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The Inflation Thread 2021-22

kcmets Nov 19 2021 06:30 PM

Boars Head pastrami here -- $13.25/lb

kcmets Nov 19 2021 06:31 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Gas has leveled off here at the $3.49 mark the last couple of weeks.

Fman99 Nov 20 2021 04:11 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I stopped making steaks on the grill here. Used to be I could buy two NY Strip Steaks for $11 or so at my local Wegmans. They're over $20 now. Sorry, not paying that to feed half my family one meal.

kcmets Nov 20 2021 08:24 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yeah, meat has gone nuts, especially the good stuff. We had pot roast all week, boneless chuck @ $3.49/lb which isn't too bad.

Ceetar Nov 20 2021 08:35 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

We've been taken for a ride by our corporate overlords. They saw a minor blip in things last March and took the opportunity to jack up the prices on everything to make up for it. And now they're all balking because their slave labor doesn't want to work for slave wages despite said corporate overlords absolutely raking in the dough at record rates.

MFS62 Nov 20 2021 08:53 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

$1.69 for a gallon of Poland Spring water. WATER!!!! And the super market brand went up from $.99 to $1.29. I have to drink bottled water because our local water is hard and we use a water softener. I can't drink the house water because of the salt used in the softener. Yikes! Later

kcmets Nov 20 2021 11:41 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I drink a lot of water too. Shop-Rite pretty much weekly has some kind of water sale but you have buy three cases or such. Last Sunday I got 6 3-liter bottles (a little less than a gallon) for a dollar a pop but you had to buy six but seems reasonable.

Lefty Specialist Nov 20 2021 02:14 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

If you're buying water in a bottle, anything over about 10 cents is overpaying. And about 9 3/4 cents of that cost would be the bottle. People are jacking up prices currently now because they can get away with it; everything's blamed on 'supply chain issues'. There are supply chain issues (I could talk for an hour about them because it's my field), but the price of, say, gasoline has nothing to do with them- that's just OPEC squeezing right now. And there's no good reason for your Cocoa Puffs to cost 20% more. Meanwhile I walked into a Best Buy today and the place was bursting with TV's. They were practically blocking the entrance. No supply chain issue there.

kcmets Nov 20 2021 03:08 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I drink bottled water here because our tap water sucks. Smells and tastes like swimming pool (without the urine).

Fman99 Nov 20 2021 03:16 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Our tap water is fine - I drink it out of our fridge's water dispenser every day. But we also keep bottled water handy because it's easy to grab one as you head out the door. A 35 pack of 16.9 oz waters still only cost $4 at Wegmans which is pretty cheap.

Ceetar Nov 20 2021 04:36 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

as long as we're talking water, those metal cups that are all the rage these days (not the Yetis, though there were plenty of people filling up Yetis with booze in Mexico) work really nicely for keeping water/other chilled all day.

kcmets Dec 17 2021 06:17 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Got a heating oil delivery today. Expected sticker shock per gallon but it was pretty reasonable compared to the increasing gasoline nonsense going on here. Supermarket too. Saw 90% lean hamburger this week @8.15/lb.

MFS62 Dec 18 2021 06:28 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=kcmets post_id=83292 time=1639790275 user_id=53] Got a heating oil delivery today. Expected sticker shock per gallon but it was pretty reasonable compared to the increasing gasoline nonsense going on here.

Same thing. I got a heating oil delivery @ $3.09 per gallon, which surprised me that it was less than the $3.45 - $3.49 local price for regular gas.



Later

Lefty Specialist Dec 18 2021 06:45 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Gas by me has dropped by about 15 cents a gallon in the last month, but there haven't been any screaming headlines about it.

kcmets Dec 19 2021 07:01 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Gasoline has stopped rising here, but it's still up 60-70% in just one short year. I know it was a coincidence, but the rise started on Inauguration Day.

Lefty Specialist Dec 19 2021 07:17 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Gas prices crashed when the economy shut down in 2020, you realize that, right? Gas was also pretty cheap in late 2008 and early 2009. Gas prices fluctuate but it's a supply and demand thing more than who's in the White House. Right now OPEC has been pretty good at holding the line on production and demand has been coming back due to a recovering economy (provided Omicron doesn't lock things down again).

Willets Point Jan 25 2022 09:02 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

The non-inflated truth about inflation.

metsmarathon Jan 25 2022 09:45 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

no! the corporations only care about the welfare of the consumer, and keep our costs low by competing fairly amongst each other. is... is that not so...?

Edgy MD Jan 25 2022 10:04 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

America could stand to bust up some anti-trust initiatives and monopolies again.

kcmets Jan 25 2022 11:11 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Corporation bashing can be fun, I do it all the time. If these companies would 'pay their fare share' of taxes then they wouldn't be swimming in dough. Biden is going to fix this! How do I know? He told us every day up until he was elected. Now nary a word on the subject. I imagine an awful lot of people reading this own Procter & Gamble (for example) 'stock' in one form or another.

kcmets Jan 25 2022 11:40 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

55 Corporations Paid $0 in Federal Taxes on 2020 Profits

kcmets Feb 13 2022 06:46 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Got a heating oil delivery today. Expected sticker shock per gallon but it was pretty reasonable... $3.89/gallon earlier this week, up ~$0.75/gallon. That's a big % in 2 months. And the tank was pretty bare so over $1,000... yay team! https://thecranepool.net/images/inflation1.png>

Chad ochoseis Feb 13 2022 02:40 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

That argument would be a lot stronger if restaurants weren't also increasing prices 12 months ago because COVID. I was getting gas today ($3.34/gallon, which is the highest I've ever seen it in Ohio) and saw that same ridiculous Biden sticker. As Lefty said above, it's a supply and demand thing. As the COVID crisis waned, there was always going to be inflation as demand would increase faster than supply chains could get up to capacity again.

kcmets Feb 13 2022 03:00 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I know, and just because I repeat something I've seen doesn't mean I subscribe to it or believe it. A lot of people I know eat this shit up on social media and it's a large portion of our nations 'news" source. If things don't improve soon, the "are you better off today than you were two years ago?" thing is gonna be huge in November.

Chad ochoseis Feb 13 2022 03:01 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yep... figured you didn't believe it. Was in the spirit of a comment, not an argument.

kcmets Feb 13 2022 03:14 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=kcmets post_id=81469 time=1637371810 user_id=53] Boars Head pastrami here -- $13.25/lb

And since it's a new page, pastrami was #14.95/lb on Saturday here.

kcmets Mar 11 2022 02:40 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

People complaining about $4+ gas while waiting on a line for a $5 cup of coffee and a $4 yuck-muffin is kinda amusing.

Double Switch Mar 11 2022 02:56 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I don't call it inflation. It's a reaction to real life. It's not political. Lots of stuff people think is "political" is not political, but that's an easy excuse for complaining. Gas in my region is pushing upwards of $5/gal but I don't care. Compared with the general economy, it's still a bargain. After all these years of fluctuating gas/gal prices, it's old news. Adapt or die.

Edgy MD Mar 11 2022 03:07 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Well, part of it is political, considering (a) the fossil fuel industry is generously subsidized, and (b) given domestic drilling access by the federal government. So, the industry is heavily politicized, whether or not the price is or is not in part the result of a political calculation.

Double Switch Mar 11 2022 03:14 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

"Politicized" is what is known as a fuzzy qualifier. You have your definition, which seems all encompassing. Mine is more specific and doesn't fit yours. Call it what you will, but prices will rise no matter what you call it.

kcmets Apr 18 2022 07:00 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Got heating oil this morning... $5.09/gallon. $5.09! If you like me on social media, please visit my gofundme page.

TransMonk Apr 18 2022 07:59 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

https://i.imgur.com/o8PXSnE.png>

kcmets Apr 18 2022 08:09 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

A pint of heavy cream (I made a nice sauce yesterday) at Shoprite cost $5.19. A pint. Thick milk. $5.19.

Frayed Knot Apr 18 2022 11:48 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Creams -- both heavy and half/half -- have been in short supply lately, hence the heftier prices.

Lefty Specialist Apr 18 2022 12:09 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I strongly suspect that a lot of companies are raising prices because they can, not because they need to. The inflation news means you can do it and not take any blame. Two big inflation drivers right now are the price of used cars and the cost of rent. Not anything that'll make the cost of cream go up.

kcmets Apr 18 2022 02:10 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

There's a lot going on. I get it. Shop-rite owns the store they occupy and isn't in the used car market. There are dozens of things we buy regularly that are nearly three times what they cost only three years ago. A lot of people don't want to talk about it. The 'why' they don't is obvious.

MFS62 Apr 18 2022 04:46 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Egg prices are rising, but NOT because of COVID or trucker blockades. (Yahoo reprint of Finance article) https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/egg-prices-surging-because-major-182010851.html Later

The Hot Corner Apr 18 2022 04:58 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

The crazy Trump supporters and all Republicans are definitely willing to talk about inflation, increased prices for gas (and most everything else), and the poor performance of the stock market.

Lefty Specialist Apr 18 2022 05:28 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Trump imposed tariff of up to 25% on a whole range of items coming from China. (I know, my company was directly affected). They held the line as long as they could but gave in about 8 months ago and raised prices. People see supply-chain problems and the like and accept inflation. I haven't seen anything triple in price. Not even gas (which has actually dropped a bit lately). What costs three times what it cost in 2019? Inquiring minds want to know.

kcmets Apr 18 2022 06:42 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Lefty Specialist wrote: I haven't seen anything triple in price. I bought paper towels at Wal-mart yesterday for nearly $13. Paper towels.

