Is anyone else noticing lower food prices at the grocery store?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
You're definitely not alone in noticing high grocery prices! Grocery prices are definitely up. Inflation and supply chain issues are contributing to higher costs across the board.
Some stores might be lowering prices on certain items. This could be to stay competitive or to clear out older inventory. But overall, the trend is upward.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I’ve noticed a change in the quality of produce here too.

Much of the produce seems to be larger or damaged in some way, more of a institutional/utility grade.

I think the turnover/demand has slowed and the stores are keeping things on the shelf longer.

IMO it’s a sign of the times as people continue to tighten their belts and shop for the basics.

The local farmers market and flea market still offer good value but often times the quantity is too much for me.

I’ve been buying more basic frozen vegetables and freezing small quantities of onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc… to be used in casseroles, soups, etc…

I’m able to adapt but I feel bad for families that have to choose between highly processed fill-em-up foods and more nutritious fruits, vegetables, etc…
Click to expand...

I read last night that one reason Americans are tightening their belts is because they got a little credit-card happy post pandemic, spending on credit for things they wanted, but didn't necessarily need. Now, people are getting nervous about their credit-card debt.

According to what I read, people are still spending at a healthy clip, which is good for the economy, but spending more on needs, and less on wants. Basically, spending smarter.

Target and Walmart are both promoting sale pricing on thousands of items, as a result of people choosing to spend less on the things they were buying a year ago.

I also read this morning that if today's jobs report is positive, but not too positive, that the FED may feel more comfortable about easing interest rates. As I mentioned before, one reason for inflation is the record low unemployment rates we've seen over the last few years, with 28 straight months of job growth (that hasn't happened in more than 70 years). Companies are having to spend more money to hire the workers they need to meet the demands for labor.

CD
 
caseydog said:
I read last night that one reason Americans are tightening their belts is because they got a little credit-card happy post pandemic, spending on credit for things they wanted, but didn't necessarily need. Now, people are getting nervous about their credit-card debt.

According to what I read, people are still spending at a healthy clip, which is good for the economy, but spending more on needs, and less on wants. Basically, spending smarter.

Target and Walmart are both promoting sale pricing on thousands of items, as a result of people choosing to spend less on the things they were buying a year ago.

I also read this morning that if today's jobs report is positive, but not too positive, that the FED may feel more comfortable about easing interest rates. As I mentioned before, one reason for inflation is the record low unemployment rates we've seen over the last few years, with 28 straight months of job growth (that hasn't happened in more than 70 years). Companies are having to spend more money to hire the workers they need to meet the demands for labor.

CD
Click to expand...
The tight labor market and record profits are causing more companies to invest in technology that will allow them to operate and increase productivity with fewer people.

I’ll be sad to see interest rates drop, in the short term, because I have no debt and rely on interest and dividend income.

If interest rates do come down it will help to fuel another surge in the stock market which will be good news for investors.

Unfortunately for the average working stiff it’s always going to be blue jeans and beans no matter what the economy does.

“If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” - Warren Buffett​

 
caseydog said:
I read last night that one reason Americans are tightening their belts is because they got a little credit-card happy post pandemic, spending on credit for things they wanted, but didn't necessarily need. Now, people are getting nervous about their credit-card debt.

According to what I read, people are still spending at a healthy clip, which is good for the economy, but spending more on needs, and less on wants. Basically, spending smarter.

Target and Walmart are both promoting sale pricing on thousands of items, as a result of people choosing to spend less on the things they were buying a year ago.

I also read this morning that if today's jobs report is positive, but not too positive, that the FED may feel more comfortable about easing interest rates. As I mentioned before, one reason for inflation is the record low unemployment rates we've seen over the last few years, with 28 straight months of job growth (that hasn't happened in more than 70 years). Companies are having to spend more money to hire the workers they need to meet the demands for labor.

CD
Click to expand...
Yes, and now because of higher prices and people claiming their paychecks aren't covering all of the bills (not to mention savings accounts are being depleted from folks having to dip into them for necessities) credit card debt is apparently the highest it's been since who knows when (I'd have to look that up) because people are having to resort to using their CC's for things they need rather than for things they want. Some people are even using their CC's to pay bills.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is beyond ridiculous. We're getting killed out here. My life savings is dying on the vine. And because I use ALL of my monthly salary to pay bills, I'm not able to put anything back.
 
Linda0818 said:
Yes, and now because of higher prices and people claiming their paychecks aren't covering all of the bills (not to mention savings accounts are being depleted from folks having to dip into them for necessities) credit card debt is apparently the highest it's been since who knows when (I'd have to look that up) because people are having to resort to using their CC's for things they need rather than for things they want. Some people are even using their CC's to pay bills.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is beyond ridiculous. We're getting killed out here. My life savings is dying on the vine. And because I use ALL of my monthly salary to pay bills, I'm not able to put anything back.
Click to expand...

That doesn't make sense to me. Overall, the economy is strong, jobs are plentiful, incomes are increasing, and the stock market is hitting new records almost every month -- my portfolio is up a good 20% over where it was 5 years ago, and I am a very conservative investor. If your savings are dying on the vine, you need to re-evaluate your investments.

Above normal inflation is the only lingering issue, but it is not so bad that people should need to use credit to buy necessities, like groceries, if they are shopping wisely. Perhaps we have different ideas of what "necessities" are? There are signs of improvement, but I think it is going to be sometime in 2025 before inflation is completely back to normal.

For political reasons, there are some groups of people who want us to think the economy is in shambles, but they promote "alternative facts" when the real facts don't suit their goals. The real facts say the economy is in pretty good shape, overall.

BTW, I graduated from college in 1983, during the Reagan Recession -- 8.3% unemployment (compared to 3.9% now). It took me about a year working in a camera store before I scored a really good job. I bought my first home in 1986, and my mortgage interest rate was 8.25%, which is two percent higher than current mortgage interest rates where I live. Then there was the "Great Recession" that started in 2007. That one was a doozy.

I'll take the current economy over those two any time.

CD
 
Last edited:
Investopedia: Core inflation is the change in the costs of goods and services but does not include those from the food and energy sectors. Food and energy prices are exempt from this calculation because their prices can be too volatile or fluctuate wildly.

Cauliflower was going for $6/head, last week it was $1/head. That is wild.

It's too bad they don't include the cost of manufactured food in the inflation rate since manufactured food makes up 80% or more of the grocery stores.
 
caseydog said:
That doesn't make sense to me. Overall, the economy is strong, jobs are plentiful, incomes are increasing, and the stock market is hitting new records almost every month -- my portfolio is up a good 20% over where it was 5 years ago, and I am a very conservative investor. If your savings are dying on the vine, you need to re-evaluate your investments.

Above normal inflation is the only lingering issue, but it is not so bad that people should need to use credit to buy necessities, like groceries, if they are shopping wisely. Perhaps we have different ideas of what "necessities" are? There are signs of improvement, but I think it is going to be sometime in 2025 before inflation is completely back to normal.

For political reasons, there are some groups of people who want us to think the economy is in shambles, but they promote "alternative facts" when the real facts don't suit their goals. The real facts say the economy is in pretty good shape, overall.

BTW, I graduated from college in 1983, during the Reagan Recession -- 8.3% unemployment (compared to 3.9% now). It took me about a year working in a camera store before I scored a really good job. I bought my first home in 1986, and my mortgage interest rate was 8.25%, which is two percent higher than current mortgage interest rates where I live. Then there was the "Great Recession" that started in 2007. That one was a doozy.

I'll take the current economy over those two any time.

CD
Click to expand...
Well, I'm feeling it much differently. I suppose it depends on salary/household income, that sort of thing. But I'm not a financial wizard, nor am I a financial advisor. I'm just stating what I'm hearing reported. And it's an apparent fact that credit card debt is at an all time high and that people are using credit for things they don't really want to use it for (buying necessities, paying bills, etc).

My CC rates are higher than they've ever been and more taxes are being taken from my paychecks (not to mention I'm getting back way less on my tax returns than I used to). That's just my personal experience.
 
We're "... back in the islands..." (there's a song with those lyrics written by Henry Kapono, I'll find it for you) and you wan to talk about sticker shock?
The grocery cost here on Oahu, Hawaii is DOUBLE and then some on all items.
Off topic ...
I found it...
This video was filmed here I'm from!
 
This morning I read this article on BBC World News, which claims that Loblaws in Canada is charging a lot for groceries. It's a long article, but quite interesting and at the end there is a comparison between UK/US/Canada for some specific food items.

www.bbc.co.uk

Loblaw: Why Canadians are angry with their biggest supermarket

Food prices, including a $40 chicken, has stoked fury and calls for big foreign supermarket chains to come to Canada.
www.bbc.co.uk
 
Kaneohegirlinaz said:
We're "... back in the islands..." (there's a song with those lyrics written by Henry Kapono, I'll find it for you) and you wan to talk about sticker shock?
The grocery cost here on Oahu, Hawaii is DOUBLE and then some on all items.
Off topic ...
I found it...
This video was filmed here I'm from!
Click to expand...

Nothing new about that, though. Everything has been ridiculously expensive in Hawaii for a long time. Isn't that why you left?

CD
 
Most of my friends are boycotting Loblaws stores, that includes Provigo, Maxi, Shopper's Drugmart/Pharmaprix and whole bunch of other stores that don't come to mind.
 
I think the psychological reasons for how some people feel about the current economy, and credit card debt, is interesting. I keep reading about young people who think nothing of spending $20 for delivery of some chicken pho when they're sick, for example.

When Americans spent months—or years—not incurring the costs of commuting, vacations, dining out and other activities, those expectations gradually shifted. “People adjusted to having lower levels of expenses. People may have adjusted to having more slack in their budgets,” Sussman says. “I think it’s likely that people didn’t have to be tracking their budgets as carefully because they were not spending their budgets on so many levels.”

In addition, technological advances like digital wallets and contactless payments make it easier than ever to buy on credit without even having to pull a card out of your wallet. These conveniences can obscure how much we’re spending even as our purchasing patterns have largely reverted to pre-pandemic norms, according to Sussman.

“At the margin, that leads people to spend more, because it’s easy to spend without paying attention to the amount,” she says.
Click to expand...
time.com

Why Credit Card Debt Is So High Right Now

Inflation has helped drive credit card debt higher, but there are ways to start chipping away at your balance that feel manageable.
time.com time.com

We've been married for almost 40 years and have almost always paid off our credit card bills every month. That doesn't seem to be so common anymore.
 
GotGarlic said:
I think the psychological reasons for how some people feel about the current economy, and credit card debt, is interesting. I keep reading about young people who think nothing of spending $20 for delivery of some chicken pho when they're sick, for example.


time.com

Why Credit Card Debt Is So High Right Now

Inflation has helped drive credit card debt higher, but there are ways to start chipping away at your balance that feel manageable.
time.com time.com

We've been married for almost 40 years and have almost always paid off our credit card bills every month. That doesn't seem to be so common anymore.
Click to expand...

That brings up another way people waste money... having food delivered. I saw a neighbor having Popeyes fried chicken delivered to their home. Fast food! The restaurant is 1.8 miles away according to Google Maps, and they have a drive through.

CD
 
caseydog said:
Nothing new about that, though. Everything has been ridiculously expensive in Hawaii for a long time. Isn't that why you left?

CD
Click to expand...
Yes @caseydog that's one of the reasons that we left, EVERYTHING here in Hawaii is ridiculously priced, homes, taxes, gasoline, utilities ... basically life. No, we'll just visit now and again.
 
caseydog said:
That brings up another way people waste money... having food delivered. I saw a neighbor having Popeyes fried chicken delivered to their home. Fast food! The restaurant is 1.8 miles away according to Google Maps, and they have a drive through.

CD
Click to expand...
It can depend on the situation. Yes, some people have food delivered out of pure laziness or simply not wanting to go out to pick it up. In other words, for the convenience. But some people have food delivered because maybe they're sick, maybe they're disabled, maybe they're elderly and/or don't drive, etc. If your neighbor is not elderly or disabled, it's possible they're not well and didn't feel like going out. Or heck, could be something as simple as a broken down car or not having enough gas in their car and they didn't feel like hitting up the gas station first.

There are many reasons people pay extra to have food delivered. Could be just because they felt like it.
 
Linda0818 said:
It can depend on the situation. Yes, some people have food delivered out of pure laziness or simply not wanting to go out to pick it up. In other words, for the convenience. But some people have food delivered because maybe they're sick, maybe they're disabled, maybe they're elderly and/or don't drive, etc. If your neighbor is not elderly or disabled, it's possible they're not well and didn't feel like going out. Or heck, could be something as simple as a broken down car or not having enough gas in their car and they didn't feel like hitting up the gas station first.

There are many reasons people pay extra to have food delivered. Could be just because they felt like it.
Click to expand...
All absolutely true. But 10 years ago, they would have found another solution and saved the extra money. Things like this slide from an occasional treat to "I just didn't feel like going out" and the next thing you know, you think of it as a necessity and have more credit card debt than ever before.
 
GotGarlic said:
All absolutely true. But 10 years ago, they would have found another solution and saved the extra money. Things like this slide from an occasional treat to "I just didn't feel like going out" and the next thing you know, you think of it as a necessity and have more credit card debt than ever before.
Click to expand...
Well, 10 years ago people just cooked from home. In fact, that's what I do. The absolute only time I pay to have food delivered is when I order pizza. And I don't do that very often anymore either because just the cost of pizza delivery has gone up so high that I can't really afford it now.

For example, Domino's delivery used to be $2.99. Now it's $5.99. And that's not including the tip. More often than not, I make homemade pizzas or buy frozen ones when they're on sale.
 
Linda0818 said:
It can depend on the situation. Yes, some people have food delivered out of pure laziness or simply not wanting to go out to pick it up. In other words, for the convenience. But some people have food delivered because maybe they're sick, maybe they're disabled, maybe they're elderly and/or don't drive, etc. If your neighbor is not elderly or disabled, it's possible they're not well and didn't feel like going out. Or heck, could be something as simple as a broken down car or not having enough gas in their car and they didn't feel like hitting up the gas station first.

There are many reasons people pay extra to have food delivered. Could be just because they felt like it.
Click to expand...

These particular neighbors get food deliveries a lot, but usually not fast food. They also get Amazon deliveries just about every day. I have a feeling there are a pretty fair number of people who do that. Not an illness thing. Not many broken cars in my neighborhood, either. Their kid drives a Lexus to High School. Mom has a BMW, and dad has a $60,000+ Ford pickup.

I would imagine a lot of people got into the habit of food delivery during the pandemic.

CD
 
caseydog said:
These particular neighbors get food deliveries a lot, but usually not fast food. They also get Amazon deliveries just about every day. I have a feeling there are a pretty fair number of people who do that. Not an illness thing. Not many broken cars in my neighborhood, either. Their kid drives a Lexus to High School. Mom has a BMW, and dad has a $60,000+ Ford pickup.

I would imagine a lot of people got into the habit of food delivery during the pandemic.

CD
Click to expand...
Sounds like they can afford it then. I have neighbors who do the same thing. It's personally not my business.

I agree that the pandemic has conditioned people to these habits.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Fried Corn Corn On The Cob Kernels;
Replies
9
Views
300
Roxy15
R
Linda0818
Help with finding an easy Spanish dish
2
Replies
34
Views
1K
jennyema
jennyema
Andy M.
Cheese Storage
Replies
19
Views
1K
dragnlaw
dragnlaw
B
Bratwurst vs pork sausage in toad in the hole?
Replies
12
Views
525
dragnlaw
dragnlaw
caseydog
Friday March 22, 2024... Is it to late for chili?
Replies
10
Views
844
Cooking Goddess
Cooking Goddess

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom