Allocate a grocery delivery fee without calling it a package price
Compare equal-package and proportional-price delivery allocations, reconcile both to the same checkout total, and keep allocation separate from marginal cost.
A grocery delivery fee belongs to the order. You can distribute it across foods for your own budget, but the chosen method changes the apparent cost of each item. Label that method so an allocated cost is not mistaken for a store's package price.
Start with one complete fictional order
Suppose an invented basket contains one package of oats for USD 4, one package of beans for USD 6 and one package of coffee for USD 10. Goods total USD 20 and a single delivery fee adds USD 6. Assume no discounts, taxes, tips or other charges. The checkout total is USD 26.
The FTC's online-shopping guidance recommends including delivery and other charges when checking total cost. It does not prescribe either allocation method below; both are explicit editorial choices for this worksheet.
| Food | Package price | Equal-package fee share | Fee share proportional to price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oats | USD 4.00 | USD 2.00 | USD 1.20 |
| Beans | USD 6.00 | USD 2.00 | USD 1.80 |
| Coffee | USD 10.00 | USD 2.00 | USD 3.00 |
| Total | USD 20.00 | USD 6.00 | USD 6.00 |
Reconcile both methods
Equal-package allocation divides USD 6 among three packages. Adding USD 2 to each price produces allocated costs of USD 6, USD 8 and USD 12, which sum to USD 26. This treats every package equally despite differences in value, weight or size.
Proportional-price allocation gives oats 4 divided by 20 of the fee: USD 1.20. The same method gives beans USD 1.80 and coffee USD 3.00. Their allocated costs are USD 5.20, USD 7.80 and USD 13.00, again totaling USD 26. This method assigns more fee to more expensive goods; it does not measure their actual delivery cost.
Do not confuse allocation with savings from removal
Assume, for one further hypothetical check, that the delivery fee stays USD 6 if coffee is removed. The revised order costs USD 4 plus USD 6 plus USD 6 delivery, or USD 16. Removing coffee reduces the payment by USD 10, not its USD 13 allocated cost. A real fee may change with the basket, so obtain the revised checkout total rather than assuming this condition holds.
Save three columns: package price, your allocated fee and the method used. Keep the original checkout total as the reconciliation check. If you later calculate cost per 100 g, state whether you used package price alone or an allocated cost; comparisons need the same basis.
For food-label questions about those purchases, download Ingredi AI via the official Apple listing or official Google Play listing. Review its current features and purchase terms. This arithmetic does not claim that the app allocates delivery fees or reads checkout charges.