Lefty Specialist Apr 19 2022 05:53 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

That's why I don't shop at Wal-Mart. The big pack of Bounty have usually been $18.99 at Shop-Rite, and I bought them last week for.......$18.99. When it tops $50, I'll let you know. For years companies have been 'raising prices without raising prices', by making the packages smaller. The 'half-gallon' of Tropicana dipped down to 59 ounces a few years ago and now it's 52 ounces. Put a roll of toilet paper in the holder. Notice how much room there is on both sides? They've been making toilet paper skinnier. The 32 ounce jar of Ragu is now 24 ounces. Remember when a cup of yogurt was 8 ounces? Now it's 6, and the brand my wife likes is down to 5.3 ounces. Wishbone Dressing 16 ounce bottles are now 15. Clever packaging hides the theft. In every instance the price remained the same- you just got less, and it's been going on for years.

kcmets Apr 19 2022 07:30 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Lefty Specialist wrote: That's why I don't shop at Wal-Mart. The big pack of Bounty have usually been $18.99 at Shop-Rite, and I bought them last week for.......$18.99. When it tops $50, I'll let you know. There's no reason to be like that, you asked a question. 13.49 / 4.99 = 2.70 (or nearly triple)

batmagadanleadoff Apr 19 2022 09:06 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Lefty Specialist wrote: That's why I don't shop at Wal-Mart. The big pack of Bounty have usually been $18.99 at Shop-Rite, and I bought them last week for.......$18.99. When it tops $50, I'll let you know. There's no reason to be like that, you asked a question. 13.49 / 4.99 = 2.70 (or nearly triple) What? He's not allowed to tell you that paper towels haven't gone up at all where he shops without you getting all bent out of shape? For the record, where I shop, paper towels are up, maybe, six or seven percent over the last year, year and a half. So I have no idea how your store could triple the price of paper towels. Also, if manufacturers are price gouging just because they can for no reason at all other than making believe that there are inflationary pressures -- that is, -- if they are merely pretending that there are inflationary reasons to raise prices, they should get crushed competitively by manufacturers not playing that game. Also, it's a real pleasure to buy paper towels where I shop because they're brought out by Hooters girl wearing skintight versions of the Nationals cherry blossom tops with the WSH lettering. I wonder why you've posted like 48 times in the last four hours how much you hate those jerseys. It couldnt possibly be me.

kcmets Apr 19 2022 09:18 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I'm not bent out of anything. And I have zero idea what your jersey comment means.

kcmets Apr 19 2022 10:13 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=89706 time=1650380800 user_id=68]I wonder why you've posted like 48 times in the last four hours how much you hate those jerseys. It couldnt possibly be me.

Do you realize how twisted you sound sometimes? The only time I think about

you is when you're being a douchebag towards me. Like this morning.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 19 2022 10:35 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=kcmets post_id=89713 time=1650384823 user_id=53] The only time I think about you is...

always.

kcmets Apr 19 2022 10:46 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=89715 time=1650386157 user_id=68] =kcmets post_id=89713 time=1650384823 user_id=53] The only time I think about you is...

always.


Moderators please note stalky douchebaggery behavior.

batmagadanleadoff Apr 19 2022 11:03 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=kcmets post_id=89719 time=1650386766 user_id=53] =batmagadanleadoff post_id=89715 time=1650386157 user_id=68] =kcmets post_id=89713 time=1650384823 user_id=53] The only time I think about you is...

always.


Moderators please note stalky douchebaggery behavior.

What? You can respond to my posts but I cant respond to yours? And what did you say? [I]Douchebaggery?

kcmets Apr 19 2022 11:06 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

LEAVE ME ALONE! NOW!!!!

Lefty Specialist Apr 19 2022 01:30 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=89706 time=1650380800 user_id=68] Also, it's a real pleasure to buy paper towels where I shop because they're brought out by Hooters girl wearing skintight versions of the Nationals cherry blossom tops with the WSH lettering.

Need the address of that supermarket, please. Willing to pay an inflationary premium.

kcmets May 10 2022 09:36 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Biden soon to address the nation on inflation. "It's gonna be alright, it's gonna be ok. Hang in there we'll get through this together." Diesel is $5.65/gal down the street.

Willets Point May 10 2022 09:41 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

This should really be The Corporate Price Gouging Thread.

kcmets May 10 2022 09:46 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Start one, I'll participate. Inflation is at a 40 year high. 40.

Bob Alpacadaca Jun 10 2022 07:08 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

[url]https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/06/10/business/inflation-cpi-report-may?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20220610&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=cta®i_id=95723504&segment_id=94737&user_id=601992d194880a0af5eb31bec355fecf This is bad. From the Times: Prices climbed 8.6 percent in the year through May, a re-acceleration of inflation that makes it increasingly difficult for consumers to afford everyday purchases and poses a major challenge for the Federal Reserve and White House as they try to secure a strong and stable economy. The Consumer Price Index climbed 1 percent from April — far more quickly than in the previous month — and by 0.6 percent after stripping out food and fuel prices, which can be volatile. That so-called core inflation reading matched April's reading. Fed officials are watching for signs that inflation is cooling on a monthly basis as they try to guide price increases back down to their goal, but Friday's report offered more reason for worry than comfort. The headline inflation rate was the fastest since late 1981, as a broad array of products and services including rents, gas, used cars, and food became sharply more expensive. From NBC's @charlieherman According to Moody's Analytics - compared to a year ago - American households are paying $460 more per month to buy the same amount of goods and services.

metsmarathon Jun 10 2022 08:51 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

so much of our inflation right now is due to the fact that there's not much excess manufacturing capacity out there on key products (like, for instance baby food, or computer chips) or no incentive for manufacturers to expand manufacturing capacity (cough, cough, gas) so why should we expect prices to ever fall? the gas companies are making bank, so why should they go to the expense of adding capacity to bring down prices if it'll slash into their profits? demand is still going through the roof, so, yay capitalism. fuel prices drive the rest of the economy's prices, too. add in the clusterfuck around computer chips and you can squarely blame most of the current inflationary pressure on the lingering massive unprecedented supply chain issues that covid put on to the world, and continues to this day. it's a lot easier to shut down a factory due to short term drop in demand, or worker unavailability, than it is to turn that same factory back on. especially when not having that factory up and running isn't hurting the company bottom line. but yeah, no, it's all because the dems won't build a pipeline that takes dirty, sandy sludgy crude from canada to the gulf for foreign export.

Ceetar Jun 10 2022 09:23 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Bob Alpacadaca wrote: From NBC's @charlieherman According to Moody's Analytics - compared to a year ago - American households are paying $460 more per month to buy the same amount of goods and services. Nobody should tweet stuff like this without tweeting the comparable (and mostly missing) cost to the company of said goods and services. But these are generally the same people ignoring a massive labor movement. There are no "supply chain issues" companies cut staff and hours/products/lines to fit covid protocols and realize they accidentally made everything more efficient so aren't bothering to broaden hiring or manufacturing or whatever. It's why sometimes you'll see certain varieties of a product go away for a month or so. Say rainbow goldfish, or apple-guava baby pouches, or whatever goes in that empty slot on the shelf, because they focus production on a more streamlined product and then switch it up. More money for them, less employees, etc. capitalism is toxic.

whippoorwill Jun 10 2022 09:38 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Pizza goldfish around here. Finally found some at Walmart

TransMonk Jun 10 2022 12:12 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Given global trends and corporate profits (as well as several other factors), I tend to to roll my eyes at anyone who blames Biden and the Dems for current inflation or gas prices. They are parroting Repub talking points and either don't understand or are acting in bad faith. Trump had much more to do with where the economy is now and the Repubs aren't offering ANY solutions of their own. Even of they wanted to help, they know there is little they can do either.

Edgy MD Jun 10 2022 12:21 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Well, we can reinstate the legal notion that anti-competitive behavior and monopolies in the marketplace are a bad thing.

TransMonk Jun 10 2022 12:23 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Exactly. Unfortunately, conservatives traditionally haven't gotten in that line either.

Lefty Specialist Jun 11 2022 06:13 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Bob Alpacadaca wrote: From NBC's @charlieherman According to Moody's Analytics - compared to a year ago - American households are paying $460 more per month to buy the same amount of goods and services. Nobody should tweet stuff like this without tweeting the comparable (and mostly missing) cost to the company of said goods and services. But these are generally the same people ignoring a massive labor movement. There are no "supply chain issues" companies cut staff and hours/products/lines to fit covid protocols and realize they accidentally made everything more efficient so aren't bothering to broaden hiring or manufacturing or whatever. It's why sometimes you'll see certain varieties of a product go away for a month or so. Say rainbow goldfish, or apple-guava baby pouches, or whatever goes in that empty slot on the shelf, because they focus production on a more streamlined product and then switch it up. More money for them, less employees, etc. capitalism is toxic. Also, companies are flat-out gouging, starting with the oil companies who are having eye-popping profits while drivers blame Biden for high gas prices.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 11 2022 07:17 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

There are definitely supply chain issues. That's not to say that companies aren't trying to exploit it. Part of the economic issue is blowback from covid, spending on everything plummeted, people got lots of $$ because they weren't spending it on travel and movies and restaurants and so they didn't really feel it or act differently when prices began to creep up. Now it's gotten to the point where demand is faltering especially for those with less spending power. Read last week where Americans have spent 91 billion more on gas this year than last already. And Not for nothing, inefficient gas guzzling cars and suburban lifestyles that cannot function without automobiles is also on the consumer

kcmets Jun 11 2022 08:00 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: And Not for nothing, inefficient gas guzzling cars and suburban lifestyles that cannot function without automobiles is also on the consumer I forget when it started or when it ends but buses are fare-free right now in Westchester. There's an express commuter bus that runs from Peekskill to White Plains in the morning and then in reverse. It makes a series of stops in my city (one is 300 yards away) and then goes to White Plains non-stop. I took it the other day and I thought it was the cats pajamas. And you're right, I don't know anyone on my street or in my circle of friends that would consider taking a county bus. (and there are very fewer than more 'gas guzzling' cars these days) (gas here has managed to stay below $5... but it's knocking at the door)

Ceetar Jun 11 2022 09:09 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

not really on the consumer anymore than carbon emissions are on people flying too much or eating beer. It's corporate or municipal. We'd have to heavily invest in mass transit in any but the biggest cities, build more train/trolley type lines, bus lanes, etc. Also ZONING is a huge issue in suburbia. You can't just plop down a deli and a bodega on a residential corner, so unless you're purposely on one of the busier streets/areas, you have to drive there. And the US is vehemently against denser zoned areas are multi-family homes, even to the point of making overnight parking laws as a way to keep two/extended families from living in a place. Which means the total amount of people living even near walkable suburban downtowns is less than it would be otherwise.

kcmets Jun 12 2022 12:27 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Just walked down to my convenient Sinclairmart for a 12-pack of old-man beer the price went up ~4%. It went up ~5% in May too. If people can't see the seriousness of this situation, they have blinders on.

Ceetar Jun 12 2022 12:46 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

drink better beer?

kcmets Jun 12 2022 12:57 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I like better beer too. 4-packs of the good stuff are up 25% this year.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 12 2022 12:58 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=Ceetar post_id=95673 time=1655003356 user_id=102] not really on the consumer anymore than carbon emissions are on people flying too much or eating beer. It's corporate or municipal. We'd have to heavily invest in mass transit in any but the biggest cities, build more train/trolley type lines, bus lanes, etc. Also ZONING is a huge issue in suburbia. You can't just plop down a deli and a bodega on a residential corner, so unless you're purposely on one of the busier streets/areas, you have to drive there. And the US is vehemently against denser zoned areas are multi-family homes, even to the point of making overnight parking laws as a way to keep two/extended families from living in a place. Which means the total amount of people living even near walkable suburban downtowns is less than it would be otherwise.

So the exurbanites flee dense areas for lower taxes because those areas don't invest in transit or smart development because they don't have the tax base, and if/when they, furtherout they go. It's a cycle

Ceetar Jun 12 2022 02:19 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

sure. At some point you have to break the cycle. For instance, why are they fleeing lower taxes? children? job change? We can address those, maybe people don't move as much. Maybe if rent isn't crazy high 3 or 4 people families feel like they can survive in NYC without the kid living in a closet. But I'm talking about that next step I guess. The first suburb on the cycle. Denser housing, in a mixed setting, there, with better zoning laws, and you DO have the tax base to fund these things. Especially if you're seeing an influx of people that clearly were HAPPY in a more urban environment but just want a few more SQFT. This is even more true now than it was 40 years ago I bet. There's probably a ton of people in their 30s that want a little more living space but don't necessarily want a 2-car garage and a yard to maintain. Given them a duplex type house with a little area to grill and get some fresh air, and they'd be happy. . I think I'm a decent anecdote here. I was in an apartment in a suburb from 2008-2013, walking distance to the train where I worked in Jersey City and NYC. Quick walk to a small downtown area (and it's even better now). We had one car, if my wife was ever at work when I wasn't, I was fine. We moved to a house not so far away, but more than a mile from the train. (We could've prioritized that perhaps, but it would've drastically cut options) needed to buy another car. Of course, another good partial solution is to SLASH the hell out of police budgets, which is pretty much just burning money that could be used to improve things.

Edgy MD Jun 12 2022 03:34 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I encourage you advocate for budget cuts if you don't see them working for you, but I don't see that as a cure for inflation.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 12 2022 04:03 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

And I'm not referring to anyone in particular it is expensive to live in a city and there are reasons to want more space and freedom, but to look at the Facebook convo from people in my feed who both live in the sticks and feel entitled to drive enormous fuel-inefficient vehicles which they need because they shop at 15-mile away Costco and have enormous pantries that need filling because of that, get pissed off because a commodity everyone understands is volatile shows the wrong kind of volatility, I'm like maybe your choices played a role here

Ceetar Jun 12 2022 08:32 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: And I'm not referring to anyone in particular it is expensive to live in a city and there are reasons to want more space and freedom, but to look at the Facebook convo from people in my feed who both live in the sticks and feel entitled to drive enormous fuel-inefficient vehicles which they need because they shop at 15-mile away Costco and have enormous pantries that need filling because of that, get pissed off because a commodity everyone understands is volatile shows the wrong kind of volatility, I'm like maybe your choices played a role here yeah. definitely. They're also often the same type of people who get all NIMBY if someone proposes apartments or denser housing or any of the other things that tend to improve cost of living things. But it's like universal health care. or housing the homeless or feeding the needy. The money's there, but everyone in position to push for it ends up just giving the money to rich people (And themselves) instead.

MFS62 Jul 08 2022 11:37 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

The price of my haircut has gone up 37.5% in the last year, obviously because of the increases in costs of raw materials and transportation. Later

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 08 2022 11:46 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Barbers missed a lot of work over the past 2 years

Edgy MD Jul 08 2022 11:51 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I know that I've been cutting my own hair since March of 2020.

kcmets Jul 08 2022 11:58 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Edgy MD wrote: I know that I've been cutting my own hair since March of 2020. Give yourself a raise! Win-win.

Lefty Specialist Jul 09 2022 11:07 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Gas prices by me have dropped by about 50 cents a gallon, but I'm still waiting for the first article giving Joe Biden credit after all the ones blaming him. Now either the rise or the fall has really anything to do with him, but that never stopped Republicans or Fox 'News' before.

Edgy MD Jul 09 2022 01:14 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yeah, that's the tradition with inflation. The spikes are reported but not the rebounds.

whippoorwill Jul 09 2022 03:43 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I'm not ready to applaud for $4.50 gas

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 09 2022 08:19 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yes but gas is a grudge purchase at any price. You hate it at $2, you hate it at $3, you hate it anywhere. I don't mean you, you, I mean we. Google is always watching me. I get monthly reports on where I've been. In June, when I banged up my knee in the first week and haven't been on a bike since, I went 40 miles by bike, 20 miles by foot and 55 by car. I didn't go any further from my home than citi field, or about 5 miles. Gas, schmas

Ceetar Jul 10 2022 06:50 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

it's going slightly down so that it can drift out of the public consciousness. They can keep it at ..say $3.50-4 and it'll drift out of the zeitgeist, and no one will call for something to be done to the oil companies. (Not that they really did anyway, even though they were 100% the issue)

kcmets Jul 13 2022 09:12 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

+9.1% for the year. New 40-year high. It'll be fine. Got gas over the weekend for $4.55 so that's dropping a bit here. It occurred to me getting a bottle of vodka on Saturday that the brand I buy is still the same pre-Covid price. Guess they're "supply-chain-issues" proof or whatever.

Ceetar Jul 13 2022 09:37 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

2-3 regular (and not at all weird) items i buy have been unavailable at two different stores this week (1 for months, maybe they stopped making it) and I'm tired of the supply chain issue lie. Fucking capitalism.

Frayed Knot Jul 13 2022 12:40 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

We should go to socialism, they never have empty shelves.

Ceetar Jul 13 2022 01:22 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

we should yes. Fully on board there.

MFS62 Jul 13 2022 01:23 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

"Every intelligent boy of 16 is a Socialist" - George Orwell " Keep the Aspidistra Flying. My wife just came back from the super market and said that rice is still a good price. My thought was if the cost of rice starts to climb, a lot of people around the world are going to starve. Later

kcmets Jul 13 2022 01:48 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

A lot of what I post sometimes is sarcastic. *the room gasps* Some things are crazy cheap lately. I bought 5-600 plain napkins over the weekend for $2.98. They were like $12.00 during the peak 'shortages' of paper products. Then you go to the deodorant aisle and it's $7.00. There's something going on, if anyone figures it out please let us know.

MFS62 Jul 13 2022 02:00 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Got gas over the weekend for $4.55 so that's dropping a bit here. It occurred to me getting a bottle of vodka on Saturday that the brand I buy is still the same pre-Covid price. Guess they're "supply-chain-issues" proof or whatever. No, probably 86 proof. BA-BAM! I'll be here all week. Later

Ceetar Jul 13 2022 02:04 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

There's something going on, if anyone figures it out please let us know. https://scontent.fewr1-6.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/293418014_10159924920574605_4966091785778572154_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=-4nROqK4GdAAX95vypb&_nc_ht=scontent.fewr1-6.fna&oh=00_AT92gk2JVOqFSiLx_QMQ65B7kDwg8IbZzlKA2fj-zGmpjw&oe=62D34921>

kcmets Jul 13 2022 02:13 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I've never uttered the Brandon thing, don't really get it nor want to. If what you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt you, why isn't it more newsworthy? I have the news on a lot. Every channel.

kcmets Jul 13 2022 02:14 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=MFS62 post_id=99629 time=1657742431 user_id=60]No, probably 86 proof.

Vodka is generally 40% alcohol so 80 proof.

Ceetar Jul 13 2022 02:18 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

that's just the meme, but regardless, the numbers are true. I don't know the second part. because the news is stupid, biased, and conservative? because IT IS the same corporate profits? [url]https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62148662 here's a bbc news article, talking about inflation, blaming brandon, and not mentioning corporate profits once. The same way the 'news' talks about gas prices constantly, despite that also being mainly the fault of corporate profits. Some economists have also blamed president Biden's Covid spending programmes for exacerbating price increases Like, damn. Reading between the lines this is basically "fucking Biden and his forgiving student loans and giving money to the Ukraine now we all suffer!" which is the fascist party's talking points, but not based in fact in any way.

kcmets Jul 13 2022 02:29 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=Ceetar post_id=99638 time=1657743512 user_id=102]because the news is stupid, biased, and conservative?

MSNBC is hardly conservative. They slew out hour after hour of agenda-

driven liberal news. Which I'm fine with, I watch that station the most. They

have not reported anything about the corporate profit thing when talking about

inflation. I mean never.

MFS62 Jul 13 2022 02:42 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I think Stephane Ruhle has mentioned Corp profits a few times, and she is their Business/ Economics maven. But not too often and not lately. Later

Ceetar Jul 13 2022 02:49 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I dunno, I don't watch much tv news, I don't know how to 'rank' how liberal/conservative they all are. But, are they talking health insurance for all, defunding the cops, excusing all student loans, decreasing the military, pushing for real abortion protections, etc, or are they just aligned with the democrats for the most part? Regardless, it's not exactly a leap. "gee, if the oil companies are making 50 billion more, where did that money come from? hmm..." Or "hey, look, companies laid off employees and now their products are only sporadically on the shelf...but somehow the _corporation_ is making record money.." This stuff isn't happening in a vacuum. There are no covid restrictions. unemployment is low. So why are stores still not stocked like it's 2019 and how are companies making record profits if they're selling less and claiming they can't find workers?

Frayed Knot Jul 13 2022 09:04 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=Ceetar post_id=99613 time=1657740139 user_id=102] we should yes. Fully on board there.

