Is it regional? Hamburger packages come in 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 lbs, etc

[design_mom]

The reason that the weights are not uniform in stores that package their own meat is the butcher grinds it and puts it on the tray and then someone else wraps it and puts the stickers on it with the price.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. I can definitely see why the weights vary slightly from package to package, but I think that's a matter of it being done by hand... but I think it would be the same whether one person was doing the grinding and labeling or separate people.

But i don't think that's what causes most of the packages to be closer to 1.5 lbs than 1 pound. When I buy the bulk ground meat at the meat counter, the clerks are VERY good at eyeballing one pound. They're usually within a couple of hundredths of a pound on the first try. If they were going for 1 pound packages, I think they could hit it pretty close. Most of the packages used to be very close to 1 pound. Now they're all larger. There must be a reason they're choosing to do this, but I don't care for it.

 

[morgan98]

I'm not sure what you mean by this. I can definitely see why the weights vary slightly from package to package, but I think that's a matter of it being done by hand... but I think it would be the same whether one person was doing the grinding and labeling or separate people.

But i don't think that's what causes most of the packages to be closer to 1.5 lbs than 1 pound. When I buy the bulk ground meat at the meat counter, the clerks are VERY good at eyeballing one pound. They're usually within a couple of hundredths of a pound on the first try. If they were going for 1 pound packages, I think they could hit it pretty close. Most of the packages used to be very close to 1 pound. Now they're all larger. There must be a reason they're choosing to do this, but I don't care for it.

The cynic in me says this is being done for the store to increase their sales. I mean if I go in and need a pound of beef, but the type I like only comes in a 1.33 package, I may go and see if the butcher will repackage it for me in a one pound package (at my local store they will). But other times, I don't feel like standing in line and some people may not even know that it possible so they just buy more than they may need in the package that is there. I mean there is really no logical explanation for 1.36, 1.22 or 1.31 pound packages of ground meat that can be packaged in even increments.

 

[alicat8]

I thought it was just me! Ours are usually around 1.4, which is even more annoying to a slightly number ocd person like me.

 

[cabanafrau]

I'm not sure what you mean by this. I can definitely see why the weights vary slightly from package to package, but I think that's a matter of it being done by hand... but I think it would be the same whether one person was doing the grinding and labeling or separate people.

But i don't think that's what causes most of the packages to be closer to 1.5 lbs than 1 pound. When I buy the bulk ground meat at the meat counter, the clerks are VERY good at eyeballing one pound. They're usually within a couple of hundredths of a pound on the first try. If they were going for 1 pound packages, I think they could hit it pretty close. Most of the packages used to be very close to 1 pound. Now they're all larger. There must be a reason they're choosing to do this, but I don't care for it.

The cynic in me says this is being done for the store to increase their sales. I mean if I go in and need a pound of beef, but the type I like only comes in a 1.33 package, I may go and see if the butcher will repackage it for me in a one pound package (at my local store they will). But other times, I don't feel like standing in line and some people may not even know that it possible so they just buy more than they may need in the package that is there. I mean there is really no logical explanation for 1.36, 1.22 or 1.31 pound packages of ground meat that can be packaged in even increments.

Scooping up a cluster of ground meat at the bulk counter is quite different than grinding a chunk of meat, which is why you can more easily eyeball one pound of already ground meat than you can guess as closely how much a chunk of meat is going to tally out when ground. I believe they take the chunks of meat, grind it and place the ground circle on the trays, which is why the amounts come in the varying increments.

 

[Sadie22]

A budgeting tip for produce sold in bags marked three pounds or five pounds, such as apples, potatoes, or onions, is to weigh a few bags and buy the heaviest one. They will all be at least the marked weight.

With meat, they have to provide an exact weight. You wouldn't want the butcher to be adding or taking away little pinches of ground beef to make exactly one pound. Whoever is putting the meat on the trays is guesstimating based on the physical size of the portion. It may be extruded from a machine. They will never be able to get the weight exactly in pound or half pound increments.

 

[Christine]

A budgeting tip for produce sold in bags marked three pounds or five pounds, such as apples, potatoes, or onions, is to weigh a few bags and buy the heaviest one. They will all be at least the marked weight.

With meat, they have to provide an exact weight. You wouldn't want the butcher to be adding or taking away little pinches of ground beef to make exactly one pound. Whoever is putting the meat on the trays is guesstimating based on the physical size of the portion. It may be extruded from a machine. They will never be able to get the weight exactly in pound or half pound increments.

Exactly, and I thing they are moving fast too, when they do this.

I do actually run across packages that are at .98 lbs or .99lbs. Those packages seem to sell much quicker though. I think it's probably fairly hard for them to get accurate 1lb packages.

 

[design_mom]

Scooping up a cluster of ground meat at the bulk counter is quite different than grinding a chunk of meat, which is why you can more easily eyeball one pound of already ground meat than you can guess as closely how much a chunk of meat is going to tally out when ground. I believe they take the chunks of meat, grind it and place the ground circle on the trays, which is why the amounts come in the varying increments.

I am not a butcher, but there's a big glass window behind our store's meat counter so you can see in where they're cutting/grinding/portioning the meat. Usually I have to wait for someone to come out of that area to serve me when I go to the meat counter. I have seen them grinding the meat before. It appears that it is ground onto a big tray, then portioned into the individual trays. I don't think they're taking a single hunk of chuck/round/sirloin and grinding it onto a single tray. But even if they were, I bet they're pretty good at eyeballing portions of any kind of meat they serve and it should still weigh the same whether its whole or ground. They are definitely eyeballing the portioning between the big tray and the individual trays, so I wouldn't expect all of them to be identical, but I think they could come pretty close.

I don't think anybody is fussing about a few hundredths of a pound (.97 lbs or 1.06 lbs.) But it seems like all of our already wrapped portions are 1.44 - 1.66 lbs. Someone is going for 1.5 pound packages, not 1 pound packages. I tend to guess that Morgan is right. Someone has determined that most people won't wait at the meat counter to get the 1 pound that they really want, so they'll buy the prepared 1.4 lbs package (at 40% higher cost) instead. All about the profits.

 

[morgan98]

I am not a butcher, but there's a big glass window behind our store's meat counter so you can see in where they're cutting/grinding/portioning the meat. Usually I have to wait for someone to come out of that area to serve me when I go to the meat counter. I have seen them grinding the meat before. It appears that it is ground onto a big tray, then portioned into the individual trays. I don't think they're taking a single hunk of chuck/round/sirloin and grinding it onto a single tray. But even if they were, I bet they're pretty good at eyeballing portions of any kind of meat they serve and it should still weigh the same whether its whole or ground. They are definitely eyeballing the portioning between the big tray and the individual trays, so I wouldn't expect all of them to be identical, but I think they could come pretty close.

I don't think anybody is fussing about a few hundredths of a pound (.97 lbs or 1.06 lbs.) But it seems like all of our already wrapped portions are 1.44 - 1.66 lbs. Someone is going for 1.5 pound packages, not 1 pound packages. I tend to guess that Morgan is right. Someone has determined that most people won't wait at the meat counter to get the 1 pound that they really want, so they'll buy the prepared 1.4 lbs package (at 40% higher cost) instead. All about the profits.

This is exactly how I see it done at my local stores as well. The grind a huge amount of meat, so they have a very large tray full of ground meat. There is not reason they could not weigh the packages to closer to 1lb increments rather than 1.33 or 1.45 increments.

I would agree that if they were taking a larger piece of meat and grinding it, it may be harder to find a 1lb hunk to grind into ground beef. But this is not how they seem to do it.