Seattle's minimum-wage hikes didn't boost supermarket prices, new UW study finds

[lordsummerisle]

Source: Seattle Times

Seattle’s trendsetting minimum-wage increases didn’t boost supermarket prices in the city in the two years after they began, according to a new study by University of Washington researchers.
Most child-care businesses did see their labor costs increase as the hikes were carried out, however, leading in some cases to staffing reductions, according to another UW study.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattles-minimum-wage-hikes-didnt-boost-supermarket-prices-new-uw-study-says/

[FuzzyRabbit]

1. Most supermarkets in Seattle are unionized

and already paying their clerks much more than minimum wage.

And in non-union stores in the same area groceries cost the same or more.

[Wellstone ruled]

2. Most likely the same Wholesaler

is serving all these Stores.

[Flaleftist]

3. I doubt a major chain would change their prices for one city.

They probably keep them the same at least for the region.

[customerserviceguy]

4. Certainly with advertised products

they'd have to keep prices the same throughout a large region that is served by the Seattle papers.

However, variety might suffer. I've seen this in Dollar Tree stores. The one I used to go to in the suburbs of NYC had a very limited selection of items, the margin had to be high enough to cover the rent. Last year, I went to a Dollar Tree in rural Oregon, and it was a converted supermarket, with all kinds of things that the NYC-area store didn't have.

[marked50]

5. Thanks for this follow-up on this issue. n/t