Shortages solved!!

Ceetar Jul 13 2022 09:22 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

probably, yeah. Obviously you can't snap your fingers and change economic systems, but pushes in that direction would certainly alleviate a lot of these problems.

Frayed Knot Jul 13 2022 09:26 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

It's worked everywhere It's been tried!

Ceetar Jul 13 2022 09:56 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

not everywhere, but yes, it's worked.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 14 2022 05:22 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

The nutty thing is that despite the rapid inflation at this point there really hasn't been a meaningful reduction in demand yet, except among the poorest who aren't filling their tanks when they go to the gas station anymore, and have begun making hard choices about feeding themselves. That itself ought to be a concern and a warning. But thanks to lots of stimulus and covid lifestyle impacts (people didn't travel, go to bars, restaurants or baseball games and so they saved more for more than a year) plus the shift in spending throwing efficiency-optimized supply chains out of whack (systems built for X level demand weren't capable of adjusting on a dime to X times 10 demand, or X minus 10 depending on what was made or distributed) making availability inefficient again since in normal times every one thing's normality depends on every other things normality. Things got more expensive yet, people could still buy. I'm no economist but read last week bloomy predicted a 38% chance of recession in 12 months. That seems low because most people seem to think inflation will stick around. The fed last year thought it was a "blip" though

Ceetar Jul 14 2022 06:00 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

A lot of that stimulus went to rich businesses and the rich owners bought yachts while cutting hours/salaries and raising prices because #covid provided justification. another thing much of the media seems to be ignoring, but definitely plays into all this, is the labor uprising and unionizing going on. The fascist party continues to push that paying people living wages is bad, so their labor-busting tactics include messaging that paying a living wage or treating workers better means they have to raise prices (again while purchasing another yacht or trip to space)

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 14 2022 06:02 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

The other thing I'll say is to echo a point made above was the tech revolution that made supply chains more efficient pre-covid had indeed made prices difficult to inflate. Nobody seems to have recognized this but a major reason Whole Foods got sold to Amazon wasn't that Amazon was acquiring some juggernaut but that Whole Foods was getting its ass kicked because food prices were flat or deflating for years so businesses just scaled up and up and up because the greater scale the bigger the benefits of tech to support the ability to gain back pricing power. It's just a cauldron of shit now

Frayed Knot Jul 14 2022 06:43 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Factors contributing to this current spate of inflation - pent-up demand being released after two years of lockdowns, lack of travel, etc. - gov't stimulus money sent out during Covid both to businesses and to people, not all of it wisely - high fuel costs. Between production being cut during Covid and now the Russia/Ukraine mess, supply is low just as demand is skyrocketing and high fuel costs affect the cost of virtually everything - wages. The $15/hr target was reached more by market forces than by mandate but it's gotten there (and higher in many cases) which increases costs across the board - slow Fed response. Low interest rates have been the norm for so long now that it was as if some came to expect them to continue forever. So not only didn't they not anticipate a change but were then slow to act even as it was actually happening. Inflation? Umpossible ... that's some relic from the 1970s which doesn't exist anymore.

Lefty Specialist Jul 14 2022 08:33 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

One more. Companies taking advantage to raise prices. Companies are selling less but making more money, for example the auto companies. Same for fuel costs. There's gouging going on.

metsmarathon Jul 14 2022 09:15 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

so... capitalism is happening. what would really help consumer costs is to put more corporations in charge of more aspects of the economy, because they basically exist entirely to drive profits higher, not prices downward.

Frayed Knot Jul 14 2022 10:57 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Lefty Specialist wrote: One more. Companies taking advantage to raise prices. Companies are selling less but making more money, for example the auto companies. Same for fuel costs. There's gouging going on. Sure, but those things also have the built-in correction mechanisms of competition and reduced demand. They'll stop charges higher prices when either consumers decide to stop paying them or when one of their competitors sees or anticipates reduced demand by lowering prices first. These things don't happen instantly but they'll always happen eventually.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 14 2022 11:37 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Competition in most industries ain't what it used to be and in some, they barely exist. and consolidation has been rewarded not only with massive scale and influence but with tax cuts that were bigger (and permanent) for companies vs. what regular people got, which was enacted so as to sunset.

Bob Alpacadaca Jul 14 2022 11:50 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=Ceetar post_id=99682 time=1657800033 user_id=102] A lot of that stimulus went to rich businesses and the rich owners bought yachts while cutting hours/salaries and raising prices because #covid provided justification. another thing much of the media seems to be ignoring, but definitely plays into all this, is the labor uprising and unionizing going on. The fascist party continues to push that paying people living wages is bad, so their labor-busting tactics include messaging that paying a living wage or treating workers better means they have to raise prices (again while purchasing another yacht or trip to space)

A lot of it went to companies that were shut down due to the pandemic and needed the money to keep paying the bills and avoid bankruptcy. What is your source for that yacht nonsense, another Facebook Simpson meme?

Ceetar Jul 14 2022 12:29 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

used $420,000 of those loan proceeds to buy a beach front vacation home in Dauphin Island, Alabama [url]https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/wellsboro-man-charged-covid-relief-fraud Foad Darakhshan received over $1.5 million of the overall proceeds of the scheme. The group used the proceeds to invest in the stock market, fund a home construction project, travel to Cancun, purchase a vehicle, and pay for other personal expenses. [url]https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/member-3m-covid-19-loan-fraud-conspiracy-sentenced using the money at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and to purchase luxury items including a Ferrari [url]https://www.complex.com/music/pretty-ricky-baby-blue-prison-sentence-24-million-dollar-ppp-loan-scam Among the ripest targets for the cybertheft have been jobless programs. The federal government cannot say for sure how much of the more than $900 billion in pandemic-related unemployment relief has been stolen, but credible estimates range from $87 billion to $400 billion — at least half of which went to foreign criminals, law enforcement officials say. [url]https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/easy-money-how-international-scam-artists-pulled-epic-theft-covid-n1276789

Frayed Knot Jul 14 2022 12:45 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Competition in most industries ain't what it used to be and in some, they barely exist. In the auto industry it's certainly better now than in the days where your choice was something from one of the 'big three' plus the occasional European boutique seller, mostly English or German. Now there are choices from all over Europe, then came Japan, and now multiple entries from South Korea, before even getting into upstarts like Tesla. And I can walk to four supermarkets.

Bob Alpacadaca Jul 14 2022 01:23 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Those are people who abused the system and were caught. Are you saying that was the norm?

Ceetar Jul 14 2022 01:44 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Feds: 75% of $800 billion didn't reach employees [url]https://www.gmtoday.com/the_freeman/business/feds-75-of-800-billion-didn-t-reach-employees/article_3ad9d8c6-feb9-11ec-80d1-e35adb4ef939.html

kcmets Jul 14 2022 01:52 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Breaking out the big guns! The Waukesha County Freeman... lol

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 14 2022 02:18 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Frayed Knot wrote: Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Competition in most industries ain't what it used to be and in some, they barely exist. In the auto industry it's certainly better now than in the days where your choice was something from one of the 'big three' plus the occasional European boutique seller, mostly English or German. Now there are choices from all over Europe, then came Japan, and now multiple entries from South Korea, before even getting into upstarts like Tesla. And I can walk to four supermarkets. Supermarkets are unusually fragmented and local as big businesses go and there's still big imbalances developing, because even a strong regional chain is like 10x smaller than the biggest guys today, and more and more share goes to fewer and fewer players every year, even without big mergers (not to mention the distributors they use are bigger and fewer in number, and the amount of stuff in the store is owned by fewer and fewer guys). It's been unstoppable, even though local guys will always exist and hardly the first industry they'd bust up. I was thinking more along the lines of Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc Oh I also agree at some point somebody blinks. The issue is it doesn't look like higher costs are going to stop coming very soon, so when? Demand has actually held up well as I noted before but its obvious were headed to that point

Frayed Knot Jul 14 2022 03:02 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Supermarkets are unusually fragmented and local as big businesses go and there's still big imbalances developing, because even a strong regional chain is like 10x smaller than the biggest guys today, and more and more share goes to fewer and fewer players every year, even without big mergers (not to mention the distributors they use are bigger and fewer in number, and the amount of stuff in the store is owned by fewer and fewer guys). It's been unstoppable, even though local guys will always exist and hardly the first industry they'd bust up. But yoiu're talking macro where I'm thinking micro. The variety gives me the opportunity to shop for bargains and not Have to pay what one store is asking when I know it's cheaper within a half mile. Plus I Know that with on-line food shopping now a thing, that customers will place orders with several stores at the same time for specific items in each and then pick them up in succession to take advantage of either favorite brands or better prices. iow, not only still lots of competition but now even easier to take advantage of it. One of the secrets to competition working better is better information and that's now better than ever. I can know what X costs at different stores before I leave the house as opposed to the old days waiting for multiple weekly flyers to arrive in the mail or via a newspaper insert. I was thinking more along the lines of Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc Sure. Those are also businesses that didn't exist until relatively recently. Are forced break-ups in the future if they're seen to be abusing their positions? I dunno. Oh I also agree at some point somebody blinks. The issue is it doesn't look like higher costs are going to stop coming very soon, so when? Demand has actually held up well as I noted before but its obvious were headed to that point For every sign that points toward recession and contraction economists will find others that don't and sustaining demand coupled with higher wages/employment are definitely part of the latter.

Edgy MD Jul 14 2022 03:54 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

So, one thing folks mostly agree on is that we've allowed anti-trust regulation and enforcement to soften, and cartels and monopolies to take over large sectors of the economy? Is this correct?

