Economy: Some anecdotal evidence

[TAPat]

Food prices have gone up 25% in less than a year so for Mother's Day I insisted on a chest-type freezer so that I can try to help save some $$$ in the long run. My partner has very strong feelings about not buying appliances, or other "work" related items as gifts, but has come to understand that when I get a Le Crouset pot for Xmas I very nearly swoon :silly:
Anyhow, when she went to get it, only the floor model was left and the Lowes folks said they are having trouble keeping them in stock - the people of this country are hurting.
So, when those BOZOS say the economy is doing a heck of a job they're only fooling themselves :grr: The People know...

[Nickster]

1. Yup, just bought myself a ton of meat and chicken to freeze. Should keep

me going for a few months at least.

[cantstandbush]

2. I've been reporting on the insane rise in food prices for over a year

only to be told by some DUers not to buy the stuff I am complaining about. My complaining is only to get people to organize and fight back at the sleazy way the food companies are treating the American public. For example, most ice cream packaged in look-alike 1/2 gallon containers are really not 1/2 gallon, they are 1.75 half gallons. Most stuff packaged in look-alike quart containers (such a mayonnaise)are really 56 oz. and not 64 oz. Yet the price of all these goods has INCREASED WHILE CONTENT HAS DECREASED but most people don't notice the double whammy because the containers are slickly made to look like their preceding containers. To me, this is an outrage that if people would complain more and boycott the products, at least the companies might not raise the prices so much on the re-packaged products. The salad bar at my local grocery store (Giant) went from 3.49 to 4.99 per pound in the last three months. I would like to see the food rot at the bar because the bulk prices at COSTCO or SAMs has not increased that much but poor folks who can't afford to drive to the outlying areas where the discount stores are located are forced to take the hit in a big way. No wonder I can't feed my family with one can of baked beans like mama used to. The new cans are two servings less.

[TAPat]

3. I always read your posts on food prices/sizes

although I may not have anything pertinent to say...
I'm in total agreement with you!
:hi:

[cantstandbush]

4. Thank you for your indulgence. If people would only organize and

SACRIFICE (dirty word). At least consumer advocate groups should be making consumers aware of these scams so the consumer is armed with more information to make choices. For example, Richfield foods, as far as I know as of last week, had not changed their ice cream half gallons. They were still full 1/2 gallons. So are some other "off brands" that taste just as good as the so-called major brands. Organized consumers might even force one of the major brands to either drop prices or go back to full packing sizes. Many people say that the food is appropriately marked with cost per unit and that may be true, but how many shoppers just routinely pick up a jar of mayo thinking that it is a full quart because it looks like the same container? All kinds of foods and beverages are being re-packaged to look like former packages but the amounts are less and the costs are more. Seagrams ginerale is another one. 20 oz look-alike bottles are not 20oz but rather they are 16.75 ozs. The bottles look like a six-pack of 20 oz bottles but they are not.

[cantstandbush]

5. Kicking for late risers. I hope to keep this up for a while to attract

more attention. Maybe it's not a total lost cause yet?

[cantstandbush]

6. kicking again for the night crew. n/t