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Paying for convenience at Supermarkets


mrsadm

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Now, I know there is a price to be paid for convenience, HOWEVER here are two outrageous things I saw at my local Wegman's supermarket.

A full head of caulflower was $2.00. A few aisles over, were caulflower florets in a small plastic bag, at $2.99/pound! At that price I could throw away half the full head.

In the meat department, boneless skinless chicken breasts were $2.49 a pound. Next to the shish kabobs and other prepared meats, were pounded chicken breasts at $5.49 a pound! They were just plain ol' pounded chicken breasts!

I was kind of amazed people don't know how to flatten chicken!

:wink:

Has anyone else seen crazy price differentials for convenience?

mrsadm

*****

"Did you see what Julia Child did to that chicken?" ... Howard Borden on "Bob Newhart"

*****

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I wish my supermarket had your prices... Cauliflower goes for $3.69 a head here, chicken breasts $5.49 a lbs.

There is always a price premium for so called 'convenience' however, and if they stock it, I guess it means the trade-off is worth it to enough people.

He don't mix meat and dairy,

He don't eat humble pie,

So sing a miserere

And hang the bastard high!

- Richard Wilbur and John LaTouche from Candide

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Has anyone else seen crazy price differentials for convenience?

mrsadm

"Fancy" "Gourmet" bread crumbs. At some ridiculous price. How much energy, or for that matter, intelligence, does it take to allow bread to dry then pop it into a food processor and let it run until the crumbs are the way one wants?

I bake an artisan-like asiago cheese bread which makes outstanding bread crumbs with just enough flavor to make things interesting, but not overwhelm....

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Since we have plenty of existing generic topics on how expensive supermarkets can be, rather than merge this into them and lose a nice discussion, I've retitled this thread slightly to emphasize what seems to be a unique angle of mrsadm's argument--that the outrageous examples seem to center around saving a person a few minutes of labor.

My own example?

  • In my neighborhood Korean produce store -- Green Bell Peppers, Whole - .79 cents a pound.
  • In my neighborhood Korean produce store -- Red Bell Peppers, Whole - $1.99 a pound.
  • In my neighborhood Korean produce store -- Yellow Bell Peppers, Whole - $2.99 a pound.
  • In my neighborhood Korean produce store -- Variety Pack of Peppers, Sliced - $4.99 a pound
  • In the Pathmark supermarket next door -- Green Bell Peppers, Whole - $1.29 a pound.
  • In the Pathmark supermarket next door -- Red Bell Peppers, Whole - $2.99 a pound.
  • In the Pathmark supermarket next door -- Yellow Bell Peppers, Whole - $3.99 a pound.
  • In the Pathmark supermarket next door -- Variety Pack of Peppers, Sliced - $6.99 a pound

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

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I think I will take a contrary position here. :raz:

I live alone. I can make a case for some of the "convenience" items but not necessarily for convenience.

If I can pick up one shish kebab, take it home and run it under the broiler, I have a dinner at a pretty decent price. If I bought the ingredients in the sizes/amounts available, I would have enough to make several shish kebabs. Yes, I could put them in the freezer. But I may not be in the mood for a shish kebab for another six months. The ones in the freezer will succumb to freezer burn and get thrown out. No economy there.

As to the little bag of cauliflower... Well, one person can't eat a head of cauliflower. (Exception noted for roasted cauliflower. :biggrin: )

I think you see where I am going here.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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Yes, people are willing to pay for convenience. Good ol' free market in action, there.

More interesting is the comparison between the Korean produce mart and the supermarket. Why is the produce market so much cheaper? My first guess would be non-union labor; what else comes into play?

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More interesting is the comparison between the Korean produce mart and the supermarket. Why is the produce market so much cheaper? My first guess would be non-union labor; what else comes into play?

lower standards as far as freshness/quality/etc.