Frayed Knot Jul 14 2022 04:13 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I have no idea. The last big bust-up I recall was probably ATT in the early '80s The last mega-merger allowed? Exxon/Mobil in the mid-'90s maybe

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 14 2022 07:23 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Well my own take is, one of the things driving consolidation is better preparedness to confront companies like Google or Amazon which may be better mousetraps but have managed to get hooks in so many different businesses and themselves have bought up many of their capabilities as they grew, cutting off potential competitors. So Amazon bought a robotic warehouse company now leads the world in ecommerce and the robotics to assemble delivery efficiently, dominates bookselling and e-readers, et etc. And the web services are so profitable they can run nearly every other biz at a huge loss if they want but the competition cannot in theirs so they have to be ruthless about size and scale. Like I said there will always be local stores in part because they take a long time to die but the direction is still more with less which has always been the case I guess just more acute and widespread now. Again I'm an idiot but that just seems right

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 15 2022 11:22 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Frayed Knot wrote: Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Competition in most industries ain't what it used to be and in some, they barely exist. In the auto industry it's certainly better now than in the days where your choice was something from one of the 'big three' plus the occasional European boutique seller, mostly English or German. Now there are choices from all over Europe, then came Japan, and now multiple entries from South Korea, before even getting into upstarts like Tesla. I'm gonna push back at this for a minute, only because I sometimes fantasize about buying a new car and happen to live near several car dealerships, so I literally think about just walking in and buying a new Subaru every time I walk to the supermarket because I have to walk buy he dealer to get there--even though the act of walking to the supermarket should remind me--I don't even need my current car. Anyway... cars. There's Tesla (lol-like I do anything to support that creep except maybe invest the $$ his cars cost into the company--that had been a good idea) and boutiquey, expensive-y imports and such (Porsche, Mercedes BMWs etc-- all way out of most people's price range but "small" market/luxury enough to survive today. Then you've got GM and Ford and Chyrsler, like we always had. Does Crysler still exist? I think it does). Those brands have fewer "sub brands" today, which I think is meaningful when it comes to $$ choices and styles. Like, Mercury and Oldsmobile and Lincoln and Plymouth and Pontiac and Saturn and whatever they represented seem to have all vanished. Then, the Big 3 Japan (Honda, Toyota, Nissan), today, like the Ford-GM-Chrysler of the East Then, the new Korean guys (Hyundai, Kia), who in a way, serve a role the Japan brands used to serve, being cheaper and with better extras (used to be gas mileage, today for some reason it's warranty) Then, VW. I think it's only European brand that's affordably "mainstream." (I'm not sure what Mini Cooper is, but maybe I should count them). And like Suburu, which pretty much only makes trucks that pretend they're cars today. Pretty sure, all those brands--and the subbrands within- all existed when we ALSO had Isuzu and Suzuki and Mitsubishi and Daewoo and Saab, just to name those I can recall. And, pretty much anything a normal person can afford from the survivors, comes in so few styles 1. Trucks 2. Trucks Disguised As Cars 3. Boring Sedans 4. Boring Sedans Disguised As Jeeps It seems to me, the automobile world is smaller and a lot less interesting than it used to be

MFS62 Jul 15 2022 11:34 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 15 2022 12:45 PM

Tell me about it. I learned to drive in my dad's Packard and owned a Buick, Plymouth and several models of cars that still exist but the models don't (Dodge Aspen, Ford Tauri (two Tauruses)). Oh, and a Mazda, too (I think you missed that one). Later

Ceetar Jul 15 2022 12:22 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: And, pretty much anything a normal person can afford from the survivors, comes in so few styles 1. Trucks 2. Trucks Disguised As Cars 3. Boring Sedans 4. Boring Sedans Disguised As Jeeps It seems to me, the automobile world is smaller and a lot less interesting than it used to be I dunno if it's less interesting, but I've never been a car guy. I think "Millennials" in general tend to be less "car people" than previous generations though, so maybe some of it's just that. I think a lot of those companies you mentioned are more consolidated than that too. I think you're over simplifying though. 1. HUGE SUV/Minivans for lugging stuff. Not truck stuff, like soccer goals and 3 tubas and beach chairs. 2. Trucks. Both the more functional "I gotta lug all my construction stuff to the job site, haul a trailer, my boat, etc" and the less functional ones for people that think they want a truck but would actually be fine with a trunk. 3. mid-size/crossover type SUVs for families that want some of the ability of 1, but also want to be able to fit into the spaces at the grocery store. 4. Boring Sedans. Normal "car" sized cars. Ford Tauruses. etc. 5. Functional or Eco type cars. Your Priuses and Ford Leafs as well as your bargain Kias and what not. Get from point A to point B. 6. Specialty. Jeeps, Teslas, etc. These are the ones people buy because they want the _vehicle_ itself, not because of what they need it for. I have a 3 and 4 from Mazda. Again, I'm not a car guy, but I don't think the cars I remember seeing in the 80s and 90s are cooler than they are today. Though maybe cars have just lost some of their sex appeal in general?

Frayed Knot Jul 15 2022 03:20 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

There are fewer 'sub brands' from the American big three because, over a couple of decades, they fell from 90+% of the U.S. market to well under half on account of being replaced by European & east Asian brands. Part of that was bad business planning by the big three, part was Europe and east Asia being in shambles in mid-20th--century. The U.S. companies had very little competition for a time and acted as if it would stay like that forever. Bottom line: there are more car companies from more different areas of the world available to the American consumer now than there were in past decades. Not being a fan of what they're offering is a different kettle of fish but it's not from a lack of competition.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 15 2022 04:20 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Well, yes and no. Because, and this gets back to the macro thing, at some level the reason there's so little choice of style is linked at some level to the industry's need to do anything they do "big," meaning, in this case, actually big but also, big in a sense that it's not finciancially or profitability feasible to be creative or innovative except if you're working on an 80,000 Tesla

Ceetar Jul 15 2022 06:50 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

also, and I don't know the exact deets here, but the parts that go _in_ the car aren't like, exclusive to Ford or anything. There are less engines, or less nav systems, etc than there are car companies.

Frayed Knot Jul 15 2022 07:08 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

But none of that is anything new. GM sold cars under Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Chevrolet (descending order of prestige). So there'd be essentially one chassis in each size they'd sell (compact, mid-size, etc) meaning that the only difference in the five cars sold under five names were the features in each. The basic bones were the same making it more like the illusion of difference. Ditto Ford [Ford, Mercury, Lincoln] and also Chrysler [Dodge = basic, Chrysler = luxury] And cars made in this country during the '60s & '70s were shit ("Unsafe at any Speed" acc to Ralph Nadar) precisely because they had so little competition. By the late '50s they had essentially taken the design of cars away from the engineers and turned it over to the design dept for more bells & whistles [more chrome, bigger tail fins!!] and they stayed that way until imports from Japan, Sweden, & Germany (beyond just the VW 'Bug') started kicking the Big Three's ass. But as brutal as that was for Detroit, and for the union workers who thought they'd have jobs for life, it was the best thing to happen for the American consumers AND it forced the B3 to start making better cars.

Ceetar Jul 15 2022 07:25 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Cars aren't really a great example anyway, it's the gas going into cars, tightly controlled by collaboration and collusion. And these people use money to buy power to do things like manipulate the prices in order to gouge customers, as well as political clout (i.e. money) to fight against alternative fuels. Look at baby formula. monopolistic policies to exclude foreign formula, as well as _literally_ limit poor people's options to 1. And then one goes bad and ...oopsies, babies die. That's pure capitalism. Monopolies ARE the end goal. Look how hard Apple (and others) fought against even allowing you to fix your iPhone yourself. Look at roughly every cable provider. If you're lucky you might have a second one now in Fios or Satellite, but not always. Same for internet.

kcmets Jul 15 2022 08:15 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I have UAW stories of what was going on at the GM plant in Tarrytown that are flat out crazy in the late 80's. It's amazing cars got built.

Edgy MD Jul 15 2022 08:18 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yeah, while prices of hard goods make for good economic forecasting and indicating, prices of consumables is where the inflation rubber hits the road, for lack of a better metaphor. I've got a crack in the windshield of my 10-year-old Mazda that was 12 inches long 18 months ago and is now closer to 36 inches and I'm in no hurry to replace it. But I can't stretch the lifetime of milk and bread so much.

Frayed Knot Jul 15 2022 08:46 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Cable TV, in many areas, is ABSOLUTELY an anti-competitive monopoly specifically because it has (usually local) govt support. A free(r) market in TV/Internet would be MUCH better for consumers.

Lefty Specialist Aug 21 2022 06:14 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Chicken wings are now cheaper than before the pandemic. Thanks, Joe Biden. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna43601

whippoorwill Aug 21 2022 07:36 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

$2.39 for a six pack of store brand eggs

kcmets Aug 21 2022 08:04 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Eggs are one of the things that have stayed crazy here. We only eat eggs on Sunday so it's no big thing. I bought some hot dogs, onions in sauce and some pickles yesterday and it was over $20 hahaha. Thanks, Aaron Boone.

whippoorwill Aug 21 2022 09:27 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yeah we don't eat many eggs either (we probably throw out more than we eat) but when you think about needing them for meatballs, meatloaf, etc, you have to buy them The place we get wings from doubled their price since last summer, and also their pizza, which we don't understand

Lefty Specialist Aug 22 2022 06:18 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Anyone who's doubled their price for anything should be called out for it. Maybe it's time to find a new pizza place. A big part of the inflation problem is people taking advantage of it to jack up prices. Voting with your feet can stop that- that's the marketplace working.

whippoorwill Aug 22 2022 06:41 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yes this place has the best pizza…but even when things reopened you could hardly ever catch them open The price gouging is just icing on the cake My favorite taco salad is now $17.

kcmets Oct 05 2022 06:35 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=MFS62 post_id=83297 time=1639834139 user_id=60] =kcmets post_id=83292 time=1639790275 user_id=53] Got a heating oil delivery today. Expected sticker shock per gallon but it was pretty reasonable compared to the increasing gasoline nonsense going on here.

Same thing. I got a heating oil delivery @ $3.09 per gallon, which surprised me that it was less than the $3.45 - $3.49 local price for regular gas.
Got our first taste of the heating-season fun. $4.69/gallon. Fucking Mattingly...

MFS62 Oct 05 2022 08:22 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=kcmets post_id=109985 time=1664973301 user_id=53] Got our first taste of the heating-season fun. $4.69/gallon. Fucking Mattingly...

Pete Rose bet the over.

Later

kcmets Oct 05 2022 01:45 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

What's Pete's over/under on Boar's Head pastrami?

Lefty Specialist Oct 06 2022 12:06 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Well just in time for the election, the Saudis are cutting oil production by 2 million barrels a day, a nice little gift to Republicans. When gas prices go up, and they will, don't blame Joe Biden. Don't let anybody else do it either.

Frayed Knot Oct 06 2022 05:12 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I agree with all that but it's not like Dems weren't basically saying that Bush & Cheney were personally and unilaterally setting gas prices back during the post Katrina and BP days.

Ceetar Oct 06 2022 06:30 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Frayed Knot wrote: I agree with all that but it's not like Dems weren't basically saying that Bush & Cheney were personally and unilaterally setting gas prices back during the post Katrina and BP days. the war criminals that literally started a war for oil? those guys didn't have any control over prices?

Lefty Specialist Oct 08 2022 11:17 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

A gas station near me literally raised its prices 10 cents while we were having lunch. There was no fuel delivery, they just raised it because they could.

whippoorwill Oct 08 2022 11:45 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Cripes

batmagadanleadoff Oct 08 2022 03:18 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Lefty Specialist wrote: A gas station near me literally raised its prices 10 cents while we were having lunch. There was no fuel delivery, they just raised it because they could. I'm OK with that. If they gotta raise prices, they gotta raise prices. Makes no difference to me whether the price hike goes into effect at four in the morning or at noon. Now if they raised prices while I was in line to get gas, that'd be something else.

Ceetar Oct 08 2022 03:27 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

it's not the gas station's gouging us (most times) it's the oil companies before them. they're just the messenger.

Lefty Specialist Oct 08 2022 04:02 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yeah, I know it'a not the gas jockey raising the price, it's the ExxonMobil corporate suits sitting in the dormant volcano that are really pulling the strings. And they're yanking. Paul Krugman calls it 'rocket and feather' pricing. When the slightest thing happens, gas prices rocket up. When the crude price plunges, prices at the pump fall, too, but veeeeeerrrrrrrryyyyy slowly, like a feather falling. It's not true supply and demand at work.

Frayed Knot Oct 08 2022 06:09 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Were the conrnhole bags inflated?

Edgy MD Oct 08 2022 06:14 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Escobar chasing is not keeping the grind going.

Edgy MD Oct 08 2022 06:16 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

That's two chasing up.

Lefty Specialist Oct 08 2022 07:10 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

This is inflationary how?

Edgy MD Oct 08 2022 10:13 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I got lost. Now I'm found.

MFS62 Oct 09 2022 06:27 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

My wife noted that the same can of beans we usually buy has more liquid and fewer beans. Later

batmagadanleadoff Oct 09 2022 11:20 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=MFS62 post_id=110708 time=1665318422 user_id=60] My wife noted that the same can of beans we usually buy has more liquid and fewer beans. Later

Pretty much every food item is way up. And the packages are shrinking, too. Today's supermarket sales cost more than whatever the sale item was regularly priced at a year and a half or two years ago.

kcmets Oct 09 2022 11:45 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=MFS62 post_id=110708 time=1665318422 user_id=60] My wife noted that the same can of beans we usually buy has more liquid and fewer beans.

I had a box of Cracker Jack yesterday. Three peanuts. And the prize

was a coupon for a free box of Cracker Jack with the purchase of 50

boxes at the regular price.

kcmets Oct 15 2022 05:58 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Kikkoman 10 oz soy sauce ... Omg, thank goodness we don't heat the home with salty brown condiments. They give the stuff away for free at the local dive takeout joint down the street.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 27 2022 02:26 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I haven't seriously posted in this thread because the inflation of the past two years is rather obvious and I assume that everybody here is affected one way or the other. So everybody knows about it. But yesterday, I experienced my worst inflation related outrage, that I haven't stopped thinking about some 24 hours later . A head of iceberg lettuce was selling for $5.99. I didn't buy it out of principle even though I now have no lettuce in the house and lettuce is a staple here because I eat salads regularly.

Ceetar Oct 27 2022 02:38 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Pretty soon our capitalist overlords will "cave" on $15/hr minimum now they've essentially made that be worth as much as it was a few years ago

kcmets Nov 14 2022 06:49 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Seeing 'bucket's encounter with $35 12-packs of fake beer reminds me that yesterday I wanted to report that four sandwich-size English muffins ran us $5.69. We need to get to the bottom of this bullshit and quick. I'm a growing boy, I need to eat!!

Edgy MD Nov 14 2022 08:02 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

It seems to me that it's scarcely worth it for manufacturers to downsize their packaging and maintain the same price in order to bait-and-switch their consumers, but we're seeing it too. My wife is a vicious letter-writing consumer, and when she spots this, she not only insists we bail on the brand but all other brands under the same corporation. Some peoples may be "Fuck Cheese-Nips!" while still others might be all "Fuck Nabisco at large!" but she's all, "Fuck all of Mondelēz International and the horse they road in on." Many of our favorite brands seem to have become part of Conagra while we weren't looking. And evil seems to be Conagra's stock-in-trade.

kcmets Nov 14 2022 08:10 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Seems Bimbo Bakeries owns just about half the planet too. Who knew?

Edgy MD Nov 14 2022 08:44 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Can you imagine going out of your way to buy up Lender's Bagels? That's like, "Yeah! We just acquired Circus Peanuts, bitches!!"

Frayed Knot Nov 14 2022 08:50 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Seems Bimbo Bakeries owns just about half the planet too. Who knew? Freihoffer's AND Entemann's?!? It's like they've cornered the whole chocolate chip cookie market!

whippoorwill Nov 14 2022 11:46 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Edgy MD wrote: It seems to me that it's scarcely worth it for manufacturers to downsize their packaging and maintain the same price in order to bait-and-switch their consumers, but we're seeing it too. My wife is a vicious letter-writing consumer, and when she spots this, she not only insists we bail on the brand but all other brands under the same corporation. Some peoples may be "Fuck Cheese-Nips!" while still others might be all "Fuck Nabisco at large!" but she's all, "Fuck all of Mondelēz International and the horse they road in on." Many of our favorite brands seem to have become part of Conagra while we weren't looking. And evil seems to be Conagra's stock-in-trade. Could you please have her write to neutragena shampoo and Noxema for me? Both have told me that ‘by popular demand' they changed their formulas. Who the hell uses either of them but my generation of women? None of us was clamoring for change !!

MFS62 Nov 14 2022 12:05 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

We like bottled herring in cream sauce. The sauce used to be rich and thick. Now it is pale and watery. And they have raised the price to add insult to the decrease in quality. Later

batmagadanleadoff Nov 14 2022 12:12 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=MFS62 post_id=112894 time=1668452730 user_id=60] We like bottled herring in cream sauce. The sauce used to be rich and thick. Now it is pale and watery. And they have raised the price to add insult to the decrease in quality.

What brand?

MFS62 Nov 14 2022 12:18 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=112895 time=1668453120 user_id=68] What brand?

I forgot. It was so bad we threw it out. It wasn't Vita.



Later

kcmets Nov 15 2022 01:32 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

.

kcmets Nov 15 2022 01:33 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Probably in my head, because the inflationary world is out to get me, but sandwich-sized English muffins (Thomas') use to have a little more girth.

batmagadanleadoff Nov 18 2022 04:05 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=112034 time=1666902418 user_id=68] I haven't seriously posted in this thread because the inflation of the past two years is rather obvious and I assume that everybody here is affected one way or the other. So everybody knows about it. But yesterday, I experienced my worst inflation related outrage, that I haven't stopped thinking about some 24 hours later . A head of iceberg lettuce was selling for $5.99. I didn't buy it out of principle even though I now have no lettuce in the house and lettuce is a staple here because I eat salads regularly.

Now it's $7.00 a head!

Frayed Knot Nov 18 2022 04:07 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yeah iceberg lettuce has suddenly become scarce -- more so than other greens it seems although no clue as to why -- hence the price jacking when it does appear on shelves.

batmagadanleadoff Nov 18 2022 04:20 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Frayed Knot wrote: Yeah iceberg lettuce has suddenly become scarce -- more so than other greens it seems although no clue as to why -- hence the price jacking when it does appear on shelves. Not just iceberg. I checked out all of the lettuces. They were all about $7.00.

batmagadanleadoff Nov 18 2022 04:22 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Frayed Knot wrote: Yeah iceberg lettuce has suddenly become scarce -- more so than other greens it seems although no clue as to why -- hence the price jacking when it does appear on shelves. Not just iceberg. I checked out all of the lettuces. They were all about $7.00. Lettuce markets soar to records, but prices should cool in December https://www.thepacker.com/news/produce-crops/lettuce-markets-soar-records-prices-should-cool-december A lettuce virus in Salinas, CA., big lettuce producing region. So they say.

Johnny Lunchbucket Nov 19 2022 06:58 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

This is great for the local craft indoor lettuce growing industry though they are expensive to begin with and don't have the capacity Salinas does. But they don't get sick like outdoor grown lettuce does, Bowery Farms, Bright Farms etc -- lettuce in the plastic clamshell

batmagadanleadoff Nov 25 2022 03:24 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Shrinkflation alert! Just bought some Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies (Double Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Chocolate). The price didn't go up on these but the cookies appear to be smaller. By like a third. That's a lot smaller. [FIMG=444]https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0576/1207/5177/products/Milano-Cookies-scaled.jpg?v=1623250325[/FIMG]

kcmets Nov 26 2022 11:11 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Generic bleach rang up as $6.19, asked the cashier to delete it. I wonder what Clorox (the good stuff lol) costs these days.

Edgy MD Nov 27 2022 01:16 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

The New York Times profiles Edgar Dworsky, the man (hero) on an untiring mission to expose the process he calls "shrinkflation." [fimg=600]https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/11/16/climate/00cli-shrinkflation5/00cli-shrinkflation5-videoSixteenByNine3000.jpg[/fimg]

kcmets Nov 28 2022 06:19 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

KB scored some bleach today for $3.89. Didn't have the heart to tell her the bottle was half the size of the $6.19 bleach. So it goes. It's the best of times, it's the worst of times... it's the inflationary times.

Johnny Lunchbucket Nov 28 2022 08:01 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Producer price index is falling, so prices could follow ... or at least stabilize in 6 months

Ceetar Nov 29 2022 06:02 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

aren't corporate profits like universally up? You don't keep doing that by cutting prices.

