The intangible weight of things. Approximate nominal weights in modern society

Modern society is based upon quantification, and one assumes that it is the place for a rational definition of quantities, costs, and prices. Anyway, there are some pockets of behavior where a different way of relating to the nominal weight of things admits some approximation. This is the case for some indivisible (like garlic), or modifiable items (like bread), which happen to be sold in supermarkets by applying a one dime - one stock assumption. In this cases, items are given a nominal weight, which is not the exact one. The analysis of such phenomena in the modern world can help us understand the nominality of value and give some hints about the definition of standard weights in past archaeological contexts.