Disguising Price Increases(No Politics Please)

[Danny]

A gallon of whole milk here from the cheap stores is about $5.50. I bet 2% is cheaper.

We got Thai food from our favorite place 2 weekends ago. When we first started in 2015, it was $8 an entree and that came with a large container of rice. By 2020 that had raised to $12-14, same size. Now it is $16 and the container is half the size and the rice is a small rice.

Good lord.

I don't blame them. It is a family business. Monterey raised all the rents and their supplies have gone way up.

Last fall, my husband got this gift card when Zain was born from the people he supervises. He is not supposed ro accept gifts and so he thought he would bug the department lunches a couple times since they refused the money back.

We called this Indian restaurant where in 2019 -- for my other son's first birthday -- we had gotten a big roasting size aluminum tray of tandoori chicken for $66. They quoted us $300.

Had to say no. No idea if it would have even been the same amount either.

Ouch !

Many of the small somewhat marginal places have gone out of business here, though there are still a lot of restaurants around. Between the supply issues and prices, I suspect those factors were big players in why some closed.

[Julianna]

A gallon of whole milk here from the cheap stores is about $5.50. I bet 2% is cheaper.

We got Thai food from our favorite place 2 weekends ago. When we first started in 2015, it was $8 an entree and that came with a large container of rice. By 2020 that had raised to $12-14, same size. Now it is $16 and the container is half the size and the rice is a small rice.

Good lord.

I don't blame them. It is a family business. Monterey raised all the rents and their supplies have gone way up.

Last fall, my husband got this gift card when Zain was born from the people he supervises. He is not supposed ro accept gifts and so he thought he would bug the department lunches a couple times since they refused the money back.

We called this Indian restaurant where in 2019 -- for my other son's first birthday -- we had gotten a big roasting size aluminum tray of tandoori chicken for $66. They quoted us $300.

Had to say no. No idea if it would have even been the same amount either.

Ouch !

Many of the small somewhat marginal places have gone out of business here, though there are still a lot of restaurants around. Between the supply issues and prices, I suspect those factors were big players in why some closed.

For sure. I have watched a lot of pricing just go up and up and up on a variety of items. I work in accounts payable at a company here and do a ton of varieties of invoices for businesses and kind of get to see the changes.

[worth1]

A gallon of whole milk here from the cheap stores is about $5.50. I bet 2% is cheaper.

We got Thai food from our favorite place 2 weekends ago. When we first started in 2015, it was $8 an entree and that came with a large container of rice. By 2020 that had raised to $12-14, same size. Now it is $16 and the container is half the size and the rice is a small rice.

Good lord.

I don't blame them. It is a family business. Monterey raised all the rents and their supplies have gone way up.

Last fall, my husband got this gift card when Zain was born from the people he supervises. He is not supposed ro accept gifts and so he thought he would bug the department lunches a couple times since they refused the money back.

We called this Indian restaurant where in 2019 -- for my other son's first birthday -- we had gotten a big roasting size aluminum tray of tandoori chicken for $66. They quoted us $300.

Had to say no. No idea if it would have even been the same amount either.

With everyone wanting a raise and the price of everything going up owners have to raise prices.
Grocery stores have about a 3% profit on the stuff they sell.
That 3% adds up in volume they sell.
This coming from a recent employee of our big HEB chain we have in Texas.
I haven't had a raise in three years and am sick of these people complaining about it.
The people where I work trust me and allow me overtime.
The other idiots we hire want everything for nothing and can't figure math to their advantage.
They can literally give theirself a raise they would be happy with by working an extra hour or two a week.
We are in total control of our time by a time clock app on our phones.
A hundred dollars a week raise is what I've been allowed without any complaints from a small amount of overtime.
I could get more if I could get my lazy butt to do it.
But that's 400 a month in any case and that isn't anything to sneeze at.
Plus from my diligence and abilities they gave me a truck to drive.
That in the long run is another pile of money I'm not having to spend.
Considering all the factors it adds up to around a thousand a month total with the small amount of overtime and not buying fuel.
Wear and tear on my own Truck and so on.

The bottom line is if you want everything given to you everybody else pays for it.
Including grocery prices restaurant food and housing.
If a person is in a position to do something about it and you don't then it's on themselves not me.

We have one guy at work that won't marry the girl he's with but keeps having babies to get more government help.
This is a common practice nowadays.
That in the long run means I and the rest of the honest working people pay for it yes in even our grocery prices by way of taxes.

