Yesterday I was in Walmart for the second time this year and was shocked to see that a mere 7.4 ounces of Cheerios was selling for $2.97. Is that really an everyday low price? Maybe I’m the crazy one. But seriously, a 7.4 ounce box of Cheerios?
The last time I was in Walmart I noticed they were selling 7 pounds of ice for $4.58 a bag.
There’s inflation and there’s shrinkflation and I’m pretty sure next everyone will be buying everything in sample size form and paying an even more ridiculous amount for them.
Why is it that I am surprised everytime I go to the store? I can’t be the only one.
What is the craziest price {or size!} you’ve seen on something lately?
~Mavis
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Jennifer says
To compare, our WM in NC sells ice for $2.33. Cereal is just crazy and I buy the GV frosted flakes, 26 oz is $3.47, which is a good enough deal for me. I’ve gone to mostly pickup orders, but when I walk the aisles, I keep thinking “who is paying this much for THAT?”. My favorite game is ” before COVID, this was only…”. Grocery prices, they aren’t for the weak.
Brianna says
My family size and recipes haven’t changes, but packaging has. Shredded cheese is no longer an 8oz bag, but 7oz. Box of dried spaghetti isn’t 16oz, it is 12oz. Costco shrunk a lot of their stuff and not just food, but deodorant, OTC meds, and other personal care products. The packaging seems to be the same, but less product. It is all too common. Eggs fluctuate like a stock market
Beccah Is Figuring It Out says
Dittoing Costco’s shrinkflation. Their bacon bits container has to be half the size now! I know because I sprinkle that stuff on everything to entice my picky kid to eat dinner. It used to last us forever and now it’s on every other grocery list.
Julie V says
Yes! I think I come home complaining every time I grocery shop. Name brand chips over $6 for the regular size. Malt o Meal over $6 a box, a pound of butter for almost $5. Prices seem like they are doubled on some items. I’ve made my own Bisquick type mix for awhile but I have started making other types of make your own mixes now too — it’s a win-win for cost and cleaner ingredients. And it seems like there are more food recalls then there used to be 5 to 10 years ago.
Jennifer says
I gave up name brand chips, except Utz honey BBQ once in a blue moon. My WM has had Lay’s chips for $2 this summer and that’s less than even Great Value.
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I was shocked when Special K was over $7. I usually only buy cereal when it is bogo at Publix. I want/need it again this week, but there is no sale on it, so I won’t buy it. It was three months between Kraft 8 oz chunks on sale anywhere, so I went to big box and got a better deal.
Bags of salad mixes were bogo, regularly $7! Since when? I was appalled. So much produce is on recall that I am afraid to buy it.
Char says
Don’t know if you have a Target near you. I hardly ever shop at Target because of the long drive and they never seem to have what I’m shopping for. I was near one today so I stopped and accidentally ran into a Special K sale! The last box I bought was 9.6 oz and I paid over 6.00 at my small town grocery store. If my math is correct, that comes out to about .67 an oz.
Target’s was 18 oz boxes (Family size) and they were 2 for $9.00! Again, if my math is correct that made it .25 an oz. I hope it freezes well!
Rosemary says
Coffee! The cans used to be 16oz but now they are 11.5 oz (at least the brand that I buy). And the price keeps rising . . .
The K-cups are no better. At Costco a box of 120 used to be 29.99 (their own brand). Now it is 35.99. (The box still has 120).
Tea bags have gone up quite a bit as well. As least the package still has 100!
Lana says
Since when has as bag of frozen FF been only 20 ounces? In my head that is barely over a pound when they used to be 2 pounds. Best to just cut my own and throw them in the air fryer. It seems we can no longer afford convenience.
Margo says
Checked my local grocery and found this out. We don’t have a 7.4 oz box of Cheerios, but each different flavor of Cheerios has its own particular weight . So I just checked the regular Cheerios 8.9 oz box. It’s normally $5.99 ($.67 an ounce), and is currently on “sale” for $3.99 ($.45 an ounce). By comparison to your box of Cheerios which costs $.40 an ounce. So by comparison it seems you have a deal. This is why I rarely buy cold cereal, except for Rice Krispies when I need a Rice Krispie treat fix.
Ramona says
I bought Rice Krispies 9 ounce size on sale for $1.99 so I could make Rice Krispies treats. Well, the bag of marshmallows didn’t have the 5 1/2 cups of marshmallows the recipe called for. Thanks to shrinkflation of the bag. Made them anyway and the grandkids and I ate half the pan last night.
Audra P says
I bought Green Mountain k-cups recently when they were on sale and when I opened the box at home there were only 10 cups instead of 12 but the box was the exact same size as the 12 so it wasn’t an obvious change to people who normally buy them. I just grabbed the box. It’s like you have to read the fine print on everything nowadays or you’re gonna get ripped off.
Marie says
One thing that hasn’t changed….watercress! Price hasn’t changed in a long time and it’s one of the most nutritious greens one can buy.
Cathy says
Tuna, I keep saying if that can keeps shrinking, I will need to fish for the tuna to have it.
When the new reports some items in the grocery store are being lowered it must not be anything I buy.
Ashley Bananas says
Grocery stores are making more profit now than ever before. Their employees make no more money and their customers must suffer with the increases.
Even buying bogo and with coupons and discounts is not enough to beat inflation.
Just a grocery store worker says
Just a note:
It isn’t just the grocery store, granted they are getting their share but the costs are increasing for them as well. There are manufacturers with rising costs, warehouses with rising costs like transportation…bought gas lately?
Rising wages, yep they are going up too, with more to come. I believe the federal minimum wage is to reach $15 by 2025 or 2026.
Katelyn says
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 and has been since 2009. It is not going to increase without confessional action. Many states have much higher minimum wages, thank goodness.
Christy Rose says
Love the typo, I think “confessional” action is very apt! Perhaps a lovely Freudian slip?
Beccah's figuring it out says
Diapers and pull ups! I have a son in pull ups at night and a younger daughter who is showing no interest in potty training any time soon. I actually just went and checked and the diapers that I bought for my son at Costco two years ago are now $10 more per box(!!!). I stock up when I see sales, but whew. CYA is really expensive!
Mary Ann says
As a business owner, I can attest to the fact that every supplier we buy from has raised prices at LEAST once a quarter since Covid hit. The customers we work with make us give them our prices for the entire next year 6 months into the current year, so we can’t possibly figure out how much we’ll be paying for supplies and materials under these circumstances.
It is what it is. Can’t blame the grocery stores or politicians, it’s corporate greed, plain and simple.
Richelle says
Agreed. Supply chain issues have leveled out. Unemployment is low, stock market is high, inflation has started to fall, yet many prices remain inflated.
Joely says
Grocery prices are absolutely ridiculous. All of the self checkout lanes and no cashiers is a whole other thing that bothers me. I would like a discount for bagging my own groceries. You would think food prices should come down if they are hiring fewer cashiers and their labor costs are less. Crazy!
Karen says
Not only are labor costs less, there are no payroll taxes to fund social programs. Google says (I’m not in the US, but the same happens where I am) that both employees and employers have to pay 6.2% of earnings to fund social security. Unless it’s a self checkout.
KEW says
That inspires me to not self check out! Thanks for the info
RobininSoCal says
The rate of social security tax on taxable wages is 6.2% each for the employer and employee. The social security wage base limit is $168,600. The Medicare tax rate is 1.45% each for the employee and employer, unchanged from 2023.
Mary Keen says
Joely, I agree there are maybe 1 cashier at a register. My husband would like a 10% discount to bag and figure out where the bar codes are, the price of the vegetables and fruits and then if there is a problem the customer service is delayed until they have time to come over.
Richelle says
Corporate grocery chains would tell you you’re already getting lower prices as a result of self-checkout lanes.
Pamela Sheppard says
Thank goodness Walmart hasn’t caused any of my local/regional grocery stores to close because it is DEFINITELY not the cheapest in my area. In actuality it is probably the 2nd highest priced. Using the cereal you showed as an example I looked at my favorite stores website and this week a box twice that size is $2.99 with an extra digital coupon of $1 off 2 (many GM flavors to pick from).
The biggest shocker for me was over the winter into spring a 30 ounce Hellman’s Mayo was going for $8.99 with store brand only a little cheaper. Thankfully I don’t use that much mayo but I do like to keep it on hand. What is even more baffling is eventually it went on sale for 1 week at $2.49 and a few weeks after at $2.99.
Lisa in maine says
I too have been outraged by the cost of mayo. I made my own but it only lasts for a few days so I’m not sure it’s cost effective.
Jennifer says
My Publix runs Hellmann’s BOGO once a month and it ends up around $3.50. I found $2.50/1 hang tags on them and got 4 jars for a little over $1 each. I literally yelled out when I figured out the math.
Faye says
The other day i was complaining about broccoli being $2.49 a pound. Aren’t summer vegetables suppose to go down? Also has anyone noticed cereal boxes are flimsy now days?
Jenny Young says
I’ve actually been seeing prices drop in my stores. Not everything, beef is crazy high, but I’ve been buying maple flavored link breakfast sausages for $1.99 for 12 ounces.
NeeNee says
It should be against the Law!!
Drives me crazy!! A loaf of bread is smaller these days any box or bag of anything is only half full
Sugar is 4 lbs not 5 it goes on and on pasta box less than 3/4 full
It’s a total rip off !! My grandkids wanted Swiss Rolls the other day they were tiny
KEW says
Deodorant! The last time I bought it, it was a three pack of Dove brand from BJs Don’t remember the price but I bought just one at the grocery store yesterday and it was on sale for just under $8 and was a smaller spray size of Degree
Central WA mama says
And the prices are crazier in certain markets. Makes sense in a large metro cities with super high wages, but here in central WA we still pay Seattle prices on groceries but with lower incomes. It’s a real bummer and requires families to get very creative with how they buy groceries. Any current tips would great for my family of 8.
Leah Peah says
I’m in Western WA and Winco, Fred Meyer, Safeway, and Costco are my main go to’s for my family of four. For Winco you can’t see prices online, but I’m always checking the Fred Meyer and Safeway ads because they are a bit closer to where we live. It also helps for the trips to Winco to know if the price there is ok when compared to the other stores because Winco used to be the cheapest, but unfortunately I’m finding that to not always be true these days. Certain things regularly go on sale at Fred Meyer and Safeway (chips, butter, cheese, meats, sides like Rice a Roni) and now I know to watch those items and know my stock up price if I have the means to stock up. Sometimes they have a week or 2 in a row with nothing really worth it on sale, to me at least, but then they usually have some better things on the next one. You have to be ready to wait sometimes to get a better deal if at all possible and you will start to learn the sales cycles after a while.
Pat Marino says
i feel it is ALL due to corporate greed and government ignorance. When was the last time our government officials went grocery shopping? So, at election time this November, I will definitely be voting the current officials out of office. The good old days are long gone, unfortunately. I can only hope for a better future for us all.
Cathy says
Mavis, you just don’t go to the store often enough.
Carolina Cooper says
Mavis, your post made me go look at my most recently purchased box of Cheerios…purchased 2 weeks ago and it was 8.9 Oz and on sale at my local Shaws for $1.97. That 7.4 Oz box must be a brand new shrinkflation roll out.
What I am finding is that I am not spending more $ on groceries but much, much more time going from store to store chasing various specials, offers, close outs, BOGOS and using digital coupons.
Maria says
AAAgghhhh, it’s maddening! Grandkids here this week and we just made our 3rd stop in 5 days. Thank God we have an Aldi’s (in a small city of 9,000) or I couldn’t afford to feed them. I despise Walmart and try not to go there as I know their prices are not “low”. It’s crazy and insane.
Moving to Minneapolis/St.Paul end of this month so at least I will have choices as to where to shop, which will help. But my goodness the cost of housing/rent is NUTS!!