speed limit signs are all metric, fuel is metric, temp is metric.

Why can't Canada either "you know what" or get off the pot! (and don't blame it on our ties with the Yanks; if that is the reason, then let's go back to Imperial).

[TylerM4]

The reason is because it's hard to control container weight in a grocery store. Especially with larger fruit where 1 piece of fruit can weight 1/2lb.

Sell a 3lb box of peaches and watch people complain/sue when they get home and some realize they actually got a 2.75lb box.
Put the fruit in a 3 liter container and sell it as 3 liters of fruit and that problem goes away.

You'll notice that loose/weighed fruit is always sold by the pound, it's only fruit that comes in a container that's sold by volume.