Johnny Lunchbucket Nov 29 2022 06:32 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Well in food its said you win by making five fast pennies over a slow nickel, so the guys who can take prices down win on volume

Edgy MD Nov 29 2022 07:56 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Everybody I know is becoming a sophisticated consumer, especially at the supermarket. Predatory inflation's day can't last forever.

Ceetar Nov 29 2022 08:49 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

predatory inflation day is literally America's religion. They may dress it up as something else, but it'll persist. I can't help but see price increases as a way to drive anti-union sentiment. "what, you want us to pay employees more?!?!?!, guess we'll have to raise the prices" That's how America works. People fight tooth and nail for a crumb and the rich people fight to make sure they have to pay for that crumb in other ways. If bleach prices come down (or come down relative to the value of the dollar) they'll raise prices somewhere else, or fire some employees, or take away money for roads. The rich get richer and they pit everyone else against either other. The best solution for us remains taxing the rich and the corporations.

kcmets Dec 05 2022 08:30 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

ShopRite has 52 Oz. Tropicana Pure Premium this week 2/$5 (with digital coupon). The good stuff, not from concentrate! I think in the middle of the plague I paid almost $6 for a half gallon of orange juice, so maybe things are improving on some fronts. In other news, got Chinese take out from our go-to dive joint on Saturday. New menu, prices up 25% across the board. Kung Pao THAT!!

metirish Dec 05 2022 10:40 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I've actually stopped going to my local Chinese, typical NYC place , prices ballooned over the last two years ..... I joined BJs wholesale earlier this year, mostly for the gas as it's on my way to work... Thing about places like BJs is you spend a lot every time the go

Ceetar Dec 05 2022 11:06 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I haven't been to BJs in years, but I never felt like I was getting a "deal" there, just that they had bigger sizes. And often crappier brands.

metirish Dec 05 2022 11:38 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I feel similar, although I've not bought toilet paper in 6 months

MFS62 Dec 05 2022 11:53 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Local gasoline prices have dropped about 10 cents/ gallon in the past week. Later

kcmets Dec 05 2022 11:55 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

We've done Sam's, Costco and BJ's in that order and let BJ's lapse during the plague and never returned. Almost always spent 4X more than intended, and I'm not exaggerating. (I just finished BJ's dryer sheets recently, god knows how many we started with)

metirish Dec 05 2022 12:06 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yeah, with gas prices coming down I'll likely let this membership lapse too

Benjamin Grimm Dec 05 2022 12:19 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I have a BJs membership. I don't usually buy gas there; I get a better discount on gas using my Giant supermarket Bonus Card. The last time I filled up, I was able to take off $1.40 per gallon. At BJs I tend to buy cat litter, bottled water, trash bags, feta cheese, lamb shanks, microwave popcorn, Hot Pockets, and cheese sticks. I also bought a dishwasher there and, more recently, a massage chair as a gift.

metirish Dec 05 2022 12:25 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I have by my eye on a 75 nch Sony TV that I don't need, under $1k I typically buy Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage, 48 in a box for $15 ( with coupon) Spuds , although not a great deal , cold cuts and cheese , Haagan-Daz ice cream bars , usually good with a coupon... Anyway before you know it I've spent $150+

Johnny Lunchbucket Dec 05 2022 12:43 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

We broke up with Costco when they told us we'd spent enough to qualify for executive level membership. A new BJ's opened within walking distance but not for us. The big news where we are is the Stop & Shop closed and HMart moved in. That'll put pressure on Food Bazaar to stop being so chaotic

metsmarathon Dec 05 2022 01:11 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

i just don't have space enough in my house* to buy much stuff in bulk, plus the nearest costco is just massively inconvenient. it's basically on the wrong side of the highway from work and home, in a nest of traffic that i tend to avoid. i don't know how much money i'd actually save by shopping there. * at least, not unless i got rid of my lego... and good luck with that!

A Boy Named Seo Dec 05 2022 01:58 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Today is the first time I've heard of BJ's. (I put this one a tee for you, next commenter).

MFS62 Dec 05 2022 02:40 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Today is the first time I've heard of BJ's. (I put this one a tee for you, next commenter). You should change your screen name to "Poor Boy Named Seo". Did I do it justice? Later

metirish Dec 05 2022 03:43 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Today is the first time I've heard of BJ's. (I put this one a tee for you, next commenter). Really? You have Costco, Sam's Club etc ?

kcmets Dec 05 2022 03:55 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Today is the first time I've heard of BJ's. Recently married? Statistics show you'll hear of BJ's less and less as the years flow by... (d'oh)

A Boy Named Seo Dec 05 2022 04:22 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Today is the first time I've heard of BJ's. Recently married? Statistics show you'll hear of BJ's less and less as the years flow by... (d'oh) THANK YOU KC

A Boy Named Seo Dec 05 2022 04:22 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Today is the first time I've heard of BJ's. (I put this one a tee for you, next commenter). Really? You have Costco, Sam's Club etc ? Yeah, Costco and Sam's but never heard of BJs.

metirish Dec 05 2022 04:24 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I looked it up, it's an Easy coast thing, plus Ohio and Michigan I'm really surprised Fmann isn't in this thread 🤣

Johnny Lunchbucket Dec 05 2022 04:52 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

BJs is more like a supermarket than Costco or Sam's Club. More food, less appliances and jewelry. They have appliances though.

kcmets Dec 05 2022 05:00 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

The BJ's here is pretty much the same as a Costco. There's food and market type stuff, but 3/4's of it is non-food.

kcmets Dec 05 2022 05:05 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Picturing a little, maybe 11/16th's...

metsmarathon Dec 05 2022 08:30 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=metirish post_id=114036 time=1670282659 user_id=72] I'm really surprised Fmann isn't in this thread 🤣

pretty sure he's uh, busy, in the kate upton thread.

Frayed Knot Dec 06 2022 04:03 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I've never even been in one of these warehouse type grocery stores. One time many moons ago I did stop by at one of them (don't remember which one) because I saw the store while driving by and remembered that I needed to pick up a few things, only to be told at the door by some large fellow that "only members are allowed in". Having never heard of such a thing at the time I stood confused for a moment then said, 'Oh, OK, bye', and have never returned nor been tempted to 'join' one since. Not a bulk-buying kind of guy.

kcmets Dec 18 2022 06:01 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I looked at a leg of lamb at ShopRite today for next Sunday. $81.65. It winked at me, I smiled... hope it finds a good home.

Fman99 Dec 18 2022 06:33 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I'm a big fan of BJ's. Never been in the store though

kcmets Dec 27 2022 04:23 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Got heating oil on xmas eve for $4.49. Looked back a few pages and saw we last paid $4.69 so that hasn't budged much considering other fuels have come down a bit. Needed less than I thought so kept it to three figures lolol. Food stuff has come down dramatically here so long as you shop smart. Lower food prices don't get much press, not as fun as inflation-fear-mongering.

Lefty Specialist Dec 27 2022 07:20 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Lefty Specialist wrote: A gas station near me literally raised its prices 10 cents while we were having lunch. There was no fuel delivery, they just raised it because they could. They went from $3.65 to $3.75 that day. Today they're $3.19. So.....yay.

kcmets Dec 27 2022 07:24 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

The funny thing about gas here in a 5-7 mile radius is the price is a 60-70 cent difference in what people are charging. Clearly some are still cookin' the books while they can.

Edgy MD Dec 27 2022 07:40 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

We were below $3.00 for a couple of days there. Wife is going a little crazy, wanting me to top off the tank every time I start the car, thinking that it's going to shoot back up. It was at $3.09 today, and she asked how much we have, and I was all "three quarters of a tank," and she was all, "pull over and top it." MY TIME IS WORTH MONEY TOO, BABY!

metirish Dec 28 2022 07:16 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

$3.05 at BJs in Pelham

Frayed Knot Jan 04 2023 10:59 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I've noticed that the price of eggs near me has just about doubled over the last month or so. Avian flu is said to be the biggest culprit. And after watching the price of gas steadily drop maybe a nickel per week recently, it suddenly reversed course and shot up 20 cents overnight.

metirish Jan 04 2023 11:19 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Eggs are insane , over the last year they have really gone up and like you said even more now. BJs still has decent prices on a 24/2 pack

MFS62 Jan 04 2023 11:29 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

A regular sized tube of Colgate toothpaste used to contain 7 - 7.4 oz of toothpaste. It now contains 6.0 oz and says the tube is now recyclable. BFD. Give me my usual amount and let me decide how I want to ruin the planet. (fuckers) Later

kcmets Jan 19 2023 08:10 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Frayed Knot wrote: I've noticed that the price of eggs near me has just about doubled over the last month or so. Avian flu is said to be the biggest culprit. Paid $7.29 for a dozen extra-large store-brand the other day. I read somewhere that a lot of chickens are anti-vaxers and often thumb their beaks at getting treatment so this may get worse. 61¢ eggs are no yolk. (ok, I'll sign off now)

batmagadanleadoff Jan 19 2023 09:22 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Frayed Knot wrote: And after watching the price of gas steadily drop maybe a nickel per week recently, it suddenly reversed course and shot up 20 cents overnight. A few weeks ago, I thought that, generally, prices were starting to come down a bit -- this observation based on my supermarket shopping. But that thought didn't last too long. That was just a temporary down blip, if it was even that. Now, I sense that prices are continuing to rise. Still.

Edgy MD Jan 20 2023 08:00 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I'm not sure what this has to do with ruining the planet. Shrinkflation happens whether or not packaging is recyclable.

Bob Alpacadaca Jan 21 2023 12:32 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Not only is the price of a stamp going up, the U.S. Postal Service announced it will be raising prices twice a year -- January and July -- for every year moving forward. [url]https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/01/21/stamp-prices-rise-2023-usps-forever-stamps/11096096002/

kcmets Feb 21 2023 06:00 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Thomas's English Muffins this weekend, sniffin' at nearly $6 for a six-pack of the little guys. And I mean little... https://www.thecranepool.net/images/lostpromises.png>

whippoorwill Feb 21 2023 07:36 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Ha! My mom was getting Thomas's left and right a few years ago…our store had them buy one get two free for weeks on end. I finally pointed out to her that the store brand were bigger, cheaper and tasted better too

kcmets Mar 21 2023 11:10 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Scored some cheap Hebrew National hot dogs the other day. 2 packs for $7. Occurred to me opening up a pack before there used to be SEVEN hot dogs and now there's only six. Sneaky shrinkflatin' bastids...

