When The Girl and I were back in Washington a few weeks ago we stopped by QFC to pick up a few things for the {early} Thanksgiving feast we had with my parents.
And just like anytime else I have a moment or two to browse around a store, I started to notice not only the crazy prices on certain products, but the new items as well.
$2.49 for a single serving of cat food.
Call me crazy but for twice the price you could buy a whole chicken and whip up about 5 dozen {or more} of those containers and pop them in the freezer for Mr. Whiskers.
This of course is coming from the woman who is willing to pay $69 once a year for a 2 pound sack of dried cod skins for their dog. HA HA HA.
$4.79 for 9 ounces of oyster crackers. HOLY COW MAN. Weren’t these like $0.99 3 years ago?
And when did bleach get so expensive?
In case you didn’t know, they are now selling smashed corn flakes.
Why!? As if Cinnamon Toast Crunch wasn’t bad enough, they’ve now made it into a liquid form. Who buys this stuff!?
And remember when the first ingredient in a bag of chips was potatoes or corn and they actually tasted good?
Am I the only one who feels like this? Are you continually shocked at the prices you’re seeing on food and what the stores are stocking their shelves with these days?
Tell me I’m not the only one.
~Mavis
P.S. What’s the highest price, or weirdest thing you’ve seen at the store lately?
Charla says
I work at a grocery store and a man asked for premade grilled cheese sandwiches and I thought that was funny.
The real funny part was that we actually sold it
Virginia says
Charla, I love this! I laughed out loud at this comment, and I’m still smiling writing my reply. 🙂
Ashley Bananas says
Yes, they are made similar to the uncrustable peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches and microwaved in the bag they come in. They are very popular for school lunches in the cafeteria where we live. When our schools closed down for Covid they served lunches by carside pick up to parents willing to drive up and get them. I remember seeing them for the first time and thinking it was inventive and strange.
Pauline in Upstate NY says
Hmm. Corn Flake Crumbs… Sounds like somebody figured out that they could sweep up and package the odd bits from the coveyor belt!
Mavis Butterfield says
That’s what I was thinking!
Christie says
The grocery store is so outrageous these days! Our local Wegman’s has a sign in the greens section of the produce area that they are expecting shortages this winter. Should have put in that greenhouse this year!
Jennifer says
I work for Instacart and Spark so I am in grocery stores, mostly Wal-Mart’ these days, and my hobby is to find crazy products and prices to text to my 20 something yo kids. Everything from mushroom jerky to Cinnamon Toast Minis (how fast do you want soggy cereal to $13 immune shots made out of kale, asparagus and blueberries.
For my dh, I do the same thing with prices because with his stroke, he doesn’t come inside the stores anymore. I make sure he really understands what prices are now so when he sees how much I spent, he’ll understand. That part is not as much fun.
Wendy says
I am always sending pics of price tags in grocery stores to my mom friends. It’s pretty comical these days!
Anna says
You are not the only one. I regularly go in the store and can’t believe what they are selling.
Cindy R says
The prices are going up like crazy. I was in Whole Foods this week and stopped in the aisle to look at the Tom’s of Maine toothpaste for my husband. Last month the toothpaste was $5.69. I usually grab a few tubes when it is $4-something on sale. I almost fainted this week when I saw the price increased to $9.99 a tube. Needless to say I left the store without any. Talk about a crazy price increase!!!
Lisa says
I went to buy a bottle of A1 sauce at Mavis’s favorite Hannaford and a regular size was almost $7. What in the world. It wasn’t even the giant bottle.
BethC says
$7.49 for a quart of heavy cream last week. Wait, what?
Jennifer says
Here in NC at WM, GV heavy whipping cream is $4.98 and Land o Lakes is $6.16 for a quart. Also, another blogger in VA that I read had complaining shortages in heavy cream, but we’ve had no jssues.
SueD says
I get heavy cream, a quart, from a ‘local’ dairy, $5.49 last month. Heading there Tuesday, hoping it hasn’t gotten crazy expensive.
tina says
when i went to buy some at thanksgiving it was $8 – like wow
Carrie says
I am constantly amazed that enough people buy those things that the companies must find it profitable. I think it just shows how little the average American cares about their health and their bodies.
Between the availability of junk food and societies impression that every occasion needs to be celebrated and deserves a treat it is no wonder everyone is obese.
Rita says
Isn’t Q FC one of the more expensive stores? I only shop the sales flyers.
Margo says
When I saw Oscar Meyer bacon for almost $9.89 for less than a pound, I thought (to myself of course, and fortunately not out loud)… the person who put the price tag on that surely must have been drunk! But no, there was another tag that said “sale”, only $9.49 for the package. No, thank you. I tend to only buy meat if there’s a good sale nowadays. Poultry is still a pretty good price, but my husband swears he’s starting to grow feathers from eating so much of it!
