Grocery Check

I went grocery shopping a few days ago. I had to laugh.
The prices are ridiculous.

A six pack of soda $8.
I saw a normal spiral ham, medium sized, it was $79
Bacon $9
Eggs were 6-9 depending on type.
Dog food is insane so we are making our own now.
Veggies and fruit were all up across the board except for oranges, they were 5 for $5
Things like spices, coffee and tea are going up exponentially.

Milk and butter are pretty reasonable here as we are the dairy state.
There was a display of apples, and the organic ones were on the top of the “pyramid” and I’m short so it’s hard to reach.
I had to really lean in there. That’s when I noticed I was being watched.
I noticed this guy following me through the store. I’m sure it was loss patrol, I was about to stop him and say I was the one being robbed!

I bring all that up, but luckily my family is mature and able to handle the costs. I just think about young people, or a young family. How the heck are they surviving? I think about a family struggling with a lot of kids. This has to be a nightmare.
The ones that make to much for assistance, but not enough through their pay.

Rates are going up again next week and that’s bad news for those putting groceries on credit.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Yes, it's bad across the board. Had to laugh at local restaurant special. $30.00 a plate for 4 Oz filet mignon.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Depending where you in Europe. Europe had placed sanctions, price oil cap agaisnt Russia.
These sanctions, price cap will hurt us more.

a reply to: JAGStorm

It's really odd because I haven't seen any price increases here at all. It makes no sense to me; that being said, we stock up for 6-month to 1-year situations. If anyone has the means and is not doing so, they need their head examined.

there may be a time not too far off where i will reminisce about the variety of goods that used to be offered at the store...so i stay positive that AT LEAST there is variety...but yeah, i've already been reminiscing prices

I will try and post some pictures here to show price differences of things I bought a few years ago and recently. Same products, same store. I am able to go to my online account and look at purchases all the way back to 2018 lol This is KROGER
2018 was in Colorado -- Present day is in Texas

First will be from 2018. Second from this year.









These are only a few examples. I cannot explain why some things really are not that much difference in price. HOWEVER, I have noticed some of the same things I buy are same in price, but smaller. Bacon is sometimes expensive (around $9-10) then sometimes, on sale for around $6. Two years ago, sale would be around $4.99

The things I do see up in prices are junk food - smaller packing but more expensive - chips, cookies, candy. But most of the staple items I buy have not gone up much since 2018n for me. And I buy the same name brands over and over. The eggs are a huge jump. I can buy locally, but it is not convenient. And I am picky about buying meat, dairy, veggies & fruit.

You can go to Kroger or even the newest grocery store by me called Fresh and look at prices online. I often compare the two first, before I go shopping. they are usually pretty similar.

As someone with a big family and who runs a Restaurant, it feels like all my money is going towards shopping. Not just grocery items but food packaging costs have gone up as well. Might have to start singing the beans and bananas song.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I'm a single guy with an 85 lb. dog. We go through about $400 in groceries a month.

I remember in the 90's, that would last us 2 weeks with 7 of us in the house when I was a teenager.

a reply to: shaemac

What an amazing visual of the price creep!!
The price of that ham I mentioned was shocking, almost 80 dollars and it wasn’t even big!



PS. i’m a super taster and those eggland best eggs always taste like fish to me. I wonder what is in the feed.

I won't be shopping at Kroger, IGA, Walmart, Publix stores anymore. I'd Rather pay a little more at a locally owned store instead of supporting national chains that charge to much so their stockholders can profit on others economic distress.

I am getting real tired of price whiplash anymore.
Within a week, prices can change multiple times & milk will vary from $2.75 to $3.95. eggs beat that by a lot, I about crapped myself the other day in Aldi -- $4.78 per dozen. And not even at least organic in general, that's steep for these parts.

Anything else is just stupid anymore. Name brand soda brands are averaging $3 per 2-liter, and don't get me started on the LOL Special that multipack prices are. IT'S JUST #ING SUGAR WATER.
Juices have also gone up, but not quite as stupidly as milk & soda. Local apple cider went up between $0.50 and a $1 a gallon to around a $5 average
I can live with that mark-up, thpugh, because it's not damn near double the old price like soda hikes went.

