General Question

LadyMarissa's avatar

Are groceries getting any cheaper in your area?

Asked by LadyMarissa (16075points) November 13th, 2022
27 responses
“Great Question” (1points)

I’ve heard on several different news sites that groceries are going down anywhere from 22% to 48% in many areas of the country. Living by myself, I don’t buy a lot of groceries opting to eat light most days. Anyway, most of what I do buy, does NOT seem to be getting cheaper. So, have you noticed much of a difference in grocery prices recently?

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Answers

rebbel's avatar

Nope, more expensive by the week…

Demosthenes's avatar

Not a chance here in the Bay Area. Groceries may be more inflated than anything else.

mazingerz88's avatar

Nope. Salmon pack I used to get at 18 rose to 25 and still remains.

HP's avatar

That’s one of those “urban myths”, like “free markets”, completely divorced from reality.

Blackwater_Park's avatar

Not cheaper by any means. We have had to rearrange our budget to accommodate groceries. Gas is down though.

smudges's avatar

No. I used to buy those little pies at walmart for .50. They’re now .74. Small difference and minor example, but just goes to show things are going up. Those pies have been .50 for years.

flutherother's avatar

Grocery prices have been going up by 14% here recently.

RedDeerGuy1's avatar

My big box store had rotisserie chicken go down from $15.25 to $14.25.

A big beef roast went from $25 to $125.

KFC and bananas have kept their price since before COVID.

jca2's avatar

Not in the NY/CT area.

I show my daughter, when we’re in the store, how prices of things that were 10 dollars a year ago are now 11.50 or 12 dollars. That’s just an example, but I know my prices pretty well and everything is up and not going down any time soon.

Kaitlyn87's avatar

Nope, everything is even more expensive

JLeslie's avatar

I haven’t kept careful track. Some items never escalated very much. Last time I went shopping some items are crazy expensive and others are still reasonable.

Walmart has stayed fairly reasonable, while Publix is very expensive for many things. I shop in both regularly.

LadyMarissa's avatar

I’m NOT shocked with everybody’s experiences!!! I have noticed that in my lifetime that prices ALWAYS go up but NEVER seem to go back down. Then with the claim of a minimum of 22% reduction, I was shocked at the claim. Actually, with some of the prices quoted, I’m feeling blessed that I live where I live!!!

JLeslie's avatar

@LadyMarissa Prices have come back down on many grocery items multiple times in the last 20 years. Usually, there is a lag after gas prices come down, or something else that might put downward pressure on pricing.

tedibear's avatar

Everything has increased, especially in the last 6 to 12 months. Dairy, meat, cat food, and soda have been the items I have noticed the most.

SnipSnip's avatar

Nope. I ran into Publix to buy a head of lettuce today and it was $3.99. I couldn’t make myself pay that. We had carrot sticks instead of salad with our grilled cheese sandwiches tonight.

JLeslie's avatar

@SnipSnip That’s what we have to do. Just don’t buy it. I do that a lot of the time, but admittedly not always. For years now I refuse to buy honeycrisp apples when they are $4 a pound.

Smashley's avatar

I expect that if some items are coming down in price, they are the same highly branded and ubiquitous prepared foods, owned by multinational conglomerates, who already took the opportunity to gouge us when they could blame it on democracy.. I mean Democrats, and now, after soaking us, worry about brand loyalty and are scaling back the gouge.

Foods made by smaller producers, or staples products with lower margins will probably not be able to go down, as fuel, labor and insurance costs remain high.

Besides some gouge adjustments here and there, you will never see food prices lower than they are now. If you refuse $4 lettuce, you are basically refusing lettuce forever, or committing to a lifetime of low quality lettuce.

TL;DR
Doritoes will fall in price. Onions will not.

smudges's avatar

@JLeslie I buy a 3 lb bag of Honeycrisp every 2 weeks; it’s usually around $7.00 give or take. I’d love to buy the huge single ones, but they’re too pricey!

Poseidon's avatar

I live in the UK and the prices are definitely not going down, they are constantly rising.

Virtually every day I go into a store I find the prices has risen, sometimes as high as 38%.

Not only that the number of empty shelves and freezers are again constantly increasing.

There appears to be no end in sight for this. either.

LadyMarissa's avatar

My guess is that when the price of Doritos goes down that the weight of the product in the bag will go down at the same rate. The size of the bag will remain the same, but the weight will go down a healthy percentage!!!

I refuse to pay $4 for a head of lettuce. IF it stays at $4 for the rest of my life then I’ll just NEVER eat lettuce again!!!

jca2's avatar

In my experience, when prices go back down (due to the economy correcting itself), prices never go back down to what they used to be.

I buy some foods in wholesale places like Costco, where the initial outlay is more, but the cost per unit (cost per pound for example) is ultimately less. Garbage bags, toilet paper, paper towels, cat food, milk (by the gallon), butter, eggs, chicken, apples, berries, bread, coffee, hand soap, vitamins, toothpaste, are cheaper per each or per ounce or per pound, usually, unless there’s a great sale at the regular supermarket.

The added bonus is you can get other stuff, like appliances, clothes, shoes, blankets, phones, flowers, optical, pharmacy, and travel services like car rental, all for being a member.

The cost of a gallon of milk at Costco will often be cheaper than the cost of a half a gallon of milk at a regular supermarket.

I know that supermarkets often have great sales around holiday time so I am going to go to a regular supermarket right before Thanksgiving and look for sales on staples like butter and eggs and some canned goods like cranberry sauce.

JLeslie's avatar

@jca2 I think that will happen on most items this time, that even if they come down a little it won’t be as cheap as two years ago. Right now I think a lot of companies are seeing how high they can go before the public stops buying. Testing the market.

jca2's avatar

@JLeslie I’ve heard people say that as long as you buy the items at the price they’re selling them for, they’re going to keep selling them for those prices.

Entropy's avatar

No. I can’t say that about every product because I’m not a religious price checker. I get what I want and then pay the piper. I naturally have cheap tastes so it’s not a problem. But I’ve not noticed any declines.

Nor do i expect to on any permanent basis. There are still supply chain issues and port issues in places. The Ukraine invasion has thrown energy and food prices into a rollercoaster. But ultimately, the main driver of all this is that just about every govt on Earth injected it’s economy with cash at the same time in response to covid…and many still are. More cash chasing fewer goods.

acreatureofGod's avatar

No, things are still very high in my neck of the woods, but Unleaded Gas appears to be decreasing a little.

alokstates's avatar

It is difficult to predict whether groceries will become cheaper in my town, as the cost of groceries is influenced by a wide range of factors, such as supply and demand, inflation, and economic conditions. In general, the cost of groceries has been rising over time, due to factors such as increased transportation and labor costs, and the growing demand for organic and specialty products.

However, there are also some factors that could potentially lead to lower grocery prices in the future. For example, advances in technology and automation could improve efficiency and reduce the cost of producing and distributing food. In addition, increased competition in the grocery industry could lead to lower prices and more consumer-friendly pricing policies.

Overall, it is difficult to predict with certainty whether groceries will become cheaper in the future. It is essential to monitor economic and market conditions carefully and to make informed decisions about your grocery purchases based on your budget and personal financial situation.

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