|
Post by psychecc on Aug 16, 2008 21:28:01 GMT -6
I bought groceries today. Many of the things I buy have gone up about 20% from the almost always available sale prices of just a few months ago. Some are up more than that. When they do run a sale now, the reduction isn't as much as it used to be.
I understand the causes of inflation, and I'm not surprised when the higher costs of production and transportation are passed on to the consumer. What BUGS me is when I hear the CEO of a company like Kraft quoted on CNBC saying that their profits are up this quarter due to their higher cheese prices in particular, and that of course they won't be dropping those prices even if (or when) oil prices drop and their transport costs go back down.
I can't ever remember food prices dropping once they go up. Yet, oil has taken a nose dive lately, and if it stays low, obviously these companies could afford to drop prices again. Now, I know that if consumers don't buy, prices will drop. Basic supply and demand. But with food, people still have to eat. Yes, they might eat more burger, less steak, or go to cheaper brands, but one way or another, food still gets sold to people who need to eat.
So I get pretty ticked when I hear almost daily on CNBC how great it is that transport costs should be dropping if oil stays low, and since most companies have already raised prices on the "it costs more to ship it" excuse, profits should go up in near future quarters, thereby driving stocks higher too.
When is any one of these top 2% earner types going to give a break to the people who haven't seen an increase in real wages over the last 8 or so years?
By the way, I love this Pet Peeves category.
|
|
|
Post by agito on Aug 19, 2008 21:25:37 GMT -6
or worse... they will lay off a couple hundred workers to to cut capacity
|
|
|
Post by unlawflcombatnt on Aug 20, 2008 23:38:50 GMT -6
This is also a function of decreased competitors in some areas of food production. If there are only a handful of large food producers, like Kraft and Frito-Lay, there is little reason for them to drop prices. If you want chips of any kind, you almost have to buy them from a Frito-Lay owned company.
|
|
|
Post by xtra on Aug 27, 2008 20:46:28 GMT -6
not only have the prices gone up but have you noticed that the quanity has gone down too.
look at the bags of chips, laundry detergent, shampoo, or soup cans their oz. size have dropped at least 10-25% with the price even going up.
|
|
|
Post by unlawflcombatnt on Aug 28, 2008 16:13:49 GMT -6
Another little trick being played on us by Globalist food manufacturers is the shift of production from the US to elsewhere.
There are undoubtedly a lot of these shifts that I've missed, but there are at least 2 I've seen just recently.
The 1st involves a brand of generic cookies sold at Ralph's. Several months ago, when I bought the 1st package, I noted that the package said "Made in USA." Now the same generic brand says nothing about the country of origin.
I'm not certain whether they actually moved their production out of the US, or if they were lying to begin with when they labeled the package "Made in USA."
The 2nd case, though not actually a food item, involves Suave brand deodorant. I had used it for years, largely because it clearly said on the container "Made in USA." In the last couple of months, however, they've changed the container slightly, and eliminated the "Made in USA" label.
As a result, I've ceased buying Suave deodorant. At present, the only US made deodorants I'm aware of are by Mennen and Lady Speed Stick (also made by Mennen.)
I strongly encourage everyone to read the labels on everything you buy in a grocery store, and try to buy American wherever possible.
|
|
|
Post by xtra on Aug 28, 2008 21:19:29 GMT -6
I strongly encourage everyone to read the labels on everything you buy in a grocery store, and try to buy American wherever possible. Hands down the best www.calbenpuresoap.com/buy the sample package and I gaurantee youll get the large family size
|
|
|
Post by unlawflcombatnt on Sept 4, 2008 1:56:25 GMT -6
Here's an article describing the latest greatest scam that Corporate America is pulling on American consumers -- the practice of slightly reducing the size of the container, while maintaining the previous price. from St. Louis.com/AP Shrinking packages, pricier foods fluster parentBy Emily Fredrix THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sep. 02 2008 " Kids may be worried about homework, teachers and that pesky bully this school year. But parents? They're leery about lunches.
With food prices rising and packages shrinking, parents are wondering how they'll stretch their food budgets. Children are going to get an unwitting lesson in economics, analysts say, as parents change their food-buying habits to keep costs down.
Some kids will eat more hot lunches this year. Some will carry baggies full of snacks like home-packed chips and crackers rather than prepackaged ones.
This year's lunchroom will be less about convenience and more about the bottom line, said Marcia Mogelonsky, senior research analyst with Mintel International in Chicago. Parents will be shopping for deals but still wanting all the basics — fruits, veggies, proteins and fun things like chips and cookies. It won't be easy, she said.
"Parents are sort of entering this with trepidation," she said. "It's not how much it costs. It's how much more it costs relative to what they're used to spending."
The costs for key ingredients — like corn, wheat, soybeans and other items — are high and eating into food companies' profits. So big names like Kraft Foods Inc., Sara Lee Corp. and Hormel Foods Corp. are passing along price increases as they try to keep making money.
Some companies are also shrinking products or getting rid of certain lines to lower their costs. Skippy peanut butter, made by Unilever, now sells in 16.3-ounce jars that look the same size as the previous 18-ounce jars because of a larger indentation at the bottom. Kraft is reducing the number and in some cases the size, of items in its Deli Selects cheese line, for example. Sara Lee has reduced the size of some of its Hillshire Farm deli meat packages from 10 ounces to 9 ounces. The prices, for the most part, don't go down.
Some grocery stores — like Earth City-based chain Save-A-Lot — are advising parents on what to buy. The chain, which targets bargain shoppers, has a new campaign telling parents how to make meals like turkey slices wrapped in tortillas that cost about a $1 a serving.
"Everybody's trying to pinch their pennies. They're all struggling to allocate their food dollars," said Bill Shaner, chief executive of the chain, a division of Supervalu Inc....." www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/yourmoney/story/271AA4E24BADCF18862574B5000D5C12?OpenDocument
|
|
|
Post by xtra on Sept 9, 2008 0:40:43 GMT -6
Heitz (remember john karrys wife) katsup pulled some fraud many years ago (like 12) where they claimed they had a certain amount of oz. in each bottle, it wasnt until a cook needed that excect amount in a recipt and when he messured it out, it was about 1 and a half oz. short.
The cook bought more bottles and the same thing. He went to the government that oversees weights and measures and they started a class action suit. The guy got some money and as i remember Heitz had to do the reverse, they had to put like 3 oz. in each bottle for millions of bottles of free katsup.
|
|