Tuesday, February 16, 2010
DOWN CYCLE
I wrote a year ago about food prices.
I could actually see the prices increasing week to week.
What had been 80$ a visit had become $90, then topped at $110.
Now it is going the other way.
I am not down to 80 yet but it is close.
Of course, week to week, it is not a constant figure. There are big meat weeks (2.00 off yesterday's ground beef, buy 5 packages) and not.
The other week I had to buy stamps.
But the trend has stayed in place over the last three months.
I credit a few things. One is that the food manufacturers got caught with their hand in the cookie jar cutting weights of packages and leaving the prices the same. Another, people cut back in volume. I read there was an enormous impact of average people cutting inventories of food in the home. I didn't do that. I am compulsive. I have to have one or two backups for everything.
In my case, it has been a steady trend towards private label.
I shop at a regional chain, Stater Brothers. For such a small outfit, they have an enormous selection of "as good as" private label items. Some better!
Another thing about Stater's. It does not have a plastic discount card. It does have unbelievable savings on the shelf. These are ubiquitous in the store. The other day, John's favorite cereal, a branded one at that, was marked down to 60% of its normal price. I bought eight. $2.00 a box.
Please understand. I have never been a price buyer. I get what I want when I want it. I do not do coupons. I don't buy specials unless they knock me over the head.
This is just normal, nearly inattentive buying. And I am spending less on food.
Yeeeeaaaahhhhhh!
Labels: economy, food, life, shopping
