LJWorld.com

sgtwolverine (Anonymous) says…

Nope. The little numbers on the price tag are the same size.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

Yes, I now bring home $50 of groceries in one of those little “Gold nugget Chewing Gum” unbleached muslin drawstring bags.
I'm going green.
But I still insist on drive up service.
That one egg is too precious to carry myself.

KsTwister (Anonymous) says…

You would have to believe anyone who would not notice is in a coma.

Trekkie (Anonymous) says…

Not only have I noticed a price rise. Several packages have shrunk in size and increased in price.

I use a Boston Advanced Care contact cleaner. They 'redesigned' out .6 oz and increased the price by $0.45

Also look at Country Crock, it's now about 4 oz lighter and costs more.

autie (Anonymous) says…

I used to walk through the Mart “watching for falling prices”. It ain't happening. Everything is up except coffee?? I noticed Saturday that it was a littler cheaper than it was a month ago..

The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

My 16 oz. jar of pickeled pigs feet still cost the same.

TheEleventhStephanie (Anonymous) says…

No. But I am in a coma.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

Yea, but some clown wants $8 a can for boiled peanuts with his name on them.
That's just criminal. and the store wants $2 a bag for Royal's peanuts, and it's not that big a bag.

canyon_wren (Anonymous) says…

Where I live, in SE Utah, I don't think the prices have changed much yet (except gasoline, of course, which is not addressed in the question). Eggs seem to fluctuate anyway, and are not as high as they have been; milk has stayed at the same price. I seldom buy much in the way of pre-packaged stuff so don't know how much that is being affected, but our fruits and vegetables here have the usual sale prices and/or seasonal increases based upon what the tourists will be willing to pay! We may just be slower to “catch on” than the more populated parts of the country.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

canyon,
18 eggs here were $2.99 last time I went.

sunflower_sue (Anonymous) says…

Yes.

Mkh (Anonymous) says…

Yet some people still believe the government about the current rate of inflation. Amazing.

acg (Anonymous) says…

Our grocery bill has increased from $150 a week to about $200 a week and I'm not buying anything extra. We eat a lot of fresh things and we cook at home at least 5 nights a week and the prices of things like fruits, veggies and meats have all increased. Milk has stayed the same, it seems, and we go thru 5 gallons a week so I hope it doesn't raise anymore. I have basically stopped buying junk food because you guys are right, the packages get smaller and the prices get higher and if I can bake three times as many cookes as the cost of buying packaged cookies, then why not?

canyon_wren (Anonymous) says…

multi—I usually just buy a dozen, and get the brown eggs because their shells are harder. They are around $2.19. Lots of times the white large are 18 for $1.50 here. Sometimes the cage-free brown eggs are 2 dozen for $5 and I get those. VIVA 1% milk has stayed at $1.39 a quart, which I buy because I'm alone and don't use that much; the half-gallons are a better buy, of course. I haven't bought flour or rice, lately—which are supposed to have gone up—but my neighbors say they haven't, as yet.

beawolf (Anonymous) says…

It's not a matter of believing the government or not:

The rate of inflation is based upon the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and is the percentage of the change in the CPI from the previous year. Food and gas may be rising, but housing is stable and apparel is down (we actually spend more on apparel than food. Go figure.) Most economists say that an inflation rate of around 3 to 5 percent is preferable and reflects solid economic growth.

The opposite of course is deflation. To find out it's effects, Google “The Great Depression”.

trinity (Anonymous) says…

i can't afford to throw Klondike bars into my grocery cart any more.

oh hell-Klondikes are a staple, a must-have, a foundation of the food pyramid; i'll just skip buying caviar instead. :-/

The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

I liked it better when le's posts were playing Hide and Seek.

prospector (Anonymous) says…

The beer at the brewery went up a quarter, so yes.

Bob, I have learned the old adage is true about le, ignore it and it will go away.

snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…

How much is Whole Foods asking for a bunch of arugula?

canyon_wren (Anonymous) says…

Wow—I guess I have missed (?) le's post in the past, but I just hope he (it CAN'T be a woman writing that??!!) isn't as stupid as he sounds and actually DOES know how to spell better than that. He's amazing!

peachesncream (Anonymous) says…

and not a one of you have thanked Mr. Bush for all these items going up in cost….. shame on you…hes the man who made this all possible……

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

I was going to buy Mayo for tuna fish sandwiches until I observed the unit price @ almost $4.00. It would have cost $4.00 and some change after the sales tax. I still have not made those tuna fish sandwiches.

The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

“but I just hope he (it CAN'T be a woman writing that??!!)” Canyon Wren

Those posts were obviously the result of a rambling, psychotic and angry woman. Please don't bring sexism in here.

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

Product re-sizing has been going on for a while. I first noticed that the Zest bath soap comes in an irregular shape now, that is, not a fully square bar, but the price does not reflect the change in the product. Cereals are another one.

Also watch labels on clothes. Where a label says “USA or Imported,” the item is nearly always Imported.

Marketing chicanery? Less is more? Yup.

canyon_wren (Anonymous) says…

I apologize, TOB—guess it is only “sexism” when men are “attacked”?? It just sounded more like a man's writing to me, but either sex is certainly capable of such a diatribe.

Mkh (Anonymous) says…

beawolf (Anonymous) says…

“It's not a matter of believing the government or not:

The rate of inflation is based upon the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and is the percentage of the change in the CPI from the previous year. Food and gas may be rising, but housing is stable and apparel is down (we actually spend more on apparel than food. Go figure.) Most economists say that an inflation rate of around 3 to 5 percent is preferable and reflects solid economic growth”
–––––––––––––––

Don't be afriad to remove that wool from eyes.

The CPI, which is what the government puts ou,t removes items that are spiking in price from their calculations. Therefore things like gas and food are not even inlcuded in the CPI. The real rate of inflation is more like 15-20%…not 3 to 5%.

yourworstnightmare (Anonymous) says…

No. My wife buys the food, as is nature's law.

snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…

“The CPI represents all goods and services purchased for consumption by the reference population (U or W) BLS has classified all expenditure items into more than 200 categories, arranged into eight major groups. Major groups and examples of categories in each are as follows:

food and beverages (breakfast cereal, milk, coffee, chicken, wine, service meals and snacks)
housing (rent of primary residence, owners' equivalent rent, fuel oil, bedroom furniture)
apparel (men's shirts and sweaters, women's dresses, jewelry)
transportation (new vehicles, airline fares, gasoline, motor vehicle insurance)
medical care (prescription drugs and medical supplies, physicians' services, eyeglasses and eye care, hospital services)
recreation (televisions, pets and pet products, sports equipment, admissions);
education and communication (college tuition, postage, telephone services, computer software and accessories);
other goods and services (tobacco and smoking products, haircuts and other personal services, funeral expenses).
Also included within these major groups are various government-charged user fees, such as water and sewerage charges, auto registration fees, and vehicle tolls. In addition, the CPI includes taxes (such as sales and excise taxes) that are directly associated with the prices of specific goods and services. However, the CPI excludes taxes (such as income and Social Security taxes) not directly associated with the purchase of consumer goods and services.

The CPI does not include investment items, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and life insurance. (These items relate to savings and not to day-to-day consumption expenses.)
For each of the more than 200 item categories, using scientific statistical procedures, the Bureau has chosen samples of several hundred specific items within selected business establishments frequented by consumers to represent the thousands of varieties available in the marketplace. For example, in a given supermarket, the Bureau may choose a plastic bag of golden delicious apples, U.S. extra fancy grade, weighing 4.4 pounds to represent the Apples category.”

http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpifaq.htm#Questi…

jonas (Anonymous) says…

“The opposite of course is deflation. To find out it's effects, Google “The Great Depression”.”

Or Japan from the mid 90's to present.

d_prowess (Anonymous) says…

I feel bad for the bartenders at Free State because as someone else pointed out, the price of a beer went up $0.25. I am sure most people used to tip them a buck, but now I bet they just get the $.75…

fairylight (Anonymous) says…

5 LBS OF Yukon Gold Potatoes was 6.99 at Dillons last week. Most bread( I buy) is 3.50 a loaf.
Milk is close to 5.00

Yes. Prices are up . Not only does it cost WAY more to GET to the store, The gas increase has been passed thru to consumers also. We're screwed anyway you look at it.

Pink_Sock (Anonymous) says…

You crybaby s**tkickers can still grow your own corn and raise your own fowl. Get over it…

jrlii (Anonymous) says…

Back in 1964 Bary Goldwater had an anti-inflation plank in his campaign platform. IIRC inflation was about 2.5% in 1964.

It is long past time for a return to the McKinley platform of “Sound Money and Protection.” Protection referring to industrial protection via protective tariffs, not the current security madness.

The standard of living in the US more or less steadily improved from the end of the unpleasantness of the 1860s (interrupted only by the occasional financial panic) up to the establishment of the Federal Reserve Bank. During that time prices steadily declined: They benefited from the deflation which so terrifies bank regulators today.

McKinley may have been the last presidential candidate who's campaign effectively explained to industrial workers that wages would inevitably lag inflation. Perhaps the reason McKinley was so effective in this regard was that his opponent (BOTH times!) was William Jennings Bryan who embraced inflation as his principle policy initiative.

Thanks to the nearly century old policy of inflation, we have sown the seed of leverage and are now reaping the whirlwind of stagflation!

hitme (Anonymous) says…

I heard several of my wives complaining about the price of food outside the compound.

samsnewplace (Anonymous) says…

everything is going up but wages and there is no way wages can ever keep up with rising costs. Gasoline started this and everything that is sent by semi truck, you can plan on paying more for it. I love cool's post from 9:05am and agree totally.

mom_of_three (Anonymous) says…

Yes

deskboy04 (Anonymous) says…

I blame the governor. We didn't have this inflation before she took office.

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

I considered myself lucky to have caught Nancy Pelosi talking about gas prices some two weeks ago because her statement was on the air, and off again in two New York minutes. Nevertheless, oil is being used as a political weapon. We're paying the average of $4.00 for every gallon of gas being sold in the States, but the Iraqi people are paying something like $1.27 for every gallon of gas being sold in Iraq.

So folks, keep buying all the lies the Bush regime lords over you, but as long as you're all willing to stay stuck on stupid, and it's not everybody anymore, then you really need to stop crying about all this “pain at the pump.” You are receiving exactly everything you ask for. Get the f*** over yourselves.

geniusmannumber1 (Anonymous) says…

jrlii—
That statement is ridiculous on so many levels. We live in a post-industrial society. The United States is inherently incapable of sustaining itself without a drastic, almost unthinkable drop in the standard of living. Protective tariffs under the current circumstances only increase inflation. Plus, you use the word stagflation incorrectly. If you can't be convinced to join the 21st century, please give the 20th a try.

snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…

“At the pump, meanwhile, the national average price of a gallon of regular gas slipped 0.1 cent overnight to $3.61, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Analysts are split over how high gas will go; while prices have slipped lower since May 1, leading some analysts to say gas is close to peaking, others predict the fuel will follow oil’s upward surge.”
From an MSNBC story posted less than 3 hours ago.
But don't let facts get in the way of a good rant, windlass.

juscin3 (Anonymous) says…

Yes, I have noticed a jump on prices of food. From what I understand that since the price of fuel is rising, and its costing more to have the truckers to deliver it. If they go on strike, which some have done last month, then it causes for products not to be delivered. We have taken a big cut from our income based on the fuel for truck drivers. We pay for road use tax and all these other taxes and where is it going to? It's not goin to improve the highways. I have been with my hubby and the roads are SH*T! They keep raising everything but our income. Do you really think the rebate checks will help anyone? Some look at it as just buyin the things they want. Some look at it as a savings, which that is what we are going to do. It's our choice, and yeah, the government is giving us money, but we need more than just a couple of hundred dollars. I don't really think it will help the economy. Once that money is gone, we are right back to square one.
It does stink that we can see that another country can pay alot less for fuel, and yet our barrels are goin up and up. This pretty much started when we went to war. For what? Because Bush wanted to finish what his dad had started.
So, hopefully there will be a huge light at the end of the tunnel, but until then, we will keep on spending more money for less. They need to have a store called “Spend More, Get Less.” Cuz that's what we're all getting.

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0….

The above link gives current numbers.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

Just what all does it take to keep adult chickens?
I know how to care for chicks, but never dealt with adults.
How many chickens..oh wait, I just remembered I'd have to live with a rooster..
Can a person learn to sleep through a rooster's cries in the morning?

If so, how many chickens does it take to make a dozen eggs a week?

RedwoodCoast (Anonymous) says…

Beer has gone up. I think there is more to that than inflation, though. It's all about the hops; they're in short supply this year, so beer prices were predicted to go up anyway.

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1…

A must read.

Windlass (Anonymous) says…

Beer is watered down, too. Less than 3.2 and that just makes ya angry. Make your own. I do.

Mkh (Anonymous) says…

http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/31/magazine…

snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…

snap writes:

Since the ad says “enjoys working with the public”, I reckon that rules out Nick Danger.

Still

having

a

wonderful

internet

life

.

notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…

“We're paying the average of $4.00 for every gallon of gas being sold in the States, but the Iraqi people are paying something like $1.27 for every gallon of gas being sold in Iraq.”

I don't know if you're aware of this, but they grow the stuff there. Pretty sure corn is more expensive in Antartica than it is here.

“Beer is watered down, too. Less than 3.2 and that just makes ya angry. Make your own. I do.”

Well, that would explain a lot.

**********************************

Having just returned to work after an extended sabbatical to care for a family member, we were living on a strict fixed budget for over a year and a half. There really hasn't been much difference between then and now on what we got for our food dollars in a typical month. But then, we weren't buying many luxuries anyway; I noticed that a lot of things based on sugar (like candy and ice cream) went way up. But the basic stuff we eat seems to have been pretty stable, if you know how to shop and how to budget.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

Couldn't make it to the store today, so in desperation, I went to the Wendy's drive thru. Hit the dollar menu for enough stuff to last a couple of days.
Turns out the dollar menu isn't the dollar menu anymore.

also noticed, while I wasn't fond of their hamburgers at all, I did break down and buy a single.
Not only have they changed the bun to one of those new fangled buns, but the burger was this thin, very dark piece of leather type ground something. Sure didn't taste or feel like a hamburger.
Chili was off too.
Haven't tried the other stuff, but the Dr. Depper was just fine!

max1 (Anonymous) says…

Food costs in perspective: People in the United States pay a smaller percentage of their disposable income (10%) on food than anyone on the planet.

JJE007 (Anonymous) says…

The good news is that food becoming more expensive indicates that life is just that much cheaper. That's a good thing, right?~) NO? Shoot.

I carried $136 of groceries from Dillon's into the house last night…with one hand. Crazy.

Wait a minute…Hold up! My receipt says I saved $7.63,,,AWEsome!~(

idarastar (Anonymous) says…

>samsnewplace (Anonymous) says…
>”everything that is sent by semi truck, you can plan on paying more for it.”

exactly! the more reason to buy locally sourced food!

>snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…
>”How much is Whole Foods asking for a bunch of arugula?”

I don't drive to Whole Foods or even the Merc for arugula. Downtown Farmer's Market sells fresh, organic, lovely argula bundles for $1. No outrageous prices, no taxes necessary.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

Wait a minute…Hold up! My receipt says I saved $7.63,,,AWEsome!~(
***
LOL.
I hate the Dillon's approach to marketing.

Agnostick (Anonymous) says…

“gypsynatalie,” I kinda doubt you'd get hired. I suspect the LJW staff knows better than to allow a known criminal bulk mailer and spammer into any building in which client email information is available.

Of course, that's just my opinion… I could be wrong…

Agnostick (Anonymous) says…

I recently happened to hear an ag economist talk about some of these issues. Two points he made:

1) It's easy, and tempting, to point the finger at ethanol—but ethanol is only one of many factors, and a comparatively small one, at that. Bigger issues are the decline in value of the dollar against other currencies… and the fact that our export demands have risen, because a lot of traditionally “Third World” countries are upgrading and improving. India and China are prime examples of this.

2) Many retailers, such as WalMart, procure their goods through contracts. Some contracts are shorter than a year, some are longer. Prices that currently appear “stable” aren't moving because the most recent contract (for purchase price, labor, shipping, freight etc.) hasn't yet expired. Over the next 12 months, these wholesalers, suppliers and manufacturers will renegotiate contracts with their retailers. The new contracts will be more reflective of higher energy prices, higher labor prices etc.

Bottom line?

We're still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And it might be one big mother-frackin' shoe…

Agnostick
agnostick@excite.com
http://www.uscentrist.org
http://www.americanplan.org