Kim in Iowa says
I spent $3.50 for a dozen eggs yesterday at Aldi!
Mary Ann says
Aldi’s regular Golden white dozen has been $4.59 at my Westminster, California store for the last few weeks. I’ve been buying the cage free brown dozen there for $3.85 instead. I prefer these anyway. They used to be more expensive (by a lot) than the white eggs, but now cheaper? Makes no sense.
Rebecca Briscoe says
A dozen eggs at Meijer were 3.99, 18 cage free brown eggs were 5.09. I bought the cage free.
Jennifer says
A dozen in NC at Wal-Mart is $4.38 and an 18 ct. Is $6.40. Granted, dairy varies widely from state to state, but less than 3 years ago, an 18 ct. Was $1.50. Lately, Egglands Best has been cheaper in some stores.
KC says
Most of the grocery price hikes are a small percent extra supply chain/etc. costs and a large percent additional/record profits for the food manufacturers and grocery stores (and their stockholders).
Eggs are one exception to that – bird flu knocked egg production into the basement this year and there was an increase in feed costs due to Russia invading Ukraine and ‘disrupting’ agriculture and shipping there, but demand for eggs has increased rather than decreasing (this makes sense to me – eggs are *still* cheaper per serving than a lot of the meat near-monopoly products).
It still drives me nuts, but at least that one isn’t just a direct “oh, hey, we have to raise prices by, say, 8% but the customers will apparently tolerate a price rise of 60%, let’s do that!” greed/monopoly effect.
Carolina says
Not bad for these crazy times
I spent $4.99 last week for a dozen medium eggs at Market Basket (a New England supermarket chain)
Laura says
Yeah, that’s my grocery store and I’m regularly floored by the prices. The baking aisle is truly scary. $8 for a bag of chocolate chips? No thanks.
Diana says
I went to a fish market and lobster and some other items were 69.99 a pound! I ended up buying clam chowder soup and some tartar sauce which were both delicious.
Cindi says
My very first job was as a checker in a grocery store — back in 1976. This was before electronic registers, so we had to memorize the sale ad each week. Maybe because I was so young, those prices are permanently stuck in my head, so I am now the old lady who says (usually just to my husband) “I remember when that cost 25 cents!” (Or some absurdly low price.) To which my husband always replies “When I got my first car gas was 31 cents a gallon.”
Mavis Butterfield says
I remember gas being $0.99 a gallon back in the early 90’s.
Lisa says
I went to college in Missouri. 1993, 88 cents/gallon. I can remember filling my tank for $10.
Bec says
Oh Mavis, I feel this so deeply. Our youngest recently started solids and I started shopping at Costco again. She’s 8 months old and would happily eat a whole scrambled egg on her own! My husband laughed when I came home with the religious family sized tub of mayonnaise from Costco, but it’s $9 for that or $7 for one less than half the size at the regular grocery store. It used to be $3 or so on sale a few years ago.
I’m going to attempt to make my own greek yogurt today for the first time. I realized that a tub of it is almost $7 on sale and we generally go through one or more a week. I can buy milk at Costco for less than that and make 2-3 tubs worth. Wish me luck!
Mavis Butterfield says
I would have bought the religious family sized tub of mayonnaise too. I like to use mayo in tuna casserole and broccoli salad. https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/the-best-tuna-casserole-recipe/ https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/broccoli-cashew-salad/
MEM says
Just got back from Stop and Shop here in Greater Boston. I haven’t shopped there in years but I wanted to see if they had a better selection of flavored coffee creamer than Market Basket, Hannaford, Shaw’s or Star Market. They did not. I went to get some apples for my son – $9.99 for a three pound bag of Granny Smith, Red Delicious or Honey Crisp apples!!! That is insane! I did check the reduced produce rack and everything was badly bruised or gouged. Ended up buying 2 pounds of ground turkey for $7.00, some BOGO cucumbers for my little boy dog with the voracious appetite (he gets tired of green beans on his kibble), salsa and taco shells. The giant parking lot had maybe 20 cars in it and you could set off a cannon in the store and not hit anyone. Plus the cashiers and baggers really need more training. Market Basket for the win! Again!
Mavis Butterfield says
$9.99 for 3 pounds of apple is insane!
Carolina says
Yes we have the same mix of stores here on the Maine/,New Hampshire line and it is definitely Market Basket for best prices AND best customer service.
Sandy says
My grocery store was selling heads of organic romaine for $6.99 each. I wanted to point at it and ask my fellow shoppers – are you kidding me with this? Mind you it is local (literally about 5 miles from the store), organic, and the growers are known in the town I live in as great people who work hard and pay their employees living wages. I admire all of that. But in the end I bought a head of cabbage because I can’t afford salads at that price.
SueD says
We don’t use Clorox bleach very often, so my friend and I share a 3 pack from Costco or Sam’s Club. Last time we purchased it, the price was 12.99. Picked up the pack Wednesday, to donate to the place we adopted our munchkin from, and it was $14.99.
Mimi says
I’m floored by current prices. I’m also floored by what people put in their carts. I was waiting to pay for groceries this morning behind a woman with a cart full of cookies, soda, Cheez-it crackers, frozen Chinese dinners, energy drinks etc. About 5% of her purchases qualified as real food. It nearly made my stomach hurt thinking about ingesting all that junk – and paying good money for it!
Gina says
Ugh, YES Mavis! Terrible prices at the grocery store. 5 bucks here for a dozen eggs and same with a pound of real butter. Yeah, the “good” kind of oyster crackers are almost 5 bucks here too, ridiculous! I might have to start making my own crackers! And a loaf of bread around here, (SD) the “good” kind, 100% whole wheat, you’re gonna pay over 5 bucks.
Lisa says
I saw a head of organic cauliflower for $9.99 – I could hardly believe that was the price and it was small!! About half the size of a normal head of cauliflower! Crazy prices!
I do spend about $6.00 on good eggs, and stock up when they are on sale. I just can’t spend $4.00 on bad eggs where the yolk is almost as white as the whites!. I would rather spend more on good eggs.
Kippy says
When I was a kid my aunt would look through the weekly ads, cut coupons and travel to at least four different local grocery stores on “shopping day”.Uncle patiently waiting in the car. Now I find myself doing tons of price comparisons using a work in progress grocery list, weekly ads, digital coupons etc before ordering or going out to get groceries. Bacon was at a better price at Safeway this week than at Fred Meyer. Some times ordering bulk cans of dog and or cat food because the price just keeps going up and up and the cats and dog will always need to eat!
Angel says
We live in coastal NC but in like 17th poorest county in state…a dozen eggs is $4.50 at our Walmart….plain ole eggs….not even large….medium eggs…..
Elisabeth says
I don’t know how many states the “Grocery” store, Erewhon, is in, but that store is insultingly priced and full of unnecessary food like the items you have called out in your post. If you get a chance, check one out. Hopefully it won’t make you too mad!
Ashley Bananas says
What a strange name as it’s nowhere backward, wonder if it’s a nod to the dystopian novel by the same name.
tina says
The other day I saw a bag of hershey kisses (which I’m pretty sure have shrunk) for $5.49. I actually looked at the price twice like holy cow
Tammy says
I shop at Aldi and Walmart primarily – Trader Joe’s occasionally. So none of the “fancy” stores with “fancy” prices…but I have noticed that prices just keep edging up on everything storewide.
Virginia says
Two good indicators for me that food manufacturers have gone bonkers is (1) the sheer number of Oreo flavors for sale now — used to be good old white cream was the only choice; and (2) when Thanksgiving rolls around they now put pumpkin spice flavor in EVERY possible food product. I’m amazed at how many things for sale in a grocery store I refuse to buy. 😉
Michelle S. says
I get so depressed every time l go to the grocery store. Half and half was 4.99 a quart and l saw ICEBERG lettuce for $2.99 for one small head and green cabbage was $1.99 PER POUND at Vons this week. Shock and awe!
Cheryl says
I remember my home ec teacher telling me many years ago, bleach is bleach and you are better off buying a cheaper no name brand instead of Clorox, since you are paying for the name.
Hellman’s mayonnaise prices are crazy, bread too. Growing up, our lunch every day for 7 kids was head out to the garden, pick sun warmed tomatoes, toast slices of bread, slather the toast with mayo, top with fresh tomato slices salt and pepper and chow. Manna from heaven. Mayo was .49 a jar, .49! Bread was around .50 a large loaf. Man, am I old, lol.
Vivian Blossom says
In Fred Meyer near the Seattle area, the Crisco was $9.00 for a can! I could t believe it! This is craziness! We don’t go out for meals much anymore. So glad I know how to cook from scratch and economize as much as possible.
Judy says
At Save On Foods in B.C. last week a frozen 15 lb. turkey was 60.00$. A woman beside me took a picture of the price because she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. I bought the same one at Wallmart an hour later. My MIL paid almost 9.00$ for a lb. of butter in Ontario!
Judy says
Oh, sorry the Wallmart turkey was 20.00$
KATHY HORT says
My shock of the day – $8.49 for a tub of whipped cream cheese at Safeway.
Robin B says
Good lord — I used to buy that very cat food for our cat. That’s ridiculous. We feed her the same meat we eat (poultry, beef, pork), plain and unseasoned for her of course, with some commercial food. We now shop at an employee-owned supermarket that has had prices lower than any other grocery store throughout this time of higher inflation. Don’t know how they do it but thank God they do. And yes, ingredients have been getting worse/more unhealthy in packaged foods. We eat mostly whole foods now.