have you all noticed the rising grocery prices?

[Skittles]

I spent 61 bucks last night on stuff that cost me around 50 bucks not that long ago. Why is this not a topic in the news?

[JayS]

1. It is starting to show up. Now that the crops are coming in you...

...can expect to hear a lot more about it.

[keithyboy]

31. Only noticed them since last November. It keeps getting worse.

But Americans are not complaining...they are too wealthy, too comfortable, too ignorant.

[keithyboy]

33. But how many of us went out yesterday and today, filled our gas tanks

and bought the fixin's for a bash this week-end? The malls no doubt were loaded with shoppers. i don't know because I refuse to even go out this week-end...it's my own personal protest. Been playing board games and surfing the Net. Lovin' it!!

[Don_G]

2. Rising Fuel Prices

For one plus the extra 50 cents per hundred pounds of milk that added 50 to 100 percent to the price of milk.

[Bandit]

58. It isn't fifty cents per 100# it is fifty percent per 100# went from

Twelve dollars a hundred to eighteen bucks a hundred weight. Fifty percent increase.

[graham67]

3. Yes!

At the end of last year milk was $1.99 a gallon. It went up to $2.49 in February and now its $2.99/gallon here. That's just an example, everything has gone up. I'm spending $200/week now for a family of 6.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. Hardware, too.

I work in a HW store, part time, and I stock shelves. I see the prices going up every day I work. Some of the price rises are quite shocking.

It is not in the news because:

A. Our maladministration's Department of Commerce is not releasing this information accurately, agressively or in a timely manner. If at all.

B. "Librul Media" has not been spoonfed the information by the Department of Commerce, hence, inflation does not exist.

News of inflation can and will negatively effect the housing market even more, and the credit market. If those bubbles go with a boom, there is gonna be blood, snot and guts everywhere.

[Jose Diablo]

11. Is it dept of Commerce or Labor? n/t

[mike1963]

5. No shit, I paid $6.50 for 2 gallons of milk this morning and t-bone steak

was 9.75 a lb. (I didn't get any.)

[Tippy]

50. $6.50 for two gallons of milk....

Here we are paying $4.25 for a gallon of 2%

[zelda7743]

51. $4.35 for a half gallon of skim

Hawaii sucks sometimes.

[RebelOne]

75. Now's a good time to go vegetarian.

I save a lot on groceries because I don't eat meat.

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. I started noticing about mid-February

and by the end of March I told a couple of people to watch out...inflation is coming. *sigh*

[HEyHEY]

7. YES

I don't know if it's because I moved from Alberta to BC, which is usually more expensive for food. BUt jesus, 3.99 for a bag of cauliflower!?

[Skittles]

8. Yoplait yogurt is 80 cents at Albertsons

It was 50 cents not long ago; must be the price of milk rising.

[spooky3]

49. 85 cents here in NoVA

[Malva Zebrina]

9. Yup, noticed that actually a month ago

and expressed that to another woman in the parking lot of the supermarker. She agreed.

[billbuckhead]

13. I think the weak dollar and a strong loonie is also a factor

The media never talks about the weak dollars role in higher gas prices.

[Kellanved]

27. which is actually pretty large

The US refineries are ancient and by no means sufficient (a ironic side-effect of the weak US environment laws).
The US has to buy it's gas (not oil, mind you) from Europe.
Due to the Dollar/Euro exchange rate, that means skyrocketing prices in US and in Europe.

The great irony is that stricter environment rules would have resulted in a replacement of the old refineries and thus in lower gas prices today.

[Tigermoose]

73. I've heard that no one wants to build a new refintery because

it is too risky due to environmental laws, and political fallout (no one wants a refinery in their backyard).

[redqueen]

76. That's a lie

There is documented evidence that refining capacity has been intentionally kept low so they can cash in during hard times.

I guess I need to go find that document now!

[redqueen]

77. Proof oil companies intentionally keeping refinery capacity low.

http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/news/ntn12961.htm

Five years ago companies were looking for ways to cut refinery output

17-06-01 While the Bush administration cites a lack of refineries for energy shortages, internal oil industry documents show that five years ago companies were looking for ways to cut refinery output to boost profits. It takes about four years to build a large refinery so any substantial additional new capacity from new plants would have had to begin by the mid-1990s, energy expert acknowledge.

But internal industry documents obtained by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, suggest that in the mid-1990s oil companies had no interest in building new refineries because of low profit margins and, in fact, were discussing the need to curtail refinery output to boost profits. "If the US petroleum industry doesn't reduce its refining capacity, it will never see any substantial increase in refinery margins (profits)," said an internal Chevron document in November 1995.

The memo cited warnings given about refinery profits by a senior analyst from the American Petroleum Institute, the industry trade group, at an industry conference that year. API spokesman Jim Craig said, "We don't know about these alleged internal company memos, but the idea that the API would warn member companies on profits is ludicrous." A year later, an official at Texaco, in a memo marked "highly confidential," called concerns about too much refinery capacity "the most critical factor" facing the refinery industry - resulting in "very poor refining financial results."

The Texaco memo, written in March, 1996, concluded that "significant events" were required to deal with the excess refinery capacity problem and suggested one solution might be to get the government to lift clean air requirements for an oxygenate in gasoline. Removal of the additive would require more gasoline to be used in each gallon of fuel, tightening supplies.

[doni_georgia]

10. It's the gas prices! Cost loads more to get the food on the shelves

Rising gas prices are affecting the cost of everything. I've cut way back on my driving, eliminating everything that's not essential (work and school), but kind of difficult to cut back on food, since we already stick to just the essentials there.

[Nikia]

12. Milk and dairy products are at record prices

Prices should drop soon, but that's what they were saying last month.

[billbuckhead]

15. Some of it is Walmart's master plan

Once the monopoly is actualized, then one can raise prices with impunity. Most Americans are so ignorant they think monopolies like Walmart, Archer-Daniels Midland, Microsoft, GE, etc are good things. As Walmart stores have developed the local markets their in they have simultaneously trained the local customers to shop there and also eliminated local competition. Now these multitudes of maturing WalMart stores are in the position to put the pedal to the metal profitwise.

[Nikia]

17. Walmart is a factor but it is commodity brokers

They bid up milk and cheese over fears that milk production would significantly drop because of the end of production of bovine growth hormone. Then they bid it up even more because cheese manufacturers started buying a lot but didn't want to sell cheese out of fears that the price would rise even more. Now there is a lot of cheese out there so theoretically the price should drop hard from that standpoint and that there will be more milk to be sold as milk. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened yet.
The issue with Walmart is that they demand lower maufacturer prices while keeping the product of their price stationary or raising it. Food processing costs are highly dependent on commodity prices though which are rising especiallly for some products.

[LiberalFighter]

42. WalMart does not offer many bargains.

Our local grocery stores Krogers, Scotts along with Meijer's have better prices.

When comparing prices it appears that WalMart and especially Sam's Club are higher. Only a few select items make the grade.

[rhino47]

54. I cant say what wal mart prices are now

However last time I was in the local wal mart I did notice one trend.
After bi-lo and golden dawn (two local grocery stores) shut down
wal-marts prices went up.That store is the most expensive wal mart in the area.There is no competition.20 miles in either direction
there is other wal marts that are engaged in a battle with giant eagle,value city and k mart.Their prices are at times 20 % less.

[Eurobabe]

44. Freaking butter is $5.19/lb. here in Virginia!!

All dairy products are way up across the board. It's disgusting. Pretty soon, between gas and food, there won't be a *middle class* This on top of salary cuts for IT people, it's depressing.

[iconoclastic cat]

14. We are freaking out in Chicago!

Each week: close to $200 for the two of us!
It sucks.

[Senior citizen]

16. No, I haven't, but then

I've been doing most of my shopping at the 99-cent only stores and Trader Joe's for years, plus I'm lactose intolerant and don't drive.

Like the time they floated the dollar (I was in Thailand), or times when the stock market fell--I didn't have dollars and or stocks, so I didn't have a problem.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

18. Wait until this winter when gas, food and heating oil is at record highs..

...we may all be making choices to cut back on quite a few things that are considered now to be normal everyday costs. Luxuries may be completely out of the question.

[Senior citizen]

21. Depends on what you call luxuries

You can choose where to spend your money.

For example, when I moved in here about a year and a half ago, I had limited funds, so it was a choice between buying a computer and buying a bed. You can guess which I considered to be the necessity and which the luxury, since I still don't have a bed, but now that the puter's paid for....

[Skittles]

64. what you don't understand

is that for some of us, a computer is a necessity for our jobs

[Mari333]

62. another reason I have to leave Michigan

the gas bills here will slay us
cant afford it, too high. a large old farmhouse where I raised all 3 kids...I almost choked on my gas bill last winter when the kids were here.
No more! Im out of here.
The media doesnt cover it because those morons make 300,000 a yr salaries.
and they are C students!
luxuries..eh...just having a cup of coffee from a restaurant is a luxury now.
I intend to leave the country. They have taken enough from my family.

[Warpy]

19. Food is no longer being counted in calculating inflation

All the numbers coming out of Bush's through the looking glass government are heavily Enronned.

I've noticed increases of at least 10% across the board in food. Some things are up as much as 1/3, like all dairy products. Nothing has gone up less than 10%.

Oh, but there's no inflation. Uh-huh.

[AgadorSparticus]

20. good god, YES! between the price of groceries and gas, we're cutting

waaaaaaay back too.

[greenbriar]

22. yes

last month I spent $395.00 on groceries for the month

this month $460.00

as a teacher, I get paid once a month and my check buys the groceries.

we shop for the month used to be $250 now it is more.

we don't buy much different each month

[funkybutt]

23. I was thinking it had something to do with the strike

but actually several people have pointed it out to me and i've noticed it as well..what gives??

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

24. Yes

Milk 1.35 a quart!
Eggs 2.50 a dozen!

Everything else going thru the roof!

[PaDUer]

26. Eggs $2.50/dozen?

Where do you live? Are these the organic eggs or regular?

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

36. Regular eggs out on Long Island

Kinda of a rich neighborhood though, Huntington, my granny lives out there

[PaDUer]

40. WOW...

what else is high? I wonder if the eggs are going to go that high in PA? I know the prices have gone up the past 3mos here, but not to the extent that yours are..

[scared]

28. I agree.......

I never really noticed it until I went to Costco today. The steak I used to pay 6.49 per pound for is now 8.99 per pound. I couldn't believe it. It's just ridiculous.

[BlueStateGirl]

25. Consequence of the rising fuel prices so many here are happy about.

[SammyWinstonJack]

59. I was waiting for someone to mention that.

[happynewyear]

60. dog groomer - costs up due to freight

So, needless to say, the cost to go to the dog groomer and buy pet food has also gone up.

Dog groomer said that she had to pay $30.00 for delivery of 4 gallon of shampoo. Now how much of that do you think she had to pass on to the consumer? I've notice the price of dry pet food has gone up a couple of bucks as well.

No one has much of a choice as they are paying for the high cost of diesel and they must pass it on to the consumer. Thats the way it works.

[HereSince1628]

29. For better (I now am employed) or worse I "am" grocery

I manage produce in a "budget" grocery store in a chain with many hundred stores. Of course managing only means I order things and make a schedule for labor in the dept...beyond that I am just a robot. Prices and sales promotioms are the product of unpaid or minimum wage college "business" interns hundreds of miles away. I wish I was kidding, but I am not.

Nonetheless, I also read the trade papers and it seems that about 5% of sales in produce have been lost as people quit eating things like Shitake mushrooms, Belgian endive and Chayote squash and fall back on iceberg lettuce, carrots, onions, celery and potatos.

Apparently people in the midwest are choosing to spend their money on gasoline (a rationale choice since gas take them to their jobs) and are spending less on grocery.

That doesn't seem like much, but in a shop that only allows labor to be 5% of sales, that loss in sales equals 100% of my projected labor costs... The result is I am forced to cut back on my crew's hours. That's hard on people who are depending on putting two 30-35 hr a week minimum wage jobs to pay their bills.

Bush ostensibly gives tax relief and then opens the vacuum tubes to his oil company buddies to suck 2-3 times that money into oil corp coffers.

With respect to making money the Democrats are clearly in the wrong line of work.

[Suspicious]

30. I just had this conversation, yesterday.

My friend went grocery shopping with me, and we took note of everything that has increased in price in the last month or two. The soup I generally buy has gone up by .40 a can, paper towel - .50, bacon (I buy the same brand, every time) .50, milk, of course, has increased by at least $1.00, more in some stores.

There were at least five or six items I refused to buy, due to the sudden increased price. My household will just have to learn to live with it, I guess.

I asked her the same question - why is no one talking about this?

[Straight Shooter]

32. It's even worse when you live in the remote mountain areas

Everything, or almost everything, is shipped in. The first thing I noticed when I first moved here 12 years ago was the high cost of groceries and figured out it was due to the freight charges.

This is Republican territory. I can't wait until they figure out why they're paying so much more at the grocery store, the hardware store, the clothing store, the restaurants, et cetera. Maybe they'll get a clue.

In the meantime, it's getting harder and harder for me to cut back. Next year I'll be growing my own, and canning as much as possible.

[JanMichael]

34. The invisible hand of the Market is always right, so stop BITCHING!

Get it????

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

35. May I suggest...

...more catfood?

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

37. Ive cut down on junk food, cigs and travel less

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

38. Yeah, but are you

eating more Elegant Entree or Beef and Liver?

Gotta pennypinch! I'm not sure you're doing enough for the cause!

[Senior citizen]

46. Been rolling cigs for 10 years -- just like tailor-made

with a machine--filter and everything. I get the non-additive tobacco. End cost is about a buck a pack, and it takes me about 15 minutes to roll up a pack.

But that's if you already have the machine (between $10 to $50 depending on what kind you want, but the expensive ones are guaranteed repair or replace forever), and buy splits (25 boxes) of tubes and 5 lbs. of tobacco at a time.

I love it when people on the street offer me a quarter to buy a cigarette and I just give them one, and then, after they've lit it, I tell them I rolled it. They usually examine it carefully to see if I'm kidding--if I could afford to give them away otherwise...

[LiberalFighter]

39. We will be receiving .27 COLA increase starting next month

Normally not that high.

[Lorien]

41. OMG YES!!

I live in Florida, and I swear, prices have gone up at least 30% in the past year. My average weekly bill was about $30, now it's over $40. I've been trying to eat more fresh organic fruits and vegitables too, while cutting out meat. I thought cutting out the meat would help lower my grocery bill, but organic fruits and veggies are incredibly expensive.

[Dropkick]

43. YES!! Last "big" trip to the store...

... to buy food for me and my 3 year-old cost $181.00 !!! And this is after I've cut WAY back non-essentials, and clip coupons, and only buy on sale . All I can say is thank god me and the kid both hate milk (we usually only go through a half gallon every two weeks, mostly used for cooking)! A girlfriend of mine who has several children (who all LOVE milk) is spending a fortune just on milk, at the expense of other things.

One odd thing I've noticed is that organic bananas are the same price/lb as regular, where they used to be almost twice as much (a good thing for us, bananas are a staple food in the Dropkick house ). Why is this?

[Mari333]

45. I dont go out and eat

I make 13,000 a yr on my savings, and neither my husband nor I have a job. I am working on taking a class on June 7 for 2 weeks, which will cost me 385 dollars to take, for a health care job in another town, because the only jobs here are 5 bucks an hour. I have applied at a number of places, and am waiting. In the meantime, I have to pay for meds to combat depression, with a kid in Iraq, and my husband was in the hospital for depression and now I have to pay the hospital bills on a payment plan.
Our savings are dwindling to nothing. I have everything up for sale, acreage, next is the house, and I just sold everything I own in my house to pay for the hospital bills and lousy health insurance we have (catastrophic health, crapola insurance which keeps going up)
In the meantime, we never eat out, we have only one light on during the night, and we use an electric heater.
Dire? Not yet, but now Im eating twice a day, the local store has 2 for one deals with some Tv dinners. It costs too much to use the gas stove with the gas prices here. Costs too much to drive to town, so I try to make only one trip per day.
Now my other 2 sons are moving back home to help out til I get on my feet and I was lucky we found free counseling here for my husbands depression.
I am lucky, I can sell my house and land and another house I own in Indiana. I will live very very very cheap.
The taxes are so high now locally I will work just to pay them.
But Mexico is looking better and better. The groceries are higher everywhere, and I am still refusing to walk into wallyworld.
WalMart can kiss my ass, I wont eat before I go there.
One church here in town offers Tuesday night free meals.
Its always full.

[PaDUer]

52. Hi Mari..

I'm happy to see your posts and pray for you and your family. Have you heard from Michael since he's moved to another area? How I WISH him and the troops come home NOW! It's truly frightening and they're sending more troops! At least, the info re the draft has hit our local papers for 4 days now and the reporters have been interviewing the students for their reactions. The good part is, the students all said in the report that they ARE going to vote in this election, IF we have an election!

The good part of your post is that you make $13,000/yr on your savings which I'm assuming from how you wrote it is the interest?, and that you have a house to sell in another state. That's probably why you don't qualify for any programs for your meds, hospital bills, and food stamps is because you have assets. In our local paper this week, there was an article saying that people will be losing their homes and cars heavily by the beginning of the year due to the mess * has put us in. We see how HIGH the food alone has gone, not to mention the gas price increases daily, and now, they're going to reassess homes and raise taxes in this county. The job market here sucks also, and people are over the end because many do not own their own home and don't have a dime to their name. But yes, they're BUILDING NEW BANKS, TGIF, and recently opened up a Starbucks--isn't coffee there almost $5.00/cup?! There's almost a bank on every corner, just like the bars, but it appears the bars are suffering now due to people not having money, and since they lowered the blood alcohol content levels.

Do you want to hear a good one? I wonder IF I'm being targeted..Soc Sec hasn't sent the checks since March..I've contacted them and they said something happened, but NO ONE can provide me with any answers as to what happened. I've contacted my attorney, senator, auditor general, and others to launch an investigation. They said I would receive it last week, and still haven't. This has caused a multitude of financial problems for me that you can't imagine!

Mari, no matter which way we look at it, it's the people who don't own a big company or if you're not a professional crook, we're screwed because they do NOT care if we're sick, don't have meds, don't have a roof over our heads, and don't have food to eat. And, if they launch another attack w/ bio/chem, the elderly and those w/ autoimmune illnesses, won't make it, we're screwed. I never thought we'd see this kind of life in the US. They're stacking the courts against the people! They're taken us BACK how many years and have destroyed everything for their OWN GREED! When is SOMEONE going to stand up and take the entire thugs down!

[mcar]

47. I've been seeing this for months

and am surprised that it's not being mentioned in the media. People are going hysterical about gas prices and ignoring grocery prices.

I spent $250 last week alone for groceries for a family of 4 -- one teenage boy so that adds to it. But, that is nearly twice what I usually spend, and included only 1 lb. of steak (cheap stuff), one lb of on sale chicken and 1 lb of fish on sale.

I am not extravagant, we eat very simple meals and I cannot stay on budget. My kids still complain that there's nothing to eat.

It's very frustrating. I follow sales, pay attention to different store's prices and use coupons when appropriate. Still, $250. It's ridiculous.

[PaDUer]

53. So right..

I'm really surprised there hasn't been uprisings around the states. The only people eating good are the thugs who are lining their pockets with the peoples money which I call grand theft in the open!

[Mari333]

61. Some ways Im surviving

drink water. no soda, no milk, no alcohol
eat twice a day, thats all
drive only if I have to
stop mowing the lawn, if my neighbours dont like it, tough shite
I have a 4 acre lawn (not for long! Im moving!)
The yuppie wealthy from Chicago and developers are forcing us out anyway..what used to be country here for me for the last 14 years is now just 2nd homes for the wealthy. The only jobs left here are 5 bucks an hour shining their shoes and kissing their asses.
Rolling ones own cigarettes. Yep.
Gov Granholm just raised the cig tax 75 cents to make up for state revenues being looted by the GOP via Bush policies
and they are re assessing here too..the poor are moving out , many have no where to go
We have all been Bushwhacked.

[MAlibdem]

48. inflation is accelerating...

probably not a bad thing for a bit considering how low it has been. But dangerous.

[Nlighten1]

55. Yes!

I never leave the store w/o spending $120.00

[Kadie]

56. How about the price of Vanilla

Whooosh......

$8 for a 2 oz bottle. I broke down and bought the $2 imitation stuff to get by.

[Lou_C]

57. I went to Aldi to check their prices

I use to buy milk from Aldis for less then $2.00 a gallon and it's up to a little over $3.00 dollars now.

I also have noticed the little things that I take for granted like rice, seasonings, flour and sugar being a bit higher.

Soda Pop in my area use to cost $4.00 for 24 cans when it was on sale and now it's $6.00 on sale.

[Dying Eagle]

63. Milk

has gone up 65 cents.......IN WISCONSIN!!

[1monster]

65. Milk is up to nearly $5.00 per gallon now...

And everything else is going up with it. Bread $2.50 per loaf...

[Karenina]

66. You call that spongy tasteless stuff

BREAD???

[1monster]

68. I usually buy "Italian" or "French" bread...

It's closer to the texture and flavor of real bread.

[Karenina]

69. I go around the corner

to the Turkish guy who bakes DAILY. He thinks I'm too thin and DEMANDS that I eat his fresh-baked bread always packing fladenbrot or a sesame ring hot from the oven into my bag. I share with the students upstairs. Don't need no butter or nothing. Scarf it down!!!

[nolabels]

67. REPEAT!!!! THIS -IS- NOT- INFLATION

It's just a minor adjustment (of your cash), and remember oil has nothing to with the invasion of Iraq or anything else for that matter :p


World Oil Market and Oil Price Chronologies:
1970 - 2003

This chronology was orginally published by the Department of Energy's Office of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Analysis Division. Updates for 1995-2003 are from the Energy Information Administration. Please click here for the latest monthly chronology.

World Oil Price Chronology: 1970-2003


http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/chron.html

[3 Cents and Change]

70. Agricultural production...

...typically requires a large amount of petroleum input. Everything from planting, tilling, harvesting, processing, to transportation is impacted by the price of fuel.

Regardless, the prices right now are about where they should be without subsidies. Small farmers are starting to actually make a profit again, which after the past twenty years isn't exactly a bad thing. In reality, we've been paying a lot more for food than we know because of the coporate welfare that goes to big agriculture.

[blurp]

71. Check out bizstats.com if you want to know where the money goes

Go to bizstats.com and select Retailing-Grocery and Beverage stores. Make sure you input some number in the box to use as a base for revenue.

For grocery stores, 74.4% goes just to obtain the goods to sell.

[Bozita]

72. "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

[Delano]

74. I just moved to SF 3 months ago...

And the prices here were already much higher than they were in Florida. I haven't noticed any change in 3 months, but the prices are killing me.