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More interesting is the comparison between the Korean produce mart and the supermarket.  Why is the produce market so much cheaper?  My first guess would be non-union labor; what else comes into play?

lower standards as far as freshness/quality/etc

not true of any korean (or indian, for that matter) grocery stores i've shopped at in los angeles or denver/boulder. fruits and vegetables are significantly fresher (especially fruits) and often much cheaper. you also get a much more expansive selection of fish (not just a predominance of filets of various kinds of bland white-fish)--whole mackerel, pomfret, carp etc. for much the same price that trout or catfish sell at in large chain stores. and no qualms about quality there either: recently bought 3 plump mackerels from komart for $1.79/lb--cooked the first one today and it was excellent; their pomfret has also always been excellent ($4.49/lb). and komart (like all the big stores in koreatown in l.a) is nicely airconditioned in the summer and heated in the winter.

indian stores on the other hand are usually fairly dingy but the vegetables and fruit available there are always much tastier and cheaper than the big stores. i would never buy okra from a large grocery chain.

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More interesting is the comparison between the Korean produce mart and the supermarket.  Why is the produce market so much cheaper?  My first guess would be non-union labor; what else comes into play?

lower standards as far as freshness/quality/etc

not true of any korean (or indian, for that matter) grocery stores i've shopped at in los angeles or denver/boulder.

exceptions are everywhere in life. however, i stand by my comment, especially considering i shop at the korean market than jon mentions.

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i'm not denying the validity of your experience. however, since the price differentials noted are not unique just to that combination of korean/mainstream in new jersey (?) i'm just adding another experience alongside it.

the question is: which is the exception and which the rule?

perhaps it has to do with the concentration of the main target audience. i don't know if you've ever been to koreatown in l.a but at any given point in the larger korean grocery stores (often as large as individual ralph's or albertson's) you'll see maybe 3 non-koreans shopping. aurora, the suburb of denver where komart is located, is also a korean neighbourhood. and as i think about it there's a pretty fancy indian grocery on pioneer blvd. in artesia outside l.a (l.a's "little india") as well. and, of course, the 99 ranch market on west valley blvd. in rosemead (san gabriel valley) may be the largest grocery store of any kind i've been to in the l.a area. yet the fruits, vegetables and fish at all these places is, as i said, superior in quality, price and diversity than at mainstream groceries. the korean and chinese populations in l.a are not going to stand for low quality or freshness. perhaps it is a different story where you are with different demographics, expectations etc.

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I'd say probably lower overhead in general. No huge physical plant, no advertising, probably different supplier and transport channels with perhaps fewer middle-men jacking up cost. And not only non-union labor, but in many cases all-in-the-family labor without rigidly regulated job descriptions or hours, so the same person can be cashier, floor sweeper, produce display arranger, etc. and can work around the clock without interference from the government. Insurance? Benefits? don't think so.... And on the other side of the coin, more personal interest in the quality of the wares and a more intimate acquaintance with them.

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It's ridiculous to pay higher prices for the same stuff, granted....as long as you enjoy cooking and have the time to pound the chicken breasts or wash and cut the cauliflower into florets, while watching the clock and trying to get dinner on the table before the soccer game or the piano lessons etc.

What's your time worth to you? Sometimes I buy the "convenience" packages of salads or prepared vegs and actually get a thrill from just ripping open a bag and not having to get out the cutting board and knives!

And yes, I'd pay for someone else to do that for me, if I had the $$. Just to play devil's advocate, what is the difference between that and hiring a personal chef to prep for me?

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Just to play devil's advocate, what is the difference between that and hiring a personal chef to prep for me?

good question.

for me, i think vegetables in their natural state are fresher than pre-cut. pre-cut anything, in fact, loses something to my mind.

if there's no sacrifice in quality, i don't mind spending an extra dollar every now and again if it's going to save me time. my time, to me, is quite valuable. as you suggest everyone places a different price on their own.

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Shrink-wrapped, pre-packaged, obscenely priced trays of asparagus tips have recently appeared in the produce dept. of my favorite supermarket. No stalk, just the tip. Obviously target-marketed to those unfortunates who don't own a knife.

PJ

"Epater les bourgeois."

