The prices of commodities has dropped from their peaks of last year, yet food makers are not reducing consumer prices, reports Marketplace. Now this is rather funny, and familiar.
supermarkets
Teen Girls Accused Of "Food Contamination" After Squeezing Muffins
By 9.23.09
We’re not quite sure what to make of U.K. grocery chain Tesco. First, the store bans a Jedi after he refuses to lower his hood. And, now, the chain is threatening legal action against two teenage girls who squeezed a couple of muffins to see how fresh they were.
Supermarkets Tell Shoppers To Leave Checkbooks At Home
By 9.22.09
Back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth and ATMs didn’t exist, if your cave-dwelling ancestor wanted to get cash in a hurry and didn’t want to deal with bank lines, he’d go to the local supermarket. There, the friendly high-school student at the checkout counter would allow him to write a check for the amount of cash he needed, and give him the cash in return. Today, however, the only people who actually still use those services are characters in a GEICO ad, so it should come as no surprise that some supermarkets are finally giving up on the practice.
Banquet Finds Grocery Shrink Ray Isn't Enough, Hikes Price As Well
By 9.11.09
Banquet Foods wasn’t satisfied with reducing the size of their mac & cheese meals by a third, from 12 ounces to 8 ounces. They also increased the price, notes our reader Richard, who confirmed the price hike at both his local Seattle supermarket and at Walmart (although Walmart’s prices were lower in both versions). Funny, we thought the whole argument for the shrink ray was that it protected consumers from paying more.
Who Uses Coupons The Most? Affluent Suburbanites
By 9.3.09
The Nielsen Company—the people responsible for getting good TV shows canceled—just released a survey of coupon users. It turns out affluent consumers (those who make $70k or more annually) use coupons more frequently than the average U.S. household. Those who use coupons the least are from either low-income, one-member, male-only, African-American, or Hispanic households.
Grocery Shopping Tips From The 1950s
By 7.25.09
Society may have come a long way since the 50s, but the grocery shopping tips remain the same. Inside, the wisdom that helped a generation of college-aged mothers conquer the scary supermarket.
Here's A Simple Tutorial On Expiration Dates
By 7.10.09
Howcast has produced a quick video tutorial covering the basics of expiration and sell by dates. If you have questions about eggs, meat, canned goods, or storing things in the freezer, check it out.
Grocery Shrink Ray Is Reversed, Called A Bonus
By 7.9.09
CCM just sent us a photo she snapped of these Mission Soft Flour Tortillas. It’s kind of cool to see that in this age of the shrink ray, a company is actually giving you more bang for your buck. Except that in this case, the two added tortillas used to be there until a year or so ago.
By 7.8.09
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The FDA has issued a new ruling that says egg producers must “test regularly for salmonella and buy chicks from suppliers who do the same,” and that eggs “will have to be refrigerated on the farm and during shipment” as well as by wholesalers and in the store. The rule is meant to cut down on the number of egg-related salmonella cases nationwide, which currently are around 142,000 a year. [Washington Post] (Photo: Andreas Kollegger)
Dear Kroger, Please Make Self Check-Out Suck Less
By 7.6.09
Self check-out is great if, say, you’ve got one of those supermarkets where the teenaged clerks hate you for choosing their lane and spend more time talking to each other than scanning your items. It’s not so great if you force all of your customers to use the system because you’ve decided to close down every other human-powered lane but one.
New Survey Says Less Than 20% Of Consumers Trust Food Supply
By 6.26.09
Is it any surprise that after the past few years of outbreaks and recalls, almost no one trusts products from food manufacturers anymore? IBM recently completed a survey of shoppers in the 10 largest cities, and found that a lot of consumers want more information than they currently can get about their food choices.
Well Hello There, New Bar Codes
By 6.8.09
Snazzy new bar codes are starting to adorn our fruit and vegetables to stop blurry-eyed cashiers from ringing up organic produce as the cheaper-priced regular stuff. They’re called GS1 DataBars, and they’re already appearing in select supermarkets to help consumers move faster through checkout lines.
Self Check-Out At Supermarket Means Fewer Impulse Buys
By 6.3.09
Consumer Reports says that the supermarket self check-out line is better on your wallet and your gut. “You’ll find fewer snacks,” they write, “and because of the shorter wait time, you’ll have less time to contemplate a snack attack.” There’s even a study that shows impulse purchases dropped by nearly a third for women and a sixth for men when they chose the self check-out line. You also get to play with the scanner, touchscreen, and bag area, which is a lot more fun than just standing around. (That’s right, “bag area.”)
Kroger Receipt Comes With Mastercard Application Attached
By 5.27.09
Hey, grocery shopper! You look like a responsible consumer, what with your grocery buying and standing upright. Why not take a moment to fill out an impulse-buy credit card application? If you’re approved, we’ll give you $25 you can spend on your first charge!
The Truth Behind Healthy Supermarket Foods
By 5.6.09
The Wall Street Journal takes a good look at items marketed as “healthier for you” on supermarket shelves, and as you can probably imagine, any actual health benefits vary greatly from product to product. Take all natural chicken, for example: if you buy “enhanced” or “plumped” chicken—it will say somewhere on the label that water, salt, and/or carrageenan has been added, but it will still be labