We stopped by Walmart the other day and next to the front door was a freezer full of bagged ice. You know the ones you always see at gas stations? Well anyway I had to do a double take because as I walked by I thought the sign with the price on it couldn’t possibly be right.
$4.58 for a bag of ice? Are you kidding me? It’s true, people. 7 pounds {wasn’t it always 10, or 20 pounds before!?} of ice is now selling for $4.58. I was shocked!!!
Isn’t Walmart supposed to be a place known for their decent prices? HA HA HA. Umm no.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s just me, getting old and remembering what stores used to charge for things… And other times I’m like, c’mon man, are you for real? Who on earth is paying $4.58 for a bag of ice? And a small bag at that!
But, as you can see, the freezer was half empty, so someone is spending a small fortune to fill their cooler. Talk about shrinkflation AND inflation at its finest.
But still… Don’t you think the price is a bit high? I think the last time I bought a bag of ice it was $.99. And that was for a normal sized bag! Maybe that nugget ice machine I spotted a few months ago wasn’t such a bad deal after all?
~Mavis
Cheryl says
You need to get out and shop more. Everything is expensive.
Cindy R says
A lot of McDonalds sell bagged ice if you ask. It is not on their menu. For a bag of 8-10 pound ice it had been running about $1.50 a bag. Not sure if they have increased their price.
Tiffany F says
Our McDonalds in Southwest Virginia still sells it for $1.50 a bag. The one closest to my house always has it advertised on their sign by the road. You can get it at Sonic also for the same price, I think.
Amber says
I was just telling my young adult son that the ice bagging position he had as his first job in high school (2019) now pays $23 an hour! I wonder how much his lunch time bags of Doritos cost then compared to now?
Peg says
Walmart is far from reasonably priced for anything! My husband had his ankle fused last summer, and just a few days before his surgery, our fridge’s ice maker broke. He had to use an ankle cyro cuff 24/7 for several days. We spent a small fortune on ice, but I bought almost all of it at a local liquor store. Believe me, I checked for the best price.
Andrea H says
How I miss the good old days when we could get a 10-lb bag of ice at the 99 Cents Only store! And now, they’re out of business. I think we paid $3.29 for ice at Walmart in Galveston last summer, and thought that was high. I was just commenting to my husband this past weekend that I don’t know how families are doing it right now. Everything is just so, so high, even here in Dallas where we have a really competitive grocery market. You know it’s gotten crazy when even Walmart is so overpriced!
Sue says
Even Walmart is not the bargain it used to be. I’ve found many things to be just as pricy as a regular grocery. Keto bread, for example, is just as expensive as anywhere else. The only saving grace is that it’s more reliably in stock at Walmart than other stores.
And yes, almost $5 for a bag of ice is ridiculous. But if your icemaker is out and need it, you’re stuck. For me, that money is worth the aggravation of ice cube trays. When you’re the only one who “sees” the empty trays, it gets old super fast.
Jennifer says
Graduation weekend in a lake community on a Saturday morning. We needed 2 bags and every store for 5 miles was out. Guess who else sells ice? McDonald’s and it was $2.19 for an 8# bag!! Idk if y’all have them in ME but down here in the South, we have Twice the Ice, self contained, self serve ice machine. Here in our suburb of Charlotte, you can get a 16# bag or 20# loose for $2.50. We’ve seen then in NC, SC, GA and TN and the first one we saw was in 2005. It was $1 back then. Burger King also sells bags of ice.
Daisy says
Just want to point out the comment about working in the warehouse that bags ice. Yes, finally people are getting paid a decent wage!! Hope the employees have some benefits, too.
Connie L says
You think that’s expensive? Watch incoming prices on helium balloons.
Point is, everything is crazy. 😉
Welcome to 2024.
Jennifer says
I saw on my buy nothing group that someone was giving away their Mylar balloons that were slightly deflated but said you could at least reinforce with a straw. They were the huge number ones.
Susan says
As Daisy mentioned, I hope higher prices reflect more equitable wages and conditions. I bemoan the loss of a dozen eggs for a dollar as much as anyone, but there is no way that was the real cost and could be sustainable.
I work in downtown Boston and there was recently an article in the Globe about how you can’t get lunch for $10 anymore (more like $15-20 for a salad or sandwich). You could just complain, or recognize that remote and hybrid work schedules have wreaked havoc on restaurants, especially on Mondays and Fridays. Their Tuesday- Thursday sales are 80% prepandemic levels. Employment rates are high so finding workers is a challenge. Leases are higher. OF COURSE your meal price is going up! That doesn’t even factor in war in Ukraine (major wheat source) and elsewhere, climate change, supply chain challenges, etc.
It’s not as simple as just blaming a government or lamenting how “things used to be.” (Alas! I feel everyone’s pain, too!)
Sherry in Sumner says
Holy cow, Mavis, $4.58 for a 7-pound of ice is truly a ripoff.! Here in western Washington, I can still get a 10-pound of ice for $2.50 at Fred Meyer — a good deal compared to most other grocery stores. Most places only sell 7-pound bags and the cost comes out more expensive. I don’t have an ice maker and go through a lot of ice so buy 6 bags at a time. Like one of your readers said, Walmart is just as expensive as most grocery stores.
Patty says
We were in Vegas this past weekend and stopped on the street for two 20 oz. bottles of Pepsi-free. I thought we misheard the vender when she said $20 total. Nope, $10 each! Whew!
Mavis Butterfield says
That is insane!!!
Katherine says
A 7-pound bag of ice at my local Walmart is $1.98. I’m in NW Georgia.
Tracie says
20 pound bags of ice at my Walmart (in Virginia) are $3.82.
Mary says
Changes need to happen before it is too late. Prices are ridiculous & young families are not surviving.
Patti says
We have ice machines all over town (Twice As Nice) that is cheap ice. It is actually a way for the city water system to have ice available in case of an emergency. But you can buy ice from places like Sonic restaurants. If you are a non-profit, ask restaurants to provide ice -most will. If it is for our own use, we save water in milk cartons (to use in coolers) or bag up our refrigerator’s ice cubes for when we have lots of company.
Judy says
I think they take advantage at grocery stores due to people having to chill their food on the way home. Just didn’t prepare to buy what they found, and wanted? We just make sure, in the hot weather that we fill our coolers with ice we made before we leave. But we’re in our 60’s. Even though we have good pensions and no debt, still don’t want to throw money away for no good reason. Raised by parents that were married during the Depression. Our biggest indulgence is food, prepared at home. We’ve traveled enough, so cooking together is our fun now.
Torry says
All these comments about ice reminds me of when I had foot surgery one summer and I was not able to put weight on my foot. We use ice cube trays for our ice and I was having trouble emptying the trays, getting them refilled, and back into the freezer while balancing on a Rollabout. A friend, Julie Arndt, saw my struggles and took over! Every single time she came over, she refilled my ice trays. For months. I try to emulate her kindness whenever I can. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture to mean the world to someone dealing with loss of mobility and independence.
Stephanie in Utah says
Our local Walmart in Utah has a 7 lb bag of ice for $2.33.