--Lester Bangs via Bruce Sterling

(Dori Bangs)

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I sometimes buy the carrots that are peeled and cut down to look like baby carrots even though they cost twice as much.

I figure the poor carrot peeler has to feed his family too.

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I agree that the markups seem excessive, but fifi and foodie have good points. For dinner, I know I'll have time to cook, and I reach for the real deal, but for lunch, which is usually salad-on-the-run, I get boxed greens, those cute little bags of cherry tomatoes, zip bags of croutons, packaged sunflower seeds, and little plastic boxes of pre-crumbled, herbed feta. However, I can now afford to do so, and the trade off in time and effort frees me to do the work I love.

What gets me for convenience vs. price are KIDS' FOODS! Aargh. Corn dogs, taquitos, cheese-and-cracker snacks, sparkling water, fish sticks, chips and salsa, whatever! We finally boy-cotted all that. We now keep flour tortillas and plenty of cheddar on hand, and we make double portions of dinner. The boy gets a microwaved but homemade enchilada of leftovers and cheese when he's hungry, and he's just as happy. He can drink filtered water or milk. Now all I have to contend with is finding room for several gallons of milk each week.

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Mary Baker

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How about diced red onion at $3.99/lb?

For those interested, Whole Foods Chelsea has it. Do people really buy that?

The human mouth is called a pie hole. The human being is called a couch potato... They drive the food, they wear the food... That keeps the food hot, that keeps the food cold. That is the altar where they worship the food, that's what they eat when they've eaten too much food, that gets rid of the guilt triggered by eating more food. Food, food, food... Over the Hedge
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Now, I know there is a price to be paid for convenience, HOWEVER here are two outrageous things I saw at my local Wegman's supermarket.

I brought this up in another thread somewhere...but I think people forget the handicapped when they marvel at cut up foods. "Why don't people do that themselves?" is an easy thing to say when one's hands are not crippled with arthritis or carpal tunnel...as my 85 year old Auntie's are. Pounding chicken breasts?? Not only can't she do it because of her hands, she won't do it. She's afraid her counters will collapse (I know...but she's elderly...so I pound them for her in her garage on a table...or she buys the pre-pounded ones). I sometimes opt for convenience myself. And one PAYS for convenience. Someone else has done the work for you. You want that you should have it free? :raz:

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Now, I know there is a price to be paid for convenience, HOWEVER here are two outrageous things I saw at my local Wegman's supermarket.

I brought this up in another thread somewhere...but I think people forget the handicapped when they marvel at cut up foods. "Why don't people do that themselves?" is an easy thing to say when one's hands are not crippled with arthritis or carpal tunnel...as my 85 year old Auntie's are. Pounding chicken breasts?? Not only can't she do it because of her hands, she won't do it. She's afraid her counters will collapse (I know...but she's elderly...so I pound them for her in her garage on a table...or she buys the pre-pounded ones). I sometimes opt for convenience myself. And one PAYS for convenience. Someone else has done the work for you. You want that you should have it free? :raz:

Excellent point about the elderly or handicapped.

I was just surprised at more than twice the original price for pounded chicken. It's not like cleaning crabs, which is really labor intensive!

Like your Mrs. Slocombe quote!

*****

"Did you see what Julia Child did to that chicken?" ... Howard Borden on "Bob Newhart"

*****

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Oh my... I do love the packaged salad greens. As much as I love to cook, for some inexplicable reason I hate... HATE, HATE, HATE... to make salad. I know. It makes no sense. If it weren't for those little bags of vegetable matter, I would never make a salad for myself. And, if I bought all of the heads of stuff to provide the variety, I would have a mountain of salad stuff that couldn't be eaten before it rots even if I had a pet cow.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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You know what? Nobody's forcing anyone to buy it!

And , another way of looking at this ( from a food retailer's standpoint, since I am working in food retail ), the expensive stuff is contributing to keeping your market OPEN. The profit margin on food is anywhere from 1 to 2 %. If you want your markets to stay open, then be glad that other people, lazy or physically challenged or well off, are subsidising your food market by buying the more expensive stuff.

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