I'm also still seeing higher prices on impirted & out of state produce, but it's not horribly outlandish for some (all things considered)

Meat is weird still. Some weeks have normal pricing, other weeks go higher. We found boneless leg of lamb (guess what we're having for Christmas) for under $10 per lb ($7.49!)
And yet, there's beef tenderloin cuts going for $10.99 down the meat cooler. Lamb ALWAYS used to cost more than tenderloin!

a reply to: NautPsycho

if you hadn't yet opened your restaurant, and you knew what you now know, would you still start a restaurant?

a reply to: JAGStorm

It may seem strange but I watch "soft commodities" closely...

Like coffee for instance!

The price of coffee can tell you a lot about the market (It is the worlds second most traded product)!

Supply and demand factor in there...but also the ability to transport the coffee around the globe!

Oregon is rich in agriculture...but our vegetables, fruits, dairy products, etc...seem to stay just as high as anywhere else in the nation! I of course buy locally from local farmers and ranchers so I save a lot compared to the average grocery shopper!

Of course Oregon is a ulta-liberal state too...so many people here qualify for assistance (SNAP) and could really care little about the price of staying fed in these economic times! For those of us who don't (or won't)...the price of groceries is a huge concern! Like everything else...it won't be getting better anytime soon!

Around the area where I live there are constant food banks; at least once a week free huge boxes of food and produce are given out by St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation army, nearly every church, the community food banks, etc.

It may not be preferred brands, but if people have transportation they won't have to spend much to supplement what they get.

I expected things to get rough when the shortages hit back in early 2020, so I've made sure my chicken and cat food was stocked for a year in advance. When I open a bag, I order a replacement.

I'll be danged If I'm going without toilet paper....at least not for the next three years.

My daughter does my grocery shopping, and she says products seem to be hit and miss, with no rhyme or reason. The pet food aisle will be completely empty, except for one fully stocked brand; same with a lot of products. Only one or two brands will be on the shelves that usually hold a dozen or more different brands, like laundry and dish soap.

The next week it will be shortages in some other area, like vitamins, eye drops, aspirin, etc.

TBH, I do think they're trying to eliminate in-person shopping; online leaves a better tracking record with more control over how much a person is buying. I think they'll 'Twitter' the hoarders with fake 'sorry; this product is out of stock' messages.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: shaemac

What an amazing visual of the price creep!!
The price of that ham I mentioned was shocking, almost 80 dollars and it wasn’t even big!



PS. i’m a super taster and those eggland best eggs always taste like fish to me. I wonder what is in the feed.

I just find it weird how some prices have changed a lot and others not.
Also....eggs. Why are large eggs so small now. What are they doing different to the chickens?? I can never find LARGE anymore. I actually prefer the Happy Farm eggs (is that what they are called??) but they are always out of stock. I should buy more local - but that whole convenience thing ya know.

I went thru a bunch more but really not a lot of difference. Not enough to really mention. Butter sometimes is more. Sometimes same, sometimes on sale.

Oh, I did notice that soda is certainly more now. So seems junk food - the things most people live off of is the main thing that has gone up while made smaller. ??

originally posted by: olaru12
I won't be shopping at Kroger, IGA, Walmart, Publix stores anymore. I'd Rather pay a little more at a locally owned store instead of supporting national chains that charge to much so their stockholders can profit on others economic distress.

Sadly not an option for many.
However, I buy all my meat from a local butcher who buys all meat local here in TX.
The Fresh grocery store (a Brookshire co) has local produce and dairy - when it stock. Obviously, people buy that stuff up quick. Other than that- Im out in the country and I refuse to walk in to Walmart so options are limited.

a reply to: kittywrangler
Good question. I would because though the costs are up, it's a fun creative venture that pleases people. Still lucrative to some degree and exciting. Once I get better at menu management and get some additional help, it will be more worth it then it already is.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Bought my mom a 4lb boneless ribeye roast just last week for $27USD, per her request.

Sliced it up into 5 steaks, each about an inch thick, vacuum sealed them and delivered them to her frozen.

Five inch thick boneless ribeye steaks for less than $5.50 each.


When the going gets tough, the tough get....creative.

I don't see any food protests so I can only assume the vast majority of people are ok with the price increases. Maybe people's salaries have kept up?