The Real Reason Your Groceries Are Getting So Expensive

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WellPreserved
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Queen Mother
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"To understand why grocery prices are way up, we need to look past the headlines about inflation and reconsider long-held ideas about the benefits of corporate bigness."

This is an opinion piece but one that rings, from my experience, very true.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/29/opin ... lmart.html
"The books that the world calls immoral are books that show its own shame." - Oscar Wilde
SallyMae
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That is the same reason *everything* is getting so expensive. From phones to gas to movies to clothes to food, a few giant conglomcos have vertical control of the supply and distribution chains. The promise has long been that they would keep prices low so regulators would look the other way. Now they have so much control they don't even care about that anymore.

It's the trusts all over again.
Carpy
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So where did that ball start rolling?

I can give you personal experience on a huge price increase. 2019 freight for a container was $10,000 from China to our warehouse. 2020 went up to $16,000
2021 went to $28000
2022 $44,000.

Ships were forced to sit idle off the cost for up to 2 months. Crews had to be paid on an idle ship. Maintenance had to be maintained. Fuel costs were high, so costs ballooned.

So again, where did that ball start rolling?
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highlandmum
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In Canada we have three major grocery chains and 2 major general merchandisers that control 76% of the grocery market. Competition really does not exist if you ask me. I do swear there is something going on when I see the same things for sale at multiple for example next week - one chain has cheese on for $5.99, another $5.97, and yet another $5.98, then there is lean ground beef - $3.99, $3.49, $3.33, and $3.44. Really the same thing at different stores, and different chains for almost the exact same price. I notice this with everything. This is not even the same manufacturers - the cheese is different brands.

Our Government had a inquiry and the heads of the grocery chains were asked to speak about the increase in prices - it was all just a smoke and mirror show, as nothing came out of it and we were left with more questions than answers. Of which the answers we did not believe anyway. When one head states they make less than $4 profit off of a $100 grocery bill, we are not believing you when your first quarter profit was $418 million dollars, that would mean $10.450 billion in sales but their public financials state $12.995 billion in sales a difference of $2.545 billion. Somebody is not telling the truth. This is the store that two weeks ago their store brand potato chips where $2.49 (regular price) each yesterday they were $3.97 each, or 2 for $6.00.
Della
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Carpy wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 7:02 am So where did that ball start rolling?

I can give you personal experience on a huge price increase. 2019 freight for a container was $10,000 from China to our warehouse. 2020 went up to $16,000
2021 went to $28000
2022 $44,000.

Ships were forced to sit idle off the cost for up to 2 months. Crews had to be paid on an idle ship. Maintenance had to be maintained. Fuel costs were high, so costs ballooned.

So again, where did that ball start rolling?
I'm curious as to how much of our food comes in in containers...
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Carpy
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Della wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 8:12 am
Carpy wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 7:02 am So where did that ball start rolling?

I can give you personal experience on a huge price increase. 2019 freight for a container was $10,000 from China to our warehouse. 2020 went up to $16,000
2021 went to $28000
2022 $44,000.

Ships were forced to sit idle off the cost for up to 2 months. Crews had to be paid on an idle ship. Maintenance had to be maintained. Fuel costs were high, so costs ballooned.

So again, where did that ball start rolling?
I'm curious as to how much of our food comes in in containers...
Not sure on that but the cost increases impact everything.
Carpy
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Della wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 8:12 am
Carpy wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 7:02 am So where did that ball start rolling?

I can give you personal experience on a huge price increase. 2019 freight for a container was $10,000 from China to our warehouse. 2020 went up to $16,000
2021 went to $28000
2022 $44,000.

Ships were forced to sit idle off the cost for up to 2 months. Crews had to be paid on an idle ship. Maintenance had to be maintained. Fuel costs were high, so costs ballooned.

So again, where did that ball start rolling?
I'm curious as to how much of our food comes in in containers...
Adding, most people tend not to realize how many factors go into grocery prices. Costs of diesel, fertilizers skyrocketed, increasing the costs of grains etc.. for feed, the cost of diesel etc...so many factors people are clueless on.
Della
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Carpy wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 9:25 am
Della wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 8:12 am
Carpy wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 7:02 am So where did that ball start rolling?

I can give you personal experience on a huge price increase. 2019 freight for a container was $10,000 from China to our warehouse. 2020 went up to $16,000
2021 went to $28000
2022 $44,000.

Ships were forced to sit idle off the cost for up to 2 months. Crews had to be paid on an idle ship. Maintenance had to be maintained. Fuel costs were high, so costs ballooned.

So again, where did that ball start rolling?
I'm curious as to how much of our food comes in in containers...
Not sure on that but the cost increases impact everything.
Did you increase your pricing by the percentage of increase in shipping costs?

I found this:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, U.S. import prices of foods, feeds, and beverages up 13.2 percent for year ended November 2021 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/u-s-i ... r-2021.htm (visited May 31, 2023).
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Carpy
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Della wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 9:42 am
Carpy wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 9:25 am
Della wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 8:12 am

I'm curious as to how much of our food comes in in containers...
Not sure on that but the cost increases impact everything.
Did you increase your pricing by the percentage of increase in shipping costs?

I found this:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, U.S. import prices of foods, feeds, and beverages up 13.2 percent for year ended November 2021 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/u-s-i ... r-2021.htm (visited May 31, 2023).
Of course. You'd go bankrupt if you didn't. I'm putting up fishing stuff and stuff I ordered two weeks ago has already increased. I have a hodge podge of prices like for same size lure but different colors because I'm sick of making things uniform. My size 6 fishing line I just put up cost more than my size 8 now.
SallyMae
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It's true that monopoly power is preventing competition and that's a major driver of high prices. But I don't want to minimize the effect of climate change and over-consumption, either. Real shortages of all kinds are going to appear and accelerate.

That makes it even more important to break up the monopolies and the reduce the stranglehold they have on our culture. When there are real shortages, there won't be enough to support everyone AND exorbitant profits too. If we want enough for everyone in the new reality, the exorbitant profits have to go.
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