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The US grocery slowdown is real

bain.com

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Re: The US grocery slowdown is real

#131

Post by markoman »

BearOso wrote: post #95
Avicebron wrote: post #3

They should just lead with people don't have any money to buy things because wages aren't increasing to match living expenses. It cuts back some of the fig leaves

The article is from Bain Capital. Of course they're going to ignore the obvious reason and blame something else. They raised prices more than people are willing to pay. Unlimited profit growth can't exist.

Bain Capital and Bain & Co. are separate, but what's interesting is that the former was spun off from the latter in 1984 as a way to apply and profit from the learned business juice (i.e., wisdom?) of the Harvard & Wharton MBAs that they hire.

Re: The US grocery slowdown is real

#132

Post by entropyie »

hattmall wrote: post #83
entropyie wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have two kids and this is pure bollox. They'll eat what they are given if they are hungry enough. Or eat the leftovers yourself. Cook the fruit and make compote. We never throw out edible food, virtually zero waste. Just make an effort.

You are the outlier then, the situation described was spot on for all the parents I know.

I think if you take a global outlook, you'll find I am not the outlier. Wasting food is a recent Western phenomenon.

Re: The US grocery slowdown is real

#133

Post by disgruntledphd2 »

irishcoffee wrote: post #130
disgruntledphd2 wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I also personally like eating leftovers for both breakfast and a packed lunch, which probably helps a bit. That definitely helps, I'm pretty bad at eating leftovers unless I put them in a new meal so we end up with more food waste than necessary. Kids completely changing what they'll eat on a weekly basis also has a pretty large impact.

Kids are difficult, I can attest to that. Realizing you’re not feeding your kids poison because you’re eating the same meal, is also a difficult realization. I see nightmare kids via friends/neighbors, and all I can think is “stop treating your kids like they’re your coworkers, they’re your kids and they actually yearn for structure and ‘discipline’ in the sense that you are their whole worldview structure” Kids want…

> Kids want structure, rules, boundaries. They will test them, which is good.

Oh yeah, totally. That being said, our eldest was super picky and changeable (and often didn't eat enough so it was a little concerning) so we often ended up with lots of staples that she one day decided she didn't like :shrug:

Mostly fixed now that she's older, but I can see how food waste happens. And more generally, if the kids get excited or distracted, there will often be waste.

Re: The US grocery slowdown is real

#134

Post by ndsipa_pomu »

grebc wrote: post #99
somekyle2 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We seemingly have very different experiences with rent. All rent I've paid was agreed upon prior to me being charged it, and guns were never involved. The people I rented from did the work of owning/managing the building and providing it for my use. Maybe this isn't a noble way to earn money, but I found it to be a really useful service, and it seems not dramatically different than most services I pay for (how much i…

Some people think society owes them.

That's so true - the land-owning class believe that society should continue paying them lots of money if that land is to be put to use. Don't get me started on landlords and their passive income requirements.

Re: The US grocery slowdown is real

#135

Post by stasomatic »

Brybry wrote: post #76
darth_avocado wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything costs too much. I went to the grocery store yesterday I spent $50 to get a packet of bread, a dozen eggs, two yogurts, two yellow onions, a jalapeno, two tomatoes and a bunch of parsley. This covers breakfast for 2 days for my partner and I. In 2022, $150 would fetch the entire week’s groceries for the two of us. We are paying more, while having to change what we eat with cheaper/unhealthier options. Other…

I feel like some of that is maybe shopping at the wrong place. Which the article I guess covers by saying people are addressing by changing retailers to save money. Where I am in the US, you can get a dozen eggs for ~$2 at Walmart. A loaf of bread with 22 slices is like $2 to $6 depending on store brand vs name brand. The canned refried beans I buy are still $1.30 to $1.50 for 4-5 servings. Some stuff is way too expe…

I think the point is that everything got more expensive, everywhere. How much were these eggs at Walmart in the beginning of 2020?

A dozen of eggs at Aldi's in FL was $0.79 in 2020. Now around $3.00.

Farmed salmon was commonly $8.99 at Costco, now it's $12.99 (sometimes on sale for $9.99).

Re: The US grocery slowdown is real

#136

Post by stasomatic »

silisili wrote: post #73
kart23 wrote: post #33

cooking one or two portions at home using quality ingredients from stores in SF is literally as pricey as eating out nowadays. doesn't surprise me that people are trying to get their dollars to stretch further by buying in bulk, planning ahead more consciously, etc.

Honestly, it's always been that way for a lot of things. Ten years ago I remember trying to make the ultimate home pizza, spent over $30 in ingredients and realized it's cheaper to buy out. Same with hamburgers - unless you can use all of the ingredients to make 5 or 6. Restaurants have always been rather low margin, and they're buying ingredients a heckofa lot cheaper than a single shopper can.

Costco rotisserie chicken at $5.99. I know it's their door buster, but since they won't increase prices on principle, it's the least expensive protein in town, delicious too.

Try to make one yourself for $5.99 when just a pound of chicken thighs at the same store is $3/lbs.

Re: The US grocery slowdown is real

#137

Post by squishington »

Brybry wrote: post #76
darth_avocado wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything costs too much. I went to the grocery store yesterday I spent $50 to get a packet of bread, a dozen eggs, two yogurts, two yellow onions, a jalapeno, two tomatoes and a bunch of parsley. This covers breakfast for 2 days for my partner and I. In 2022, $150 would fetch the entire week’s groceries for the two of us. We are paying more, while having to change what we eat with cheaper/unhealthier options. Other…

I feel like some of that is maybe shopping at the wrong place. Which the article I guess covers by saying people are addressing by changing retailers to save money. Where I am in the US, you can get a dozen eggs for ~$2 at Walmart. A loaf of bread with 22 slices is like $2 to $6 depending on store brand vs name brand. The canned refried beans I buy are still $1.30 to $1.50 for 4-5 servings. Some stuff is way too expe…

On the topic of shopping at the wrong place, in Australia we have a supermarket duopoly. Depending on where you live, you may only have the choice of Coles or Woolworths. They both suck. I'm lucky to live in the inner city and can shop at aldi or the local markets. People living in regional towns have less choice and are getting screwed over.

Re: The US grocery slowdown is real

#138

Post by UncleMeat »

darth_avocado wrote: post #56
Avicebron wrote: post #3

They should just lead with people don't have any money to buy things because wages aren't increasing to match living expenses. It cuts back some of the fig leaves

Everything costs too much. I went to the grocery store yesterday I spent $50 to get a packet of bread, a dozen eggs, two yogurts, two yellow onions, a jalapeno, two tomatoes and a bunch of parsley. This covers breakfast for 2 days for my partner and I. In 2022, $150 would fetch the entire week’s groceries for the two of us. We are paying more, while having to change what we eat with cheaper/unhealthier options. Other…

Where?

At least where I live if I went to Kroger I’d spend $6 on bread, two tubs of Fage would be $14, eggs are like $3, the parsley would be like $1.50 and the rest of the veggies comes out to about $5.

Re: The US grocery slowdown is real

#139

Post by bakies »

alephnerd wrote: post #4

What is interesting is the subnational breakdown - volumes have been decreasing in the US West for over a year compared to the rest of the US, and overall sales have also decreased as well whereas they are stagnant in the rest of the US.

Drought? Less local farming?

Re: The US grocery slowdown is real

#140

Post by darth_avocado »

UncleMeat wrote: post #138
darth_avocado wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything costs too much. I went to the grocery store yesterday I spent $50 to get a packet of bread, a dozen eggs, two yogurts, two yellow onions, a jalapeno, two tomatoes and a bunch of parsley. This covers breakfast for 2 days for my partner and I. In 2022, $150 would fetch the entire week’s groceries for the two of us. We are paying more, while having to change what we eat with cheaper/unhealthier options. Other…

Where? At least where I live if I went to Kroger I’d spend $6 on bread, two tubs of Fage would be $14, eggs are like $3, the parsley would be like $1.50 and the rest of the veggies comes out to about $5.

And how much did that cost in 2022?
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