With my sainted wife out of town,
I was forced to do something which I find absolutely deplorable – go grocery
shopping.
A few years ago I penned a story
about the high price of edibles, and even explored the gouging going on in the
quaint world of farmers markets.
But today we are going to examine
the sneaky price-raising that has become commonplace in
America’s
grocery stores.
Time was when you purchased
things by the dozen.
Eggs, corn-on-the-cob,
doughnuts, and bagels are just a few examples that were commonly sold in
twelves.
The rare exceptions were hot
dogs and hot dog buns which are sold in packs of ten and eight,
respectively.
But, I digress.
Today, doughnuts and bagels are
sold individually with no discount for quantity purchases.
It used to be that if you bought twelve, you
would occasionally get a free one calling it a baker’s dozen.
That implies the last – or thirteenth one –
was for the baker to taste to ensure top quality.
Corn-on-the-cob was also sold by
the dozen.
No longer, though.
Now corn ears are sold by the dollar; three
for a dollar, of four for a buck is routine.
With corn being raised in record amounts, the cost should be nearly
free, rather it is expensive because so much is being used for export and for
ethanol.
To divert our collective low
intelligence, stores try to make such produce purchases seem as though they are
bargains by lowering the amount of product instead of simply raising the price.
Along that same vein is
coffee.
Coffee was once sold by the
pound in bags, cans, or in bulk.
One
magical day, the price of coffee changed from buying one pound cans to buying
13 ounce cans.
Three pound cans became 1
pound, 13.3 ounces.
That is quite a
difference in sizes.
Three ounces for
the pound can, 19.7 ounces for the three pound version, difference in product
weight is now the rule.
Of course, the price per pound
didn’t decrease, the size of the package did, giving the impression your food
costs less.
Toilet paper is must-use for
everyone. My TP holders used to be full
of toilet paper when a fresh roll was installed. Little or no room behind the roll or
side-to-side existed. Not now.
Today’s TP rolls are at least an
inch thinner and ¾” narrower, meaning you are getting thinner sheets that are
smaller but, likely paying more than you did years ago. Once again, perception that any price
increase was a small one because you didn’t realize the size changes, too.
Cucumbers squash, and zucchini
were sold individually for 25₵, each.
Yesterday, they were selling for the premium price of 97₵ per
pound.
That calculated system means
you’ll likely get only three cucumbers instead of four for a buck.
Once again, not exactly a
jail-able offense but, still another way to sneakily get more money for less
from the consumer.
Of course, it is not the fault of
the grocer or road-side farmer that prices continue to creep up; the blame lies
with the consumer who readily pays the price because they merely want the
product.
Let us not forget we also bring
our own bags to the store to “conserve” resources. I believe the only resources we are saving
are those of the supermarkets.
Instead of a cheap plastic sack,
I would prefer a kiss on the cheek when I get screwed. I’m just saying…
