One Store's Old Food Is Others' Bread and Butter

[sabra]

Source: WSJ

LEOLA, Pa. -- When food prices began to jump last year, Dan McCauley started making weekly trips to SharpShopper, a no-frills discount store here that sells food makers' surplus goods. On a recent weekday afternoon, the 50-year-old's haul included two bags of Archway cookies for just $1 and two cases of vitamin water made by Kraft Foods Inc. for 25 cents a bottle.

Mr. McCauley didn't mind that the "best if eaten by" date on the cookies was two weeks old. "A cookie is a cookie to me," said the vocational-school teacher and married father of two. He says he has slashed his family's grocery bill by 25% since he began buying more food at SharpShopper and less at Giant, a conventional grocer owned by Dutch retailer Royal Ahold NV.

Shoppers like Mr. McCauley are boosting sales at surplus or "salvage" grocers, a little-noticed segment of the food industry, at a time when U.S. consumers face the highest rate of food inflation in almost two decades, along with steep gasoline prices and a sputtering economy.

Everything from milk to steak to macaroni and cheese costs more at supermarkets these days. Food prices rose about 5% in the U.S. last year, the biggest jump since 1990, as emerging economies in Asia and elsewhere pushed up demand for meat and milk, which increased demand for grain to feed livestock. Wheat prices recently hit a record high thanks partly to poor harvests in major wheat-producing countries. Meanwhile, demand for grain-derived ethanol has sparked sharp increases in corn and soybean prices.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120364165202984611.html?mod=hpp_us_inside_today

[Frustratedlady]

1. Say what?

Food prices rose about 5% in the U.S. last year...

I'd love to know what stores he is shopping at (writer of the article) as our food prices jumped a whole lot more than 5%. I'd be thrilled if they had only risen that much.

Good grief!

[BattyDem]

11. Same here.

I wish we were dealing with only a 5% increase in our food bill! We've tried buying in bulk, buying generic, buying on sale ... but the prices keep going up. A few months ago, we started taking our leftovers and freezing individual portions, so now we have our own "TV dinners" for lunch or a quick meal. Every little bit helps.

[pattmarty]

2. I'll tell my story here on this, so bear with me...................

I am a retired Teamster member on a 3200 mo pension (before taxes) married and with no children (luckily for my wife and I) at home anymore. We moved to Arkansas from Illinois (both living in the suburbs of Chicago all of our lives) because it was a lot cheaper (housing, REAL ESTATE TAXES, utilities and somewhat cheaper for food). We go to the "day old" bread stores down here to save a bit. Also down here there are a LOT of "thrift" or second hand stores, which so far my wife and I haven't had to take advantage of. This country is rolling toward third world status in a big fucking hurry. My hope is that whoever gets elected in November (Hillary or Obama) that it isn't too late to reverse the trends of the last 30 yrs.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Arkansas is known as

Third World Living at its finest! PM me if you are in NW Arkansas, and I can fill you in on more places to find cheap food and clothes.

[Javaman]

5. Not quite at third world standards...

third world standards would be; only a certain amount of loaves produced, when they are gone, people are then turned away.

However, I give it about 2 more years before we start seeing that.

[rsdsharp]

18. A number of years ago I had a rather snooty, not to mention

wealthy aunt, who was still nice enough to tell a story about having been put in her place.

It seems she knew a young woman who was married and had several children. The young woman told my aunt that she bought her bread at the day old bread store. "But my, dear, surely you want the best for your children," said my aunt. "You simply must buy them fresh bread." The young woman asked my aunt if she bought her own bread fresh. When answered in the affirmative, she then asked if my aunt (a very large woman, BTW)finished it the same day. "Why, heavens, no dear." It turns out she didn't finish it the second or third, or even the fourth day, either. At that point the young mother said that her kids went through 2 loves of bread a day, every day, and that on average it was fresher than the "fresh" bread my aunt bought, and a heck of a lot cheaper. My aunt was forced to concede the point. She had never had to worry about saving money, nor had she ever had to feed any children, and simply had never thought about the issue in any depth.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. This is new?

I've been shopping at a store like that for ten years. And I also frequent the bent and dent grocery store. Both are more crowded than regular supermarkets, which I frequent when I can't find what I want at those places. And by buying canned and boxed goods at these places, I can afford fresh produce from the farmer's market in town.

[customerserviceguy]

15. You want the best bent-and-dent?

Go to the higher-priced markets on the "nice" side of town, if you can get there economically. Well-off people don't want to be seen with the yellow stickers my local Stop N Shop uses for bent-and-dent. If I go up the road to the one in Nyack, I can often get a weeks worth of meat for the two of us for $10-15. One of the other things I have here that I didn't have in WA state was that chain and the local produce market shrink-wrapping old produce and putting it at deep discounts. I can make fajitas or stir-fry pretty economical, just picked up a 5 lb bag of Yukon Gold potatoes for 99 cents. They have a rich flavor, and make great mashed potatoes that need no butter or gravy.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Food banks deal in that kind of stuff as well, although there isn't always what

you want there. But at least you can fill your cupboards with something edible.

[Muttocracy]

12. I've read stories that food banks are hurting - donations down nt

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. Yes, that's what my hubby has noticed. (He volunteers at one. They went

6 weeks earlier this year without cereal coming in.)

[Viva_La_Revolution]

7. I've learned to hit Grocery Outlet the day before I do the bi-weekly trip to Winco...

They have odd lots of stuff, so it's always a crap shoot finding specific things there, but if I substitute things they do have for things I already have on my list, I can usually save over half of what I would have spent at Winco. And going to Winco instead of the usual grocery stores saves me at least 35% off my total bill.

Sometimes I end up shopping at the regular stores, but only for bread and milk, or to hit the weekly sales.

[The Blue Flower]

8. I've been doing Grocery Outlet for years

I discovered the one in N. Seattle about 7 years ago. It didn't have a lot of customers, but now they're always crowded. I always start my shopping there and stock up when something really good shows up.

[Mithreal]

9. Grocery Outlet in Bremerton for me too.

The number of deep discount places is on the rise in my area, seems like people should be talking about that, it is of great concern to me. They are feeling a need that is there because of our government's destructive anti-people policies.

Not everything is priced well at Grocery Outlet but there are some very good deals there regularly. I bought a bunch of wild salmon fillets on a cedar board that are so good when cooked taste almost liked proper smoked salmon and for a great price too. Anyone else sees them there you may want to pick them up.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

19. Are they Alaskan? Smoked?

I saw them stacked by an end-cap and I was very tempted.

[Mithreal]

24. They are the Market Bay brand Wild Pacific Salmon on a cedar board.

We cooked it right on the cedar plank in our gas grill and it really is some of the best salmon I have had. I bought 6 more after that, if I had more room, I would have bought more, they are that good. 24 ounces and maybe 4.99 if I remember correctly. Very tasty and a decent price.

[customerserviceguy]

16. If you want a small splurge

find some Foolish Oak wine at Grocery Outlet for only five bucks a bottle. Most of the wine sold at GO is pretty lousy, but this Washington-made, cork finished wine is great, just give the reds several minutes to breathe before drinking.

[fed-up]

10. I've shopped at Canned Foods/Grocery Outlet for over 20 years-now they have organic foods

which is great!

I can buy Alvarado Street Bakery bread for $1.79 a loaf, organic soups, wild fish, organic coffee, organic popcorn, organic frozen tv dinners at half the price of a regular grocery store. I eat like a princess on a food stamp budget of $162 a month.

My mom raised six kids on the small farmer's market that was nestled on the hillside of San Bruno Mountain where we could get boxes of blemished fruit. We also shopped at the day old bakery for bread items. She taught me how to watch the weekly sales, buy in season and cut coupons. Now there is little that I buy at a traditional grocery store and seldom buy the processed foods that have coupons.

When I did day care I would make the 90 minute trip from Sonora to Modesto to shop at the Canned Food Stores. Since I was feeding 6 kids it really saved a lot on my grocery bill (back then gas for the trip was only $4-nothing compared to a $50-$75 food savings). Then they finally opened a Canned Foods store in Sonora.

The Canned Foods/Grocery Outlet used to be a mile from my house here in Chico, but it moved last year, so now I only shop there once a week as I am watching gas costs (now it is 4 miles away).

For veggies I eat what my boyfriend organic farmer grows! Lots of greens, brocolli and carrots and onions and squashes. Now he has 40 fruit trees and this summer I plan to freeze/dry a lot more fruit. I get my organic grains and steel cut oats at my local co-op.

The only junk food I buy is popcorn and ice cream for my coffee.

[LeftyMom]

21. I wish ours had Alvarado Street bread.

I get a ton of great stuff there though. But locations seem to vary widely, the one by my house is a dump with crappy stuff, and the one in Elk Grove seems to get more good things, so I go out there when I'm out that direction.

