# and the sheeple are finally figuring it out



## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

not sure if this goes here or in general...

the whole article here...

After Gas Pains, Consumers Hit With Skyrocketing Grocery Bill - FoxNews.com

The price at the pump is painful, but the agony doesn't end there.

Faced with soaring shipping costs, food suppliers and manufacturers are raising prices.

Now, a trip to the local supermarket can be as shocking as a stop at the gas station. According to the U.S. Labor Department, *food prices climbed 3.9 percent last month. It's the biggest spike since November 1974.*


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Our local big box chain called Meijers(I know they dropped the 's' but it is damned hard to change when ya gets old) has these 10 for $10 with the 11 free sales for a couple of years now and while there have been times when the product here and there would sell out. The last couple sales that they have run have run out and cleared the shelves! Mainly the good things like raw mushrooms and 5 lb potatoes and veggies-lucky me I am smart and always ask for a rain check and they are good for one month-talking to my mom she wants some of the white albacore tuna and the bottled mushrooms(the really good ones that are still from the USA) she will share them with me as I was only gonna buy about 5 or so of each. But now I am thinking that I should just get the 11 and hide half.. but I love my mom and don't mind sharing-  they limit the rain checks but not the actual product so I think folks are getting wise and stocking up asap!


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Yesterday I had to stop at our local grocery. I walked by the meat counter and my mouth dropped and stayed that way. A young man who works as a meat cutter there also works for us part time with yard work etc. I asked him what they did with all the meat they surely couldn't sell at those prices, he said they sell out all the time, because of food stamps. Seems the people on food stamps don't care about the price since we are paying for it.


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## fancy1 (Jan 18, 2011)

I'd stopped in to out local dollar store for a couple of things yesterday and was surprised to overhear a conversation on the next aisle.
"you'll be glad for that when the powers off for good..." said the male voice. 
"well, what about that box of "XYZ", can we make that do?" said the female.

So, I rounded the corner and see a middle aged, and I presumed middle class by their attire/hair styles etc, pushing a very loaded cart! They had 100's of things in their cart and she was carrying a hand basket as well. As I passed them, all I could say was "don't forget stick matches", and it looked as if a lightbulb came on. 

When I told DH about it, he was happy to hear that at least they were thinking about things, trying to do something to take care of themselves. We're seeing more and more folks "stocking up", partly because of inflated prices, but now we're seeing more of a "prepper" mindset.


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## geoffreys7 (Jan 11, 2011)

I just noticed my coffee went from $9.98 to $10.98 a 10% increase!
What happened to no inflation!? 10% increase has become common on many food products.


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

Clarice said:


> Yesterday I had to stop at our local grocery. I walked by the meat counter and my mouth dropped and stayed that way. A young man who works as a meat cutter there also works for us part time with yard work etc. I asked him what they did with all the meat they surely couldn't sell at those prices, he said they sell out all the time, because of food stamps. *Seems the people on food stamps don't care about the price since we are paying for it*.


So many people on food stamps are either so used to riding the system, or used to a higher standard of living before the economy (and their personal finances) fell flat, either way, a pet peeve of mine.

I think food stamps should be more like WIC, allowing you a certain amount of store brand/preselected brand staples, like peanut butter, beans, basic cereal, milk, cheese. And I say this because pre-prepper I had a few hard times myself, like everybody else. You learn to buy the basics to make the $ stretch.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

People around here are stocking up, too. I'm apparently not the only one who's noticed because the grocery had bags of beans & rice for 50 cents a pound advertised in their paper again. They usually have that sale about twice a year but this is the second time already this year they've run it.


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

fancy1 said:


> I'd stopped in to out local dollar store for a couple of things yesterday and was surprised to overhear a conversation on the next aisle.
> "you'll be glad for that when the powers off for good..." said the male voice.
> "well, what about that box of "XYZ", can we make that do?" said the female.
> 
> ...


We shop regularly at Sam's Club. We have always been people watchers ... me because I think people are interesting to observe, the hubby because he is a cop and that is what the danged old JBTs do ... even when they are not at work! 

Anyway ... we have noticed a LOT more people buying in bulk. A LOT ... It actually does my heart good. Folks that "we" thought would never "get it" obviously do and I am glad to help any single one of them if I can.

I shop the thrift stores and dollar stores a bunch because I have just always been a tightwad. There are a lot more "affluent" looking people in both places now ... all driving their brand new cars still ... lol

Bad side of all this is this time last year I picked up some really nice wool blankets for a dollar a piece at the thrift store. No blankets at ALL so far this year ... and you used to be able to pick up seasoned cast iron for a song ... NOT now ...


