What’s your grocery bill nowadays?

[CdnCarrie]

My point is that grocery stores are not just "getting by". They make plenty of profit that they don't need to charge such exorbitant prices. If you have ever left the Country, you will see that Americans pay a lot more for their groceries then many other first world Countries do. They have been price gauging us for decades. The same way that they do for medicine. And yet you have a bleeding heart for these poor grocery stores. Maybe we should set up a go fund me for Walmart, they just have to be hurting right about now.

Lots of Canadians go across the border because groceries are cheaper in the US.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6433100

 

[MillauFr]

You are joking right? Maybe the small Mom and Pop places are feeling the squeeze, but the majority of grocery stores are huge, multi billion dollar companies. One of the biggest in the midwest is Hy-Vee. They have an average annual sales of $12 billion a year. Their executives make an average of a quarter of a million dollars each year, plus bonuses. Each store manager makes about 1/2 that, plus bonuses. And they pay out a bit to their employees. They are not hurting for money at all. They have been overcharging for their products for decades. The least that they could do is not raise their priced during this time.

Please. You think Hyvee is getting away with paying executives only $250k per year? Seriously. That amount is a complete joke. Those executives are probably getting paid $5m or more per year.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

For me the shock was the family sized box of Cheerios at our regular grocery store. $10.29. For Cheerios. I didn’t buy them of course. They are on sale for $6.49 at another store we frequent this week. That’s better but still high.

I use a zero based budgeting system and have tracked what goes in and out of our account to the penny for years, so I know exactly what categories have increased. The short answer is, almost all of them.

I think they would have to pick me up off the floor if I ever saw a box of cereal costing $10. Or even $7 for that matter. I don’t buy it at regular grocery stores, even, because the boxes are smaller (tiny) yet they’re more expensive, say, around $5+ last I checked (though I haven’t been to those supermarkets in a while, so they could be way up). But WalMart has big boxes of cereal usually for under $5, at least where I shop, and they’re still that way because I bought some while there the other day. Or, as I mentioned before, I’ll get the Millville brand at Aldi’s which is still reasonably priced. I think they’re all going up, but it would be hard for me to pay even $5/box unless it was the big one, ie Family Size. Ugh. (And I don’t even eat cereal, really, but the kids like it.)

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Supermarkets have to remain competitive and give the shopper a consistently good shopping experience in order to survive. Just like any other type of big company, they need to pay their executives well who can do the job right, so I agree some of them make big bucks, but if they didn’t pay them that, they’d go somewhere else for it, so they have to pay what the market demands. That said, managers and even district managers don’t make the type of mega bucks that the executives do. Nowhere near it. In many they might be making $80 to $100K/yr, and that’s being generous. (I spent years working for a local grocery chain while in college and still know people who work there and in others.)

 

[DCLMP]

Lots of Canadians go across the border because groceries are cheaper in the US.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6433100

The inflation rate in many third world is shocking. Some over 200%. If there is colluding going on to starve the population it certainly isn’t being done by US grocery store executives.

 

[Lilsia]

I've left the country and that hasn't been my experience at all. What out of the blue grocery stores just decided to gouge everyone... because why again? You do realize that the USA is not the only country with rampant inflation. It's happening everywhere. I think you really need to spend some time studying economics and geopolitics.

They are not "all of a sudden" gouging, they have been making record profits for years now. There are only a few parent companies that own the majority of grocery stores in the Country and they are all multi billion dollar companies. They make plenty of money. There is no reason why the cost of groceries are so high in America. Look at Walmart, everyone one of those family members make billions every year. Grocery stores are not hurting in the least.

 

[Lilsia]

Please. You think Hyvee is getting away with paying executives only $250k per year? Seriously. That amount is a complete joke. Those executives are probably getting paid $5m or more per year.

Absolutely. That is base income, they also do profit sharing in that company. Of course they are getting a ton of money from the profit sharing. They at least get a Million every year and yet some people are complaining that grocery stores are justified in charging such high prices. It blows my mind that some are arguing the grocery stores barely make a profit.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I think they would have to pick me up off the floor if I ever saw a box of cereal costing $10. Or even $7 for that matter. I don’t buy it at regular grocery stores, even, because the boxes are smaller (tiny) yet they’re more expensive, say, around $5+ last I checked (though I haven’t been to those supermarkets in a while, so they could be way up). But WalMart has big boxes of cereal usually for under $5, at least where I shop, and they’re still that way because I bought some while there the other day. Or, as I mentioned before, I’ll get the Millville brand at Aldi’s which is still reasonably priced. I think they’re all going up, but it would be hard for me to pay even $5/box unless it was the big one, ie Family Size. Ugh. (And I don’t even eat cereal, really, but the kids like it.)

I just checked Walmart for online pickup (that's all I do), Cheerios $4.48 family size 25.9 oz

 

[MillauFr]

Absolutely. That is base income, they also do profit sharing in that company. Of course they are getting a ton of money from the profit sharing. They at least get a Million every year and yet some people are complaining that grocery stores are justified in charging such high prices. It blows my mind that some are arguing the grocery stores barely make a profit.

I said in the grocery business the net profit margin is low, < 5% of gross sales. The margins are so low I don't know why any new companies would enter that market. It is a cutthroat business. You can do much better selling I*Phones that cost $5 to assemble for $1000.

