> Except in either method:
1) the scales are accurate, but in any case you have no way of checking.
Which is why we rely on them being routinely checked independently by government agencies.
2) People simply aren't that thick.
Generally no, but fair trade should not depend on the wit of the individual consumer. We are all entitled to be treated fairly.
3) The prices are shown in both units
In my experience that cannot be guaranteed. Tesco, for example, is well known for advertising in imperial only within store on some of it's items.
The point has been made several times that attempts to accomodate dual measures lead to unfair trade practices. That doesn't mean all traders are crooks but competitive pressures lead to certain types of behaviour. That's why it is necessary to combine free trade with a certain amout of regulation. In my opinion measurement units are a legitimate part of that, and has been so in the UK for centuries.
The UK, USA and now it seems Canada have allowed themselves to fall short of that ideal in recent times by becoming too tolorant of mixed measures. There is really no excuse now for well developed mature democratic countrys, who should know better, not to adopt a single system of measurement for trade and industry with the obvious choice of which system that should be.
Phil Hall
