Disguising Price Increases(No Politics Please)

[worth1]

I know how to grade meat and have seen prime marked as select.
Not gonna argue with them.
America needs a better grading system.
It puts prime all over the place.
Or they aren't grading it properly.
Too much out there I would have a hard time calling choice.

[karstopography]

For whatever reason, HEB will at times put in a few prime (cryovac packaging marked prime) and/or choice briskets in with the select ones and at select prices. I’ve gotten where I can tell a prime from a select brisket by looking at the flat and the level of fat marbling. Steaks like ribeye and sirloin strips are pretty easy to see the difference between grades.

[slugworth]

Heavy duty aluminum foil isn't heavy duty anymore.
It is the thickness of the regular stuff pre-covid.
I will have to search for old stock,if stores still have some.

[Tormahto]

Heavy duty aluminum foil isn't heavy duty anymore.
It is the thickness of the regular stuff pre-covid.
I will have to search for old stock,if stores still have some.

Dang! The way things are going in this world, I could really use a heavy duty tin foil hat.

[pepperhead212]

Even way before covid, regular foil had gotten thinner, esp. if you bought store brand. I always buy 1,000 ft rolls at restaurant supply stores (fits right on top of my MW), and I was amazed at how much thicker it was, the first time I got it. I looked to see if I had grabbed the heavy duty, by accident!

[bower]

Packets of dried fruit are in a smaller format this year, almost or exactly 2 cups of fruit to the package for most things, which is great if you are buying a slate of different fruits for cake. I was glad to get the ingredients for my fruitcake without having a lot left over. It seemed cheaper at the time I bought it too. But now I'm thinking, they have probably increased the price per kilo and hid that by offering a much smaller package. I bought less, but probably paid more.

[GoDawgs]

You have to watch grocery checkout like a hawk as sometimes the on-sale prices don't show up on the register. Of course, that's hard to watch in places like Walmart that have those stupid bag carousels you have to unload.

Yesterday at Ingles they had 3 lb bags of onion on sale 2/$4. I got two bags and they rang up at $3.98 each! Stop the parade! Of course, the cashier had a manager go check the price over in Produce. That made me the person holding up the line so I explained to the person behind me and she was very ok with that. The manager came back with two other bags of onions. Turns out someone had put out the "premium" Del Monte onion bags under the posted sale price sign where the regular onions should have been. Problem corrected.

[slugworth]

Even way before covid, regular foil had gotten thinner, esp. if you bought store brand. I always buy 1,000 ft rolls at restaurant supply stores (fits right on top of my MW), and I was amazed at how much thicker it was, the first time I got it. I looked to see if I had grabbed the heavy duty, by accident!

The local pizza place will wrap a single slice on a paper plate with the heavy duty stuff.
I save and re-use that like it was WWIII out there.
Trash bag containers will say the mil size of the bags,foil containers don't.
One of my 1st job offers out of school was to work in the rolling mills repairing the rollers they use to make it.
Turned that down but the recent woes gave me a flashback.

[GoDawgs]

I noticed today that Walmart's price on boneless, skinless chicken breasts has gone from 1.99 to 2.08/lb. There were no bags of leg quarters there today. Packs of drumsticks were actually marked down for quick sale as they have to be sold by today. That's the first time that I can remember that I've seen any chicken marked sown for quick sale. maybe people are starting to say "no thanks" to some prices.

They did have whole chickens (averaging 4.5 lbs each) for .97/lb so I bought one and will make it for lunch tomorrow and Saturday. That $4.50 will make two days of lunches and an extra munch for two people. About $1 per meal. Can't beat that! I'm sure the broccoli shoots and cabbage from the garden have some input costs but I'll call 'em free to go with lunch.

[Tormahto]

When I walk into a WalMart, my eyes naturally scan forward, to both sides, almost behind my back, to pick up those little yellow "on sale" labels.

I recently picked up a years supply of GV fat free refried beans, 31 ounce cans for 59 cents each (Old El Paso goes for about $2.50). It'll be a 2 years supply if I don't get off my butt and find some online recipes for it.

No sales on meat since December, as most stock is at about 1/4 full.

[slugworth]

store made italian bread at a small IGA went from 20oz size to 16oz same price.

[bower]

@GoDawgs I wonder if the avian flu is affecting prices yet... We have it here in my area, and a local farmer was on the news after his whole flock had to be put down. It was the second farm affected. He said this severe version of H1N1 is in 40 countries already and having a major impact on poultry producers. They've told the public not to feed wild birds, which are carrying it, and not to touch any dead birds you might find, but notify the authorities instead so they can test for the disease.

[Tormahto]

I've heard nothing about destroying domestic flocks in the USA. But then, the MSM doesn't tell us everything going on. Search, and you'll find stories about lock downs in China because of hemorrhagic fever. I wouldn't know if it's true.

[worth1]

I mentioned to a person working in the meat department about how thin the rib eye steaks were cut.
He said they were very popular.
I bet, 'the things looked less than 1/2 inch thick which decreased the price.
Problem is at least for me it's impossible to cook a steak that thin and have it rare or medium rare.
Perfect for the old school folks that like steaks over cooked like many folks of my upbringing.
For them anything with any amount of pink or blood was considered a religious sin only consumed by heathens.

[karstopography]

Eggs have gone up some or a lot depending on brand and store. Hard to mess with eggs and utilize packaging tricks to disguise increases. What are they going to do, put 10 large eggs in there instead of 12? This article linked attributes the price increases on eggs to increases in feed and labor shortages. Freight costs are also cited.
https://www.eatthis.com/news-grocery-pr ... s-in-2022/

@worth1 happily a heathen here when it comes to steaks.

[GoDawgs]

@worth1, ever since Pickles went through chemo she can't stand the sight of cooked meat in any kind of rare state. Chemo does strange things to taste buds. So she wants hockey puck burgers when I make them and I make mine medium rare. No heathens in this house.

[brownrexx]

Lucky for me that I live in a rural area and many folks have chickens. I buy nice brown eggs for $2/dozen almost within walking distance of my house.

[slugworth]

For eggs I go for jumbo sized,which sometimes have value added 2 yokes instead of 1.
Which makes for funny hard boiled eggs.

[karstopography]

I trade for eggs at times. My bookkeeper raises a few dozen layers and I take her free range farm eggs for free, but I bring her fresh garden tomatoes in return. Sun Up large eggs at HEB currently are about $1.35/dozen for Large. Their own store brand are closer to $2 a dozen. Aldi was the cheapest source, but lately they been closer to $1.50/dozen.

I could have chickens where I live and my daughter tries to talk me into it at times. I don’t want to mess with them.

@worth1 small and medium eggs are great for pickled or hard boiled eggs. I don’t usually get Jumbo or extra Large.

In New England, brown eggs are the staple eggs. White eggs there are on the fringe. Here, it’s reverse. White eggs rule and brown ones are a niche category.

[GoDawgs]

@karstopography, I too have thought about raising chickens but having another daily responsibility isn't something I want to fool with.The garden is enough. Protection from predators out here in the country is another pain in the butt without a dog to chase off varmints. Lots of hawks around too so overhead protection would also be needed. Not to mention trying to get someone to come care for them while I'm away on vacation.

Nope. I'll just continue to swap some veg for eggs with someone a few miles away when she has excess and then buy them when she doesn't.