[worth1]

I read Chipotle is doing away with a hack people discovered.
They basically buy a taco get a pile of free sides and a flour tortilla and build their own burrito for a little over 3 dollars or some such thing.
Not any more.

I do that at work.with the salad bar and the tortillas they have

I do it if I go to Bill Miller BBQ in my area.
I don't get the BBQ I get the fried chicken then get a giant pile of pico de gallo and free rolls.

[Julianna]

I read Chipotle is doing away with a hack people discovered.
They basically buy a taco get a pile of free sides and a flour tortilla and build their own burrito for a little over 3 dollars or some such thing.
Not any more.

I do that at work.with the salad bar and the tortillas they have

I do it if I go to Bill Miller BBQ in my area.
I don't get the BBQ I get the fried chicken then get a giant pile of pico de gallo and free rolls.

My company has various employee dining rooms where they provide a salad bar, bread and some things like cold cuts and cheese and pb and jam, chips, sodas, water, coffee and tea, some desserts, cereal and milk, cup of ramen, and then a hot section that changes daily. Used to have a daily soup, some entrees, a vegetable, and then something else as a side, but they stopped soup since the shutdown. They have somehing vegetarian in the hot section, then usually chicken or fish, and beef or pork. Sometimes it is like tri tip or whatever, lasagna, chicken tenders, salmon every friday, etc. So it really isn't cheating . It is considered an employee benefit.

[worth1]

I read Chipotle is doing away with a hack people discovered.
They basically buy a taco get a pile of free sides and a flour tortilla and build their own burrito for a little over 3 dollars or some such thing.
Not any more.

I do that at work.with the salad bar and the tortillas they have

I do it if I go to Bill Miller BBQ in my area.
I don't get the BBQ I get the fried chicken then get a giant pile of pico de gallo and free rolls.

My company has various employee dining rooms where they provide a salad bar, bread and some things like cold cuts and cheese and pb and jam, chips, sodas, water, coffee and tea, some desserts, cereal and milk, cup of ramen, and then a hot section that changes daily. Used to have a daily soup, some entrees, a vegetable, and then something else as a side, but they stopped soup since the shutdown. They have somehing vegetarian in the hot section, then usually chicken or fish, and beef or pork. Sometimes it is like tri tip or whatever, lasagna, chicken tenders, salmon every friday, etc. So it really isn't cheating . It is considered an employee benefit.

You should see the new kitchen and dining facility at the new Apple computer complex I'm working at in Austin.
The kitchen alone makes my mouth water just thinking about all the stuff to cook with.

[Julianna]

You should see the new kitchen and dining facility at the new Apple computer complex I'm working at in Austin.
The kitchen alone makes my mouth water just thinking about all the stuff to cook with.

I have heard a lot about how they and places like Google look. Sounds amazing. The best stuff we get is they put.out the errors from the bake shop and leftovers from groups

[GoDawgs]

There is the possibility of a railroad workers strike as early as next week. If that happens, grocery prices will soar. On one hand workers want a 24% pay increase, more benefits, fair working hours. On the other hand the railroads have cut about 1/3 of employees within the past 6 years and are working the remaining ones to death to keep up. The government may have to step in. Details:

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/eco ... ion-a-day/

[worth1]

Here's a link that doesn't require you to sign up.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... OX_GE3U3Eo

I've been on call 24 7 for a month at a time and it sucks.
Just about the time you're getting ready to pull a big steak off the grill you get called.
You can't drink a beer or anything.
Woke up in the middle of the night.
You cant go out of town etc etc etc.
No compensation at all.

[worth1]

A couple of years ago there was around 14 billion dollars spent on a grocery app called buy now pay later.
Last year it was around 42 billion dollars.
Just as I suspected people are going into debt to buy food..
Nothing good can come out of this.

[slugworth]

coffee cans are down to 9.6oz now

[worth1]

There's no disguising the price of A1 Sauce.
Its now $5.85 for a 15 oz bottle.
This is a key ingredient in one of my spaghetti sauces with meat in it..

[worth1]

I went through the grocery store today faster than drunken sailor can spend their paycheck.
It still cost me a little over $100.
Two gallons of wine for drinking and cooking.
5 pounds of ground chuck.
Big sack of cat food.
I broke down and bought the first 12 pack of beer in over 12 months and it cost $14.98.
It was Shiner Sea salt and lime, just had to have it.
Plus a few other odds and ends like onions and potatoes.
There was about 10 items on the list and went through the express lane.
I knew it would be a hundred bucks because I mentally calculate cost as I shop.
But really?
But on the bright side at least I'm still saving money cooking at home.
A hundred bucks won't buy 10 hamburgers with fries and drinks.