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Clarice said:


> Yesterday I had to stop at our local grocery. I walked by the meat counter and my mouth dropped and stayed that way. A young man who works as a meat cutter there also works for us part time with yard work etc. I asked him what they did with all the meat they surely couldn't sell at those prices, he said they sell out all the time, because of food stamps. Seems the people on food stamps don't care about the price since we are paying for it.


as an addition to that, our local news just did a piece on people on 'utilities assistance' and a large % of those that get free utilities or are making 'good faith' payments in the study are running up HUGE bills keeping their thermostats set at 75-80 degrees  ... I guess if you never plan to pay for it, you don't care how much it costs... :rant: :gaah:


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## tikiman (Mar 1, 2011)

Ever sense the fall I've noticed the buy x get y for free amount has dwindled. Many stores over the holliday season run flour and sugar on good sale pricing but not this year. Even now, it's buy 2 get one half off etc. We are trying to watch for staples like potatoes, onions etc that go on sale or buy1 get 1 and dry the free bag.


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## twiggie (Jan 3, 2009)

Don't think they'll be doing it for too long, if the economy ever recovers everyone who is stocking up now for the first time will probably forget about the possibility of another shortage happening and go back to their old ways of consumerist overspending.


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## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Well, of course they will. Doing all of that extra work required to take care of yourself is just so danged inconvenient. Besides, there will be that new 3D TV to buy, lol.


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## kyfarmer (Feb 22, 2009)

In my local area ya can't find anything in bulk, beans, rice 5lb's is it even at crappy wallyworld. The price has doubled almost on the smaller pac's to.


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

geoffreys7 said:


> I just noticed my coffee went from $9.98 to $10.98 a 10% increase!
> What happened to no inflation!? 10% increase has become common on many food products.


With coffee it's not so much inflation as it's shortage. Weather issues caused a shortage in plant growth and a 20%-25% lower crop.


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## Centraltn (Feb 21, 2011)

Multitudes of reasons for the price of food rising so fast. Corse- everything is up, we all know that but the price of the shipping (due to the price of fuel) isnt the only reason.
1. The major wheat producers of the world, china and russia, have been sufferring terribly from droughts, so their production is nil for the past couple of years and its finally cantching up on us.
2. Our government, in all its wisdom, and to save a little darting fish or creeping snail of some kind, dropped one half of the water usages in the san joacin (sp) valley- one of our heaviest food producing areas and by doing so, put farmers out of business. They couldnt get loans to see them through, thanks to the banking mess, so we lost 1/2 of our agricultural acreage in this country.
3. The cost of fuel had gone up almost 25-30%. Deisel (farm use deisel as well as road use especially.
4. There is a HUGE food shortage going on WORLDWIDE and ofcorse it is affecting us too, and will continue to for alot of years to come.
5. Our govt, again in all its 'wisdom', has made a mandate that X amount of corn now must go into fuel. You know how many foods include CORN as an ingredient.. corn syrup, corn flour, corn meal, corn fructose etc etc etc. Its used in a huge number of foods AND its used to feed out meat producing cattle, chicken, pork etc.. even fish (on fish farms).


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## Asatrur (Dec 17, 2008)

I cannot find an electronic copy, but my local paper had a story on folks getting prepped with all the stuff going on.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Centraltn said:


> Multitudes of reasons for the price of food rising so fast. Corse- everything is up, we all know that but the price of the shipping (due to the price of fuel) isnt the only reason.
> 1. The major wheat producers of the world, china and russia, have been sufferring terribly from droughts, so their production is nil for the past couple of years and its finally cantching up on us.
> 2. Our government, in all its wisdom, and to save a little darting fish or creeping snail of some kind, dropped one half of the water usages in the san joacin (sp) valley- one of our heaviest food producing areas and by doing so, put farmers out of business. They couldnt get loans to see them through, thanks to the banking mess, so we lost 1/2 of our agricultural acreage in this country.
> 3. The cost of fuel had gone up almost 25-30%. Deisel (farm use deisel as well as road use especially.
> ...


you forgot the most important reason... ouor FIAT currency is getting printed at an unprecedented rate


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## Centraltn (Feb 21, 2011)

You are right- and as of last week, it had lost 23% of its value


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

twiggie said:


> Don't think they'll be doing it for too long, if the economy ever recovers everyone who is stocking up now for the first time will probably forget about the possibility of another shortage happening and go back to their old ways of consumerist overspending.


Oh I don't know about that. My guess is that some will but some will "see the light" as we like to say. Every generation has it's lessons to learn. My generation has had it pretty damned easy compared to the generations before. Unfortunately it does not appear that we will be able to pass that relatively easy life on to our children, no matter how badly we want to.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

BadgeBunny said:


> Oh I don't know about that. My guess is that some will but some will "see the light" as we like to say. Every generation has it's lessons to learn. My generation has had it pretty damned easy compared to the generations before. Unfortunately it does not appear that we will be able to pass that relatively easy life on to our children, no matter how badly we want to.


maybe that's not such a bad thing... I'm not that old, but I know that I appreciate the things I've really had to work/struggle for more than the things that came too easy, but sometimes catching a break feels pretty darn good too.


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

The_Blob said:


> maybe that's not such a bad thing... I'm not that old, but I know that I appreciate the things I've really had to work/struggle for more than the things that came too easy, but sometimes catching a break feels pretty darn good too.


As someone who tends to have to learn her lessons the hard way :sssh: I believe you are correct. That which is EARNED is cherished much more than that which is GIVEN, in my experience. (Although I have to admit I certainly enjoy -- and cherish -- gifts much more now! )


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