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Eggspensive

eggspensive.net

231–240 of 307 posts

Re: Eggspensive

#231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe, but I don't really like grocery delivery. It's expensive, and it will only get worse as all these gig economy companies transition from growing their user base to making a profit. It's already been happening with services like Grubhub. The delivery fees haven't changed much, but most restaurants by me charge 20-30% extra when you order through one of these apps instead of in store. This is to make up for the h…

Yeah I'm thinking two or three steps ahead so you have to have a little vision here. There are other intermediate problems to solve as you point out. On your dislike of grocery delivery, think about what you might have said about touchscreens back in the 90s - and don't come at me with some predictable contrarian "but I hate touchscreens in cars" please :)

The problem with touchscreens in the '90s is that the technology wasn't good enough yet.

"Gig economy" technology is plenty mature at this point. The quality of the technical implementation is not my concern. It is the amount of cost it adds, and the fact that I think most current business models are not sustainable.

I'd be happy to be proven wrong. Right now I'm weary of growing overly attached to any deal that seems "too good to be true" without a good understanding of how it will become sustainable once they stop lighting VC money on fire. The long-term impact of these things can be bad even if they are cheaper or more convenient in the short term (i.e. Walmart running new stores at a loss to drive out local competitors)

Re: Eggspensive

#232

There's a monopoly on US eggs, and like seemingly every industry right now, they're blaming externalities to cover the fact that price increases are mostly going to shareholders. https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/23/cant-make-an-omelet/#keep...

We're almost at 60 Million dead poultry in the US from H5N1 since Jan '22. Even before that during covid, there were super long periods of unprofitability for raising turkey to the point that you couldn't even buy whole turkeys in most of the southeastern US for over 10 months. Monopolies are a problem but certainly not the cause of this one.

> We're almost at 60 Million dead poultry in the US from H5N1 since Jan '22.

Wouldn't we see an increase (equal or more) in chicken meat prices as well? If the info is correct...

2020-2023 chicken meat is ~22% higher: https://www.in2013dollars.com/Chicken/price-inflation/2020-t...

2020-2023 eggs are ~91% higher: https://www.in2013dollars.com/Eggs/price-inflation/2020-to-2...

Re: Eggspensive

#233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These kind of comments are the strangest imho. Do we really need an official declaration to deduce someone who says something as clear as "[I don't have] faith in government that you have currently."? Even if they then claim to be something else -- or even against conservatism -- they still are using the exact same rhetoric GP points out that American conservatives use to unjustly cast doubt on government. It's not h…

This is exactly how I end up being labeled a conservative, besides the fact that I like to shoot guns. I don't have faith in government. Government is merely a necessary part of the equation. In the eyes of some, this makes me a conservative. Conserving what? I think taxes are necessary, that social programs can do good (including forms of welfare), that no one should be discriminated against, and that the God of the…

I think it’s because you pick government. I don’t have faith in any large organization public or private not being corrupted. So if you merely don’t have faith in government, it implies you do have faith in non-government entities.

Re: Eggspensive

#234

I think there's something a bit misleading about these prices. This is reporting prices of $2.76 per dozen at a Wallmart near me. I happened to visit that store yesterday and I know damn well there were no eggs being sold at even remotely close to that low price. The Eggspensive site seems to be picking up on this dozen eggs, which happens to be not available at this or any other store in the region. They also are no…

Since this comment is at the top of the thread, I’m going to attach a quick reminder that egg prices are high due to a major outbreak of bird flu. I know that won’t keep this thread from degenerating into political rants about inflation, but maybe it will help someone move on with their day.

You helped me move on with my day, much appreciated

Re: Eggspensive

#235
post #112
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have very specific baskets of goods and methodologies that they publish details on when changed. And it is done by an independent groups of government employees with lots of eyes, both public and private looking at every detail of what they do. I don't think they are simply cherry picking data.

There are a ton of issues with the official CPI numbers that none of this accounts for and even the BLS admits to in a limited extent. It doesn't account for people buying less expensive substitutes when items get expensive, it only includes "staples" despite consumers potentially spend a ton on newer items, it doesn't account for quality changes of items, it has an undue weight on urban areas, doesn't account for sh…

> It doesn't account for people buying less expensive substitutes when items get expensive

as mentioned in the chained CPI FAQ, "The C-CPI-U employs a formula that reflects the effect of substitution that consumers make across item categories in response to changes in relative prices."

https://www.bls.gov/cpi/additional-resources/chained-cpi-que...

Re: Eggspensive

#236
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A Starbucks coffee is not $10. A large, handmade dessert like a Frappuccino is $10. A basic cup of coffee is about $3. Sorry to jump on you but people frequently post complaints about Starbucks coffee being super expensive but then using the price of the most expensive item on their menu that is not a normal coffee.

How many people are getting the basic cup of coffee though? Usually when I go the people ahead of me are getting something fancier than a drip coffee. Not necessarily a $10 Frappuccino but a $7 latte with oat milk.

The point is that dinging Starbucks for having $10 coffee is disingenuous. I usually order a 16oz drip coffee and it is about $3. I see other people ordering that. People are free to order massive dessert drinks but you should not be surprised if those are more expensive than a cup of coffee.

Re: Eggspensive

#237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're almost at 60 Million dead poultry in the US from H5N1 since Jan '22. Even before that during covid, there were super long periods of unprofitability for raising turkey to the point that you couldn't even buy whole turkeys in most of the southeastern US for over 10 months. Monopolies are a problem but certainly not the cause of this one.

> We're almost at 60 Million dead poultry in the US from H5N1 since Jan '22. Wouldn't we see an increase (equal or more) in chicken meat prices as well? If the info is correct... 2020-2023 chicken meat is ~22% higher: https://www.in2013dollars.com/Chicken/price-inflation/2020-t... 2020-2023 eggs are ~91% higher: https://www.in2013dollars.com/Eggs/price-inflation/2020-to-2...

Meat chickens and egg chickens are not the same. Egg chickens take longer to reach productive age, so the market finds it harder to react to supply shocks.

Re: Eggspensive

#238
post #82
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bet the government's inflation tracker is also connected to walmart links. No wonder the gov things we're at negative inflation.

The US government has extremely strong incentives to report inflation as low as possible, so it's likely less about "thinking" we're at negative and more that they pick and choose data to show it intentionally.

Do you have any evidence that the methods to calculate inflation have changed at any point in the Biden administration to show negative inflation right now or are you just heavily implying that it's probably happening without any such evidence?

Re: Eggspensive

#239
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A Venti (large) flavored latte is $6.15 with tax at my local store in Florida (just checked). Prices in NY are usually a bit higher. Wouldn't be surprised to see it for $7+ there. I agree it's probably not most people with $10 coffees, but given the choices in NY, if it is truly a Starbucks cup, the person is likely not going there for a basic $3 coffee (which is $3.16 with tax here, and probably $4 in NYC).

Apparently a Starbucks Venti is 20 ounces, which is massive. I understand American taste is quite different to the rest of the world, but I struggle to call a 20 fl oz drink "a normal coffee".

FWIW the 16oz ‘grande’ is what most people would consider normal. A 12oz drink is usually viewed as small.

Re: Eggspensive

#240
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I go through ~18 eggs/week. I already bought better eggs though, so the price increases have not been as noticeable. Something I will notice is when my local grocery stops selling chicken breasts for $1.99/pound. I'm surprised they haven't upped the price every time I'm in there.

I assume the price is low because they are culling herds

It's been $1.99 for years. It's my bellweather for price increases.
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