[karstopography]

@worth1 how’s the Shiner sea salt and lime? I love a cold Pacifico or Sol dressed with lime and salt after mowing the yard on a hot day. That’s generally the first thing I do after hopping off the mower is suck down one of those salty beers dressed. Sol longnecks are 11.2 ounces, which is a little sneaky, but they do run a little cheaper than the Pacifico. Victoria is too sweet and doesn’t have enough of an alcohol taste at 4% ABV. Corona is alright once it’s dressed up. Never been a Tecate fan. Dos XX lager, definitely not a fan.

I’ve had the Bud Lights with lime or the Michelob ultra with lime, but the fall well short of the cut fresh limes and flaky sea salt or tajin dressed Mexican lagers.

Btw, limes are dirt cheap lately, 10 cents per lime the other day at Aldi. I think HEB wasn’t much more.

[worth1]

@karstopography
If memory serves me they are pretty good but I always drink beer from a glass so that might have something to do with it.
It's been well over a year since I had one.
I helped a lady put her two cases of beer on the belt yesterday at the store.
Didn't even ask just did it.
She was surprised but delighted.

[worth1]

It's 7:30 on a Sunday morning and I poured a glass of the sea salt and lime beer.
It's good for man and beast alike.
Very refreshing and flavorful.
I have no problem drinking a beer this early in the morning.
I've always said a person that drinks by the clock has a problem.
Besides I've been up since 3:45 and have already had two cups of coffee.

[GoDawgs]

There's no disguising the price of A1 Sauce.
Its now $5.85 for a 15 oz bottle.
This is a key ingredient in one of my spaghetti sauces with meat in it..

I use A-1 in all my burgers, meatloaf, meatballs, etc. The local IGA had the 10 oz bottle on sale for $3.50 last week and I happened to have a $1 off coupon for that size. A double savings, which doesn't happen very often around here!

This week they had a "Friday through Sunday only" sale on a few things, one of which was a ten pound bag of frozen chicken wings for $20 so I got one. I haven't seen chicken wings for $2/lb in ages. Although I usually buy fresh wings, these will do as I haven't had wings in a good while. I refuse to pay $3.50-$4-something a pound for wings. Since they're already cut into flats and drums I need to repackage them into meal-for-two packs.

[pepperhead212]

There were some things out there in lidl today that surprised me - both higher, and lower prices. Like Aldi, cream cheese had skyrocketed - $1.99/8 oz, while it was 69¢ last year. Butter also way too high, yet most of the regular cheeses hadn't gone up, and a few were on sale. The main thing I went there for was the "Greek Festival", when they have a bunch of things really cheap, and today I got something I hadn't seen there before - some greek EVOO, and it was delicious, when I opened one. It was 3.99/500 ml, and in a white bottle, to keep the light out. Same price the "better" oil (that I usually use in salads, and other lightly cooked food) used to be at lidl or Aldi, but that has gone up at least $1. They also have those oily Greek olives - only 1.99/8 oz, while if you could find them elsewhere, they might be $8-10/lb. And that kalamata olive paste, down to 99¢/6.3 oz, and is even stronger than the stuff I've made. And the cheapest thing I found, unexpectedly, was the dried black beans for $1/lb - had to buy 10, but that was no problem for me! I was down to maybe 3 c of black beans, and the canned beans still aren't coming down.

As usual, you can find some things cheap, if you look around, and pass up those things that keep going up!

[Tormahto]

Dried black beans were .92/lb, here, a few months ago, with packages collecting dust. For years, I was likely one of only a few people in town who cooked with dried beans, as most people likely used canned. Now, most dried beans are 1.50 to 3.00 (limas) a pound, and are somewhat being purchased (no more dust).

Today will be my first day, in several months, of going to the lowest cost supermarket in town. I'll likely be in shock at the prices of eggs, potatoes, and who knows what. I'll have to look out for shrinkflation, too.

[pepperhead212]

The cheapest I have seen black beans in years around here was $1.29/lb, and recently the rest of the beans were going up, some well over $2/lb. That's why I haven't renewed my supply of a few of them - I don't need them that badly! The different lentils in the Indian markets changed from 8 to 7 lb bags, at the same price - still only $7.99, so not bad.