Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We have a long way to go until groceries impact household budgets. It’s been dropping for decades, it’s just more visible because you look at the prices every week

Can they update that graph to reflect November 2022 though?

I believe -- no, I know for certain -- that the cost of food has risen in the past year compared with 2019.

Granted but unless food has literally doubled it’s likely no more expensive than the 80s.

Some food has definitely doubled. Most food prices I would say is probably close to being double.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course, OP, where have you been? Everyone knows that food inflation is out of control. You're just realizing this?

I’m not just realizing this but am asking is it even higher than usual, like, this week?

Produce in particular…

Talk to the seven dollar box of strawberries in my fridge, LOL

ITS NOVEMBER.

I need them for my smoothies

Buy frozen strawberries. SMOOTHIES???! Fresh strawberries in Nov have always been a luxury good.

Frozen berries are also up. In 2019, I could get a 1lb bag of frozen conventional store brand stawberries at Whole Foods for 1.99. Now, 12 oz of conventional store brand straberries at my discount store is 2.48. I did see cheap prices on frozen berries at target recently.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I have a feeling stores are exaggerating. Like two very small servings of salmon in Whole Foods: $15.

I know they are. One store sells a can of Progresso soup for $2.19 and another sells the same thing for $3.69. The first store must be making at least some profit on that, so the second store is making a huge profit.

Anonymous wrote:NYT just did an article that even though producer and wholesale costs have gone down, companies and restaurants are not lowering prices because consumers are willing to pay. Companies are incentivized by profit and as long as the market is willing to pay higher profits they are not giving up their profit margins. In many areas of food, there simply aren’t enough competitors to drive down consumer prices.

It’s sad but people will need to become unemployed and simply not have enough money to buy things for any of the companies or restaurants to lower prices. This is capitalism which isn’t a bad thing but without enough competitors it doesn’t work for the consumer.

Time for Propublica to do another article like the yieldstar article on food company's gluttony for profits!

Around spring 2021, there was an article in the WSJ where several food company spokespeople said their companies were going to raise prices as much as possible to find the breaking point for consumers. They had no problems with supply chain issues anymore, but the food companies wanted to stockpile as much cash as possible and discussed raising food prices 15%, reasoning that once prices go up, consumers will accept it and the prices will stay high forever. I was pretty impressed that the WSJ reporter got the food company CEOs to actually admit to this strategy.

My question: How are these incredibly high food prices not a monopoly problem? If all the egg sellers raise egg prices to 6 dollars a dozen when it used to be one dollar a dozen, couldn't that be viewed as price-fixing, or collusion? Certainly the higher prices aren't going to the poor farm laborers and meat plant processors.

Two places seem to still have relatively low(er) prices that haven't risen by the same percentage as other stores -- Trader Joes, and the Indian/Asian grocery stores.

I thought it was just me! I know food prices have been shooting up all year, but last week when I did our grocery shopping it suddenly seemed even worse than normal. I couldn't find anything than was less than $5... any item. I bought 3 apples and it was nearly $5. Milk was $6. Snack foods suddenly seemed to have doubled. I paid $8 for a pack of Kraft string cheese????

NYT just did an article that even though producer and wholesale costs have gone down, companies and restaurants are not lowering prices because consumers are willing to pay. Companies are incentivized by profit and as long as the market is willing to pay higher profits they are not giving up their profit margins. In many areas of food, there simply aren’t enough competitors to drive down consumer prices.

It’s sad but people will need to become unemployed and simply not have enough money to buy things for any of the companies or restaurants to lower prices. This is capitalism which isn’t a bad thing but without enough competitors it doesn’t work for the consumer.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I have a feeling stores are exaggerating. Like two very small servings of salmon in Whole Foods: $15.

WF has salmon for about $14 a pound — less if you get the frozen pieces. That, for me, is 2-3 very good sized servings or 3-4 small servings.
Are you getting wild caught or a higher priced variety?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course, OP, where have you been? Everyone knows that food inflation is out of control. You're just realizing this?

I’m not just realizing this but am asking is it even higher than usual, like, this week?

Produce in particular…

Talk to the seven dollar box of strawberries in my fridge, LOL

ITS NOVEMBER.

I need them for my smoothies

Buy frozen strawberries. SMOOTHIES???! Fresh strawberries in Nov have always been a luxury good.

Not really; of course strawberries were more expensive in November than, say, locally grown apples. But you could get them more cheaply than today - delivered from Chile of course.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I have a feeling stores are exaggerating. Like two very small servings of salmon in Whole Foods: $15.

No idea why people keep checking items at Whole Paycheck? Almond flour was always exorbitant there for example.

I recently did some comparison price checking at Lidl, Aldi, Wegmans, Giant and Whole Foods. The Whole Foods 365 brand was often one of the cheaper or cheapest options.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We have a long way to go until groceries impact household budgets. It’s been dropping for decades, it’s just more visible because you look at the prices every week

Can they update that graph to reflect November 2022 though?

I believe -- no, I know for certain -- that the cost of food has risen in the past year compared with 2019.

Granted but unless food has literally doubled it’s likely no more expensive than the 80s.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I have a feeling stores are exaggerating. Like two very small servings of salmon in Whole Foods: $15.

No idea why people keep checking items at Whole Paycheck? Almond flour was always exorbitant there for example.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course, OP, where have you been? Everyone knows that food inflation is out of control. You're just realizing this?

I’m not just realizing this but am asking is it even higher than usual, like, this week?

Produce in particular…

Talk to the seven dollar box of strawberries in my fridge, LOL

ITS NOVEMBER.

I need them for my smoothies

Buy frozen strawberries. SMOOTHIES???! Fresh strawberries in Nov have always been a luxury good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course, OP, where have you been? Everyone knows that food inflation is out of control. You're just realizing this?

I’m not just realizing this but am asking is it even higher than usual, like, this week?

Produce in particular…

Talk to the seven dollar box of strawberries in my fridge, LOL

ITS NOVEMBER.

I need them for my smoothies

Apples at $2.50/lb. That's crazy high.