President Biden has begun to accuse stores of overcharging shoppers, as food costs remain a burden for consumers and a political problem for the president.
I hate to be that guy, but actually it’s not just “greed” this time. There was millions of chickens that had to be culled due to a viral outbreak of Avian flu last season and we are just now seeing the effects of that. Don’t get me wrong greed does play a part, but the major contributing factor this time around for eggs is not greed, but the system rebounding from the outbreak. I know it’s trendy to say greed ruins everything (it can and does), but in this case it helps to have actual context to know what’s going on with the overall picture of things. The more you know, ya know.
I love to be this guy, but egg production barely dipped in comparison to the MASSIVE jumps in price. They pulled the exact same excuse a couple years back when prices jumped 6x or so. Tell me where on this chart was that price jump ever justified by anything other than greed: https://www.statista.com/statistics/196094/us-total-egg-production-since-2001/
If you’re not buying in bulk a lot, it’s not worth it. I’ve been tailgating on my mom’s membership for years and I don’t think I’d have one if it weren’t for that.
I just want to throw out there that Costco also has some weirder, niche services that may be more worth it to individuals, based on their individual lifestyle, such as travel booking, where the packages tend to be really cheap. They also used to have a freaking MORTGAGE SERVICE until 2022, presumably shut down because of the rate increases (I really, really hope they open back up when rates go down again…)
The optical department is worth the price of admission alone. I recently bought 2 sets of glasses, 1 regular with transition and 1 sunglasses with the bells and the whistles. Costco doesn’t charge extra or up sell for most of the add-ons, they are just part of the package. I paid $287 for those 2 pairs before my insurance reimbursed me. Not even accounting for the higher end frames, I would have probably paid $500+ for those 2 with all of the extras.
The pharmacy is worth it as well if you have meds that can be expensive. They can’t get everything cheaper but the ones they do are way less expensive than most other places.
Also for those who happen to live in states where ABC doesn’t control everything, Costco has Kirkland brand vodka and other alcohol that I’ve heard great things about (my state is an ABC state). For the alcohol and maybe the pharmacy you don’t have to have a membership, they escort you to the alcohol and then through checkout.
If you are willing and able to put out the extra cash to front load your food needs for awhile and are capable and willing to do the work to repack and freeze the large amount of food you get, you can find yourself with a lot of extra cash on hand with fewer visits to the store. These days Aldi, Lidl, Teeter, etc are mainly about little things we need day to day and Costco is our big shopping trip once every couple of weeks.
Costco is great… But not everything works best when bought in bulk, and not everything freezes well. Eggs for instance, most people probably aren’t going to go through 72 eggs in a reasonable timeframe. But it’s great for shelf stable items and things you use a lot of.
Yes it is cheaper per unit because you’re buying a larger quantity, but nearly every item is going to be $20+. This also assumes that you can afford the membership cost and the up front budget to be able to start to build that bulk stock, and that you have room for holding that bulk stock at home,
These are things that many people take for granted with so many more people living paycheck to paycheck now with increases in so many other costs now as well.
Eggs are again steadily rising in price. Wal-Mart “great value” prices isn’t all that ‘great’ to begin with, with most of it’s products.
But can we stop calling things inflation? Call it for what it really has been - G-R-E-E-D
This one can still be pinned on poultry farming greed, but it’s not a pure price gouge.
Avian flu devastates California’s poultry farms as new wave of outbreaks roils industry
I hate to be that guy, but actually it’s not just “greed” this time. There was millions of chickens that had to be culled due to a viral outbreak of Avian flu last season and we are just now seeing the effects of that. Don’t get me wrong greed does play a part, but the major contributing factor this time around for eggs is not greed, but the system rebounding from the outbreak. I know it’s trendy to say greed ruins everything (it can and does), but in this case it helps to have actual context to know what’s going on with the overall picture of things. The more you know, ya know.
https://www.gro-intelligence.com/insights/us-egg-prices-jump-amid-deadly-surge-in-avian-flu
I love to be this guy, but egg production barely dipped in comparison to the MASSIVE jumps in price. They pulled the exact same excuse a couple years back when prices jumped 6x or so. Tell me where on this chart was that price jump ever justified by anything other than greed: https://www.statista.com/statistics/196094/us-total-egg-production-since-2001/
Let me preach about the holy sites known as Costco stores.
Also look for locally sourced eggs and meat, dairy, etc. You can probably find some small farms that sell direct to consumer.
After hearing so many people singing their praises, I finally got a membership.
I used it precisely once. Their prices really were not very good on 90% of what I looked at. Plus they really encourage overconsumption.
Aldi ends up being more convenient and generally cheaper for groceries for me.
I’m not trying to yuck your yum, I just wanted to express an unimpressed opinion for other fencesitters.
If you’re not buying in bulk a lot, it’s not worth it. I’ve been tailgating on my mom’s membership for years and I don’t think I’d have one if it weren’t for that.
I just want to throw out there that Costco also has some weirder, niche services that may be more worth it to individuals, based on their individual lifestyle, such as travel booking, where the packages tend to be really cheap. They also used to have a freaking MORTGAGE SERVICE until 2022, presumably shut down because of the rate increases (I really, really hope they open back up when rates go down again…)
The optical department is worth the price of admission alone. I recently bought 2 sets of glasses, 1 regular with transition and 1 sunglasses with the bells and the whistles. Costco doesn’t charge extra or up sell for most of the add-ons, they are just part of the package. I paid $287 for those 2 pairs before my insurance reimbursed me. Not even accounting for the higher end frames, I would have probably paid $500+ for those 2 with all of the extras.
The pharmacy is worth it as well if you have meds that can be expensive. They can’t get everything cheaper but the ones they do are way less expensive than most other places.
Also for those who happen to live in states where ABC doesn’t control everything, Costco has Kirkland brand vodka and other alcohol that I’ve heard great things about (my state is an ABC state). For the alcohol and maybe the pharmacy you don’t have to have a membership, they escort you to the alcohol and then through checkout.
If you are willing and able to put out the extra cash to front load your food needs for awhile and are capable and willing to do the work to repack and freeze the large amount of food you get, you can find yourself with a lot of extra cash on hand with fewer visits to the store. These days Aldi, Lidl, Teeter, etc are mainly about little things we need day to day and Costco is our big shopping trip once every couple of weeks.
Costco is great… But not everything works best when bought in bulk, and not everything freezes well. Eggs for instance, most people probably aren’t going to go through 72 eggs in a reasonable timeframe. But it’s great for shelf stable items and things you use a lot of.
Yes it is cheaper per unit because you’re buying a larger quantity, but nearly every item is going to be $20+. This also assumes that you can afford the membership cost and the up front budget to be able to start to build that bulk stock, and that you have room for holding that bulk stock at home,
These are things that many people take for granted with so many more people living paycheck to paycheck now with increases in so many other costs now as well.
I bought a giant can of powdered eggs, i love it; you just have to add water, no dealing with shells or fluctuating prices