 

[DCLMP]

They are not "all of a sudden" gouging, they have been making record profits for years now. There are only a few parent companies that own the majority of grocery stores in the Country and they are all multi billion dollar companies. They make plenty of money. There is no reason why the cost of groceries are so high in America. Look at Walmart, everyone one of those family members make billions every year. Grocery stores are not hurting in the least.

Gee I wasn’t aware businesses weren’t allowed to make profits LOL. Ridiculous

 

[Lilsia]

Gee I wasn’t aware businesses weren’t allowed to make profits LOL. Ridiculous

Of course they are, but when you have people starving and having to go on government assistance because the cost of groceries are so high, that is a problem. Even people who make a halfway decent salary are having issues now. And when you compare the amount of food that is thrown away and wasted, there is no reason why food is so expensive in this Country. And all of you defending these inflated prices. SMH

 

[jo-jo]

We do a lot of targeted shopping. Go out one day and hit 2 or 3 stores in a loop.

We just got back from Lidl, spent $20. Got two qts. strawberries, 5 pts blackberries. 3 doz large eggs, 3 lbs butter. Lidl is less than a mile away. If it was 10 miles, I wouldn't have gone.

 

[Southernmiss]

We scored big at our Winn Dixie this morning. Beef roasts for $2.99 a pound and chicken legs for $1.09 a pound.

We bought 5 roasts and cut 3 into steaks.

I had one package of meat in the freezer that I purchased for $5.79 a pound 2 weeks ago.

 

[mefordis]

I think they would have to pick me up off the floor if I ever saw a box of cereal costing $10. Or even $7 for that matter. I don’t buy it at regular grocery stores, even, because the boxes are smaller (tiny) yet they’re more expensive, say, around $5+ last I checked (though I haven’t been to those supermarkets in a while, so they could be way up). But WalMart has big boxes of cereal usually for under $5, at least where I shop, and they’re still that way because I bought some while there the other day. Or, as I mentioned before, I’ll get the Millville brand at Aldi’s which is still reasonably priced. I think they’re all going up, but it would be hard for me to pay even $5/box unless it was the big one, ie Family Size. Ugh. (And I don’t even eat cereal, really, but the kids like it.)

Amazon has the family size box - largest one - for $5

 

[jo-jo]

Of course they are, but when you have people starving and having to go on government assistance because the cost of groceries are so high, that is a problem. Even people who make a halfway decent salary are having issues now. And when you compare the amount of food that is thrown away and wasted, there is no reason why food is so expensive in this Country. And all of you defending these inflated prices. SMH

Where is the food being tossed, the stores??

 

[TwoMisfits]

So, to get back on topic...

I'm currently feeding 7 - 6 large eaters (a spouse and 5 tweens to young adults) and me (the light eater, but who has allergies, so my own extra expense). If I add up my local farm box (which has been lifesaving for produce deal expansion from just Aldi/HMart loss leaders, since we eat about 60lbs of produce/week), my Amazon allergy and cheap purchases, and my actual grocery store runs, I'd say we're now running $350-$375/week in June. At the end of 2021, that was $100 less and with no farm box needed to further supplement produce deals.

So, that's a 40% cost increase in about 6 months, or 80% annual. Some of that is shrinkflation related, so it doesn't "show up" in inflation numbers - as one example, all those cereals that reduced their box amounts didn't reduce my kids' bowl amounts, so now I just buy more boxes.

 

[DCLMP]

So, to get back on topic...

I'm currently feeding 7 - 6 large eaters (a spouse and 5 tweens to young adults) and me (the light eater, but who has allergies, so my own extra expense). If I add up my local farm box (which has been lifesaving for produce deal expansion from just Aldi/HMart loss leaders, since we eat about 60lbs of produce/week), my Amazon allergy and cheap purchases, and my actual grocery store runs, I'd say we're now running $350-$375/week in June. At the end of 2021, that was $100 less and with no farm box needed to further supplement produce deals.

So, that's a 40% cost increase in about 6 months, or 80% annual. Some of that is shrinkflation related, so it doesn't "show up" in inflation numbers - as one example, all those cereals that reduced their box amounts didn't reduce my kids' bowl amounts, so now I just buy more boxes.

Wow, you have a lot of mouths to feed! I believe the shortages and inflation will accelerate in 2023. I think there is some lag time because of the planting season... and fertilizer shortage and the cost of fertilizer. I'm by no means an expert on that I really don't understand it that much and I could be totally wrong. I'm surprised we don't have any farmers on here that could educate us.

We're a family of four. I've returned to mostly bulk shopping at Costco. I'm stocking up every week, but I'm running out of room. I believe you should have a least a month of emergency food, but that's just me.

 

[MillauFr]

And all of you defending these inflated prices. SMH

If I state the sun rises in the east am I defending it? Of course not. I would rather the sun rose in the west but it is what it is. We can't change it and no amount of complaining about it is going to change anything.

 

[john7994]

If I state the sun rises in the east am I defending it? Of course not. I would rather the sun rose in the west but it is what it is. We can't change it and no amount of complaining about it is going to change anything.

I could go for the Sun rising in the West ... glad I am not alone in this!

 

[Lilsia]

Where is the food being tossed, the stores??

Yes, grocery stores throw so much food out. Hy-Vee throws out a ton of food on a daily basis. They won't even give things like the leftover donuts to the employees and rather throw them out every night.