Edgy MD Mar 21 2023 11:46 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

My wife wrote to the CEO of Mom's Organic Market, letting him know a bunch of items in his place had spiked dramatically in price, well over their prices just two weeks earlier, and well over prices at competitor markets. The guy is apparently some kind of Ayn Rand-hero-type megalomaniac, and he takes pride in answering e-mails personally, because he personally got back to her in like 20 minutes. His tone was all kinds of condescending and snotty, and he signed his correspondence "Scott." as if the period after his name is some sort of kewl stylization, but he asked her which items she was referring to, and she took the time to list five items, the gougy-gougy price at Mom's and the price at other locations. Damned if all five items didn't drop in price by the next week. He's still a douchey arrogant union buster wrapping himself in tie-dyed virtue, but it paid off to be a squeaky wheel.

kcmets Apr 14 2023 07:48 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Exxon CEO's Pay Jumps 52% in 2022 After War in Ukraine Lifted Oil Prices - from MSNBC Buncha cork smokin' weasels, the whole lot of 'em. I shudder to know what he/she made before the big raise...

batmagadanleadoff May 05 2023 01:15 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Lunch ar McDonald's for three --$47.00! Gimme a break. I deserve one, today.

kcmets May 05 2023 03:00 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=124436 time=1683314107 user_id=68] Lunch ar McDonald's for three --$47.00! Gimme a break. I deserve one, today.

I was going to look for the McD's thread the other day when I plopped

down near $15 just for me. So I hears ya.

MFS62 May 05 2023 03:18 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Its getting crazy at the fast food places. They all seem to have done away with their "dollar meals" and are now charging up to two dollars more for the same items. At least we get coupons for Burger King deals in our local paper.(Two whopper Jr, two small fries and two drinks for $6) And I prefer onion rings to fries, too. But I found out the coupon deals at Subways (one half foot long or two for one foot longs) can only be used on certain sandwiches. Later

Frayed Knot May 05 2023 04:11 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Did anyone really think that the demand for $15/hr (and up) salaries (which wound up being reached more via market forces than by legislation) wasn't going to have an inflationary effect on fast food prices?

kcmets May 05 2023 04:40 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I'm sure wages has some to do with it but there's probably a half-dozen other things to boot... my guess is that payroll is more a convenient scapegoat... Minimum Hourly Rates for Fast Food Employees (from some gubment site) New York City: $12.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2016; $13.50 per hour on and after December 31, 2017; $15.00 per hour on and after December 31, 2018. Outside of New York City: $10.75 per hour on and after December 31, 2016; $11.75 per hour on and after December 31, 2017; $12.75 per hour on and after December 31, 2018; $13.75 per hour on and after December 31, 2019; $14.50 per hour on and after December 31, 2020; $15.00 per hour on and after July 1, 2021.

MFS62 May 05 2023 04:53 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

In an associated story, Today.com is reporting that "The popular fast food chain Burger King plans to close up to 400 restaurants before the end of 2023. This week, the CEO of Restaurant Brands International Inc., which owns Burger King, said they are preparing to close between 300 and 400 locations." They want to focus on better management, and it appears that many of the closings are owned by three companies in the upper mid-west, so it might not be caused by increased wages. Later

Johnny Lunchbucket May 05 2023 04:56 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Yeah they're trying to weed out their weak franchisees.

Frayed Knot May 05 2023 06:03 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=kcmets post_id=124449 time=1683326444 user_id=53] I'm sure wages has some to do with it but there's probably a half-dozen other things to boot... my guess is that payroll is more a convenient scapegoat...

Of course it's just one of multiple factors ... but it surely is A factor.

Based on the numbers you supply, hourly wages rose 25% in two years in NYC

and close to 40% in less than a five year span elsewhere.

And labor is usually a business's biggest expense so naturally there's going to

be a cause and effect going forward.

batmagadanleadoff May 05 2023 06:26 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=124436 time=1683314107 user_id=68] Lunch at McDonald's for three --$47.00! Gimme a break. I deserve one, today.

Not as bad as Five Guys. I went there by myself for lunch a few months ago. Hadn't been there since the covid lockdowns went into effect. $22.00!!

kcmets May 05 2023 06:29 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I don't think I said it wasn't A factor. My friend's brother runs a McDonald's. He works hard and juggles a lot of stuff I'm not going into and he make a nice salary. But he's the only one. The one restaurant isn't like a regular company where there are tiered executive salaries, legal and accounting departments, marketing... the rest of the staff is making minimum wage. $12, 13, 15... Maybe I should have found the McD's thread. Maybe I should have went with my original idea in, "they brought back the McLobster?" in response to the $47 price tag for batmags lunch lol....

Frayed Knot May 05 2023 07:01 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Sure and that's kind of the point, that fast food is more dependent on minimum or near minimum wage labor than most businesses so jacking up wages is going to have more of a cause/effect on prices. I just think some folks tend to lose sight of the connection. btw, I don't have a problem with higher wages for ff workers, particularly when it's mostly market forces that got them there.

Lefty Specialist May 05 2023 08:40 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Let's not lose sight of the fact that a full-time worker making $15 an hour is making $31,200 a year before taxes, not enough to support, well, anybody. And in parts of the country the minimum wage is $7.75. Manpower is not the biggest factor in fast-food costs.

kcmets May 20 2023 11:03 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

ShopRite circular that starts tomorrow has 18-pack of large store-brand eggs for $1.79. Guess the chicken union settled their labor dispute and are laying on a regular schedule again.

batmagadanleadoff May 20 2023 01:02 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

The cost of eggs had gone down to normal pre-covid prices a coupl'a weeks ago. Now the price of a jar of mayonnaise is still about twice what it was three or so years ago. So everything egg-wise hasn't caught up.

MFS62 May 20 2023 01:32 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

=kcmets post_id=126080 time=1684602206 user_id=53] ShopRite circular that starts tomorrow has 18-pack of large store-brand eggs for $1.79. Guess the chicken union settled their labor dispute and are laying on a regular schedule again.

And I also noticed that Stop and Shop hasn't dropped their egg prices at all.

That tells me:

1) They're crooks

2) Any eggs on their shelves are reaching their expiration dates



Later

Frayed Knot May 20 2023 02:18 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Egg inflation was mostly a post-Covid thing triggered by diminished supply as a result of an unrelated Avian-flu. =MFS62 post_id=126084 time=1684611175 user_id=60] And I also noticed that Stop and Shop hasn't dropped their egg prices at all. That tells me: 1) They're crooks 2) Any eggs on their shelves are reaching their expiration dates

If #1 were true it wouldn't make them crooks but poor businessmen by keeping their prices high in the face of others dropping them.

And if #2 were true that would be an incentive for them to drop the price rather than keep it inflated.

MFS62 May 20 2023 04:07 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Frayed Knot wrote: Egg inflation was mostly a post-Covid thing triggered by diminished supply as a result of an unrelated Avian-flu. =MFS62 post_id=126084 time=1684611175 user_id=60] And I also noticed that Stop and Shop hasn't dropped their egg prices at all. That tells me: 1) They're crooks 2) Any eggs on their shelves are reaching their expiration dates If #1 were true it wouldn't make them crooks but poor businessmen by keeping their prices high in the face of others dropping them. And if #2 were true that would be an incentive for them to drop the price rather than keep it inflated.

Egg zactly. That's why I put it in this thread. They should drop the price to move inventory to make room for the new eggs. But they've kept them high. A head scatcher.

Later

Frayed Knot May 20 2023 04:47 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

You're saying [crooks or expiring] the opposite of what I'm saying so I'm not sure what the Egg-zactly is about. But I won't pursue it further.

ashie62 May 23 2023 04:03 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Did he mean Ed Zachary?

metirish Sep 21 2023 06:15 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/nytdavidbrooks/status/1704668479259820413[/TWEET] The comments haha

kcmets Sep 21 2023 06:35 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Doesn't look terribly appetizing. I would have went with a $9 bagel with cream cheese.

kcmets Sep 21 2023 06:48 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Actually, my bad. $9 is with butter. Cream cheese is $11.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 21 2023 07:05 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Most Americans aren't eating at airports.

kcmets Sep 21 2023 07:17 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

And if you are, it's your own fault. In other news, I got a dozen eggs on Saturday for $1.99. Four dollars less than just two weeks ago!

Edgy MD Sep 21 2023 08:43 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/nytdavidbrooks/status/1704668479259820413[/TWEET] The comments haha In fairness, we don't know which shelf the bourbon came off of or how many refills he had of it.

Frayed Knot Sep 21 2023 10:20 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

This is why Americans think the economy is terrible No it isn't.

Edgy MD Sep 21 2023 01:56 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

Has Brooks responded at all? Even Joyce Carol Oates is out there dunking on the guy. I've met him in passing once or twice, and he certainly didn't seem to be a fool. I want to guess this is some sort of punk-posting act, but I'm not quite figuring out the target or the agenda.

metirish Sep 21 2023 03:25 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

He hasn't responded, I'll be curious to see if itbis brought up on hid weekly PBS News hour segment

TransMonk Sep 23 2023 07:20 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

He hasn't responded, I'll be curious to see if itbis brought up on hid weekly PBS News hour segment [TWEET]https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/1705401278224863490[/TWEET]

Edgy MD Sep 23 2023 11:17 AM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

So it was a fumbled attempt at a comic self-own, which makes it an actual self-own — which I guess is kind of what I thought. Then he kind of fumbled in explaining his intent, which makes it sort of a double-self-own. Hey, I was right that his beverage of choice was bourbon!

Lefty Specialist Sep 23 2023 12:23 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

And guess what, the economy isn't terrible, especially for entitled pricks like David Brooks.

metirish Sep 23 2023 06:20 PM Re: The Inflation Thread 2021-22

I do enjoy that weekly segment though, thank you for posting it as I missed it last night