Can't really beat 99 cent soymilk, big cans of organic tomatoes for 99 cents, natural shampoo for two bucks, etc.

[Systematic Chaos]

13. I wish Big Lots would get another shit ton of Health Valley products in.

I remember buying organic, all natural oatmeal apple cookies and vegetarian soups and chili by the case from there a number of years ago, for a quarter what it would have cost in a ripoff store like Wild Oats. Did I worry that the product was near or slightly past its expiration? Hell no! It tasted just as good regardless.

[LeftyMom]

23. If you've got a Grocery Outlet near you,

I know the one by me has a lot of Health Valley stuff of late.

Big Lots is great for that kind of stuff when they get it, though. I got a ton of Fantastic Foods stuff from them last year, for almost nothing. And when they had Method cleaning stuff I stocked up on that too.

[tridim]

17. 5% increase my ASS

My bill is up at least 30%.

Green onions for example are up 50% in about 3 years. It's an easy guage because they used to be 50 cents for years, now they're $1.00. In fact almost everything in the produce aisle has doubled.

[yorkiemommie1]

20. small hint on green onions

a friend in HI told me to plant the rooted ends. Since I'm in mild climate, SoCal, it's worked for me. I haven't bought green onions in over a year. U might be able to raise them in a patio or sunroom.

i have been buying produce at the 99cent store. Excellent quality!

I have no intention of paying for the remodel of our Ralph's market which has rows and rows of liquor and twenty brands of olive oil.

[conflictgirl]

22. Most of it looks worse, too.

Maybe its just where I live but it seems like most of the produce here has been looking old and wilted for quite a while now. Costs more but not as fresh!

[Bigmack]

25. Went to Costco today....

after finding a receipt from the same Costco store from January of '06....

3 half-gallons organic milk.. today $8.29 ... in '06 it was $8.49
container vine tomatoes today $5.99 .... in '06 was $4.99
Continental salad mix today $3.69 in '06 was $3.49
fresh green beans today $5.59 in '06 was $4.99
red seedless grapes today $6.99 in '06 was $6.99

I know Costco is YUP-ville, but some of those prices aren't showing the kind of increases people keep talking about. Milk actually went down. Their bagels haven't changed much, either.

Trader Joe is kinda interesting, too. "2 Buck Chuck" is still $2.

I have no doubt that produce and food generally has to go up with the price of the fuel to raise/ship it, but are the "high-end" stores showing less of an increase?

[davidinalameda]

26. vine tomatoes were only $5.99?

I need to hit Costco this weekend!

I think 2 buck chuck is only $2 in California; I think it's going for $3 in other states

[LeftyMom]

28. I haven't noticed big upswings at our food co-op.

I think the big increases are mostly in animal foods and processed shit, so I haven't had to deal with any big increases.

[truthisfreedom]

27. America eats crap

And China is forced to eat crap as well.

We're seeing the worst times in the history of civilization.

[winston61]

29. Why the hell should I pay $2.75 for a loaf of bread

when I can go to the bakery thrift store and get it for $1.00?

[KayLaw]

30. Yes, but . . .

We have an Arnold's bakery outlet near us (actually they call themselves Entenmans Bakery) and I love to go there. Well, when I went this Thursday, suddenly the bread isn't $1.00 anymore - it's $1.50. Their bagels, English muffins, and Boboli crusts are still a good deal, though. We have a Flowers Bakery outlet that's a bit more of a drive but bread is less than a dollar, so I'll start hitting both stores.

Btw, I'm saving big by buying from a fruit/vegetable stand that sells mostly local produce.

[juno jones]

31. First off, we swing by 'Sunshine Liquidators' for some dented cans of soup and cat food,

Then over to Cash and Carry ( a restaurant supply) for sandwich rolls because I can get 18 for the same cost as 6 in the regular store. Then a quick hop to the Canned Grocery Outlet for cheese, lunchmeat and toiletries. Swing over to 'Deals Only' (another 'dent' place)for some more slightly damaged food and finish up across the street at Trader Joe's, because there's some things TJ carries that I cannot find anywhere else. Thank goodness Bellingham has a whole bunch of these places. And within a decent distance of each other as well.

It amazes me that anyone could afford to exclusively shop a Ralphs or Fred Meyer.

[NashVegas]

32. I Shopped at Wal-Mart the Other Day

I'd have showered afterwards, but that would've added to the water bill.