I've always saved and taken our aluminum cans in for recycling, long before our economy turned sour. But I've never seen the place I go to turn in the cans as busy as it was last weekend.
Usually when I turn into the parking lot of Clovis Recycling, there might be one or two cars ahead of me. Last Saturday there were at least eight or nine vehicles stacked two rows deep, waiting to turn empty cans and bottles into hard cash.
And a couple of weeks before, at the Salvation Army retail store in Clovis, I overheard a mom and her son browsing racks of clothing. "Mom, this shirt's been here more than a week." The significance of that? Usually, articles of clothing sell for $2 to $5 a piece, a great bargain in my book. But once donated articles of clothing have been hanging around for more than a week, clerks discount them automatically 70% to keep the merchandise rotating.
And have you noticed how packaging sizes keep changing in the grocery stores? Pasta used to be pretty standard in 1-lb. bags. Now many of the noodles are sold in 12-ounce bags -- at about the same price as the 1-lb. bag used to be. And last week when I was looking for the 30-pack of flour tortillas that I usually buy, I couldn't find it. Biggest pack I could find was a 24-pack, of course, at about the 30-pack price.
What else have you noticed?
Those cereal boxes are getting thinner and thinner but no drop in price. I look for bargains at Grocery Outlet but always check the dates.
What else have you noticed?
Well, there's the increasing numbers of empty stores, nearly empty airport terminals, and vacant houses in our neighborhood that have been on the market for, like, forever it seems.
But what's up with those grocery prices? Almost everything else is coming down - housing, fuel, cars, clothes - so why are food prices still so high?
How about Pepsi products? No more 12 packs. They've gone to 8 packs. The price is cheaper per pack but more expensive per can.
Ice cream also. Used to be half gallons. Now they're about 3 pints (I think).
Another brilliant observation by "Nurse Lisa"...about two to three months behind.Am I that "Cutting Edge"?
They've talked a lot about this on various shows like TODAY on NBC. No one wants higher prices so manufacturers slightly reduce the packaging and keep the price the same. It's marketing genius really if you want to look at it that way. It's not good for the consumer, but they've got to do something.
I find the layout of a supermarket rather smart as well. When you walk in the door you're usually greeted with something pleasant like the bakery or flowers. Something enticing. Bakeries make you hungry and you spend more when you're hungry. The store we shop at, SaveMart, not only has the bakery inside the door, but has precooked roasted whole chickens sitting in a hot display ready to go for about $6.50. They smell great and I want one every time I walk in.
And you'll always find the staples at the back like milk, bread, eggs and meats, etc. so you have to pass through the aisles to get there. And things you don't need which are impulse buys are at the check-out, and you tend to buy more of that stuff the longer you wait in line. Nutritionists will always point out to shop the peripheral areas of the store like produce, fresh meats and dairy, and stay away from the interior portion where the processed foods are.
Vendors pay more to have their products on the end caps too. Because items sell better on the end caps because they seem like they're on sale even when they aren't.
Another interesting tidbit...those "Heart Healthy" logos on packaging aren't necessarily the end-all to the story. Companies pay to have that on their product.
You can read more about that here.
Ok...I've rambled on. I hope others find this all as interesting as I do. I hope I didn't hijack the thread.
Brian...anything constructive? Or do you just hate life and everyone in it?
They are either shrinking the amount or slightly raising the prices of products, with the added bonus of "Improved" added to it. I have thought about this situation and figure that it's due to a combination of things: The price of the raw materials and wages went up, so prices have to reflect the cost. This is passed on to the consumer, who also may have benefited from raise at work. That's my thinking.
NO BACON WITH MOUSE GENES FOR ME!
Reduction of content in food packages for the price of the previously greater content, had been cited in the various posts. It started with coffee a couple of years back. I buy coffee only on sale, or the brands that still pack the full three ponds.
Today I learned (from a most reliable publication) that the Food and Drug Administration has no plans to require the labeling of meat (soon on the market) from genetically engineered or cloned animals 'even genes from another species such as mouse genes....for example in pork chops. No more pork for me because the thought alone nauseates me. I hope there shall be meat producers who shall raise normal animals for meat consumption.
And if anyone is wondering as to why the great trade deficit in ag products? Many Countries do not allow American genetically engineered food to be imported. Since the US government does not ask for labeling, probably most ag exports shall stop to those countries. I happen to know for fact, that most EU people refuse to consume anything that has been genetically engineered. Some places are stricter than others. The city of my birth and residence of my relatives, allows milk labeled "Baby Milk" to be sold only on the same day of being bottled. And there are never any left over bottles on the shelf. Only recently, there was a mega money loss in tomatoes from Holland. The EU consumers refused to buy them. (My sister in law told me why, but I forgot.)
And if Americans are unhappy with their food supply, quality-wise,and/or price-wise....rediscover the Spirtit of 76.
half loaves of bread too! geez
I'll get worried when dumpster diving is common among soccar Moms.
"Scooter"...NPR,The Today Show?Sorry,nothing constructive to add...you're too far gone.
The simple truth of what appears on the shelves at our local supermarkets is dictated by what is purchased. If we do not like having products repackaged into smaller amounts and sold at the same price do not buy them. This is a tough thing to live up to but if you really don't like something don't buy it. Find a different product or brand and purchase that even if you pay 25 cents more for it.
Most all modern grocery stores, SaveMart included, have the price per item posted on the shelf sticker. Easy way to know if you are getting a good price per item. Of course, the sticker does not reflect sale prices so you must do the math yourself when comparing 2 sale items. My cell phone has a calc feature but usually it's not a difficult task to figure out which is the better bargain.
Another tip is to purcase extra seasonal items like butter during Thanksgiving week or Christmas week and freezing it. My mother-in-law used to buy extra milk and freeze it when milk was sold in mostly paper containers. We would pull one out and stick it in the refrig and by morning it was ready for cereal.
Also, when you purchase items that are heavily advertised on TV and print ads you are paying for those ads. Well, because the ads worked, right? Those huge corporate producers of what is loosely called food will produce what sells.
Remember when mom made meatloaf, mashed potatoes and veggies? I buy bags of flash frozen chicken breasts and defrost 3 in the refrig during the day while we are at work/school and swap the meatloaf with grilled chicken. Yea, if we buy and eat more like mom cooked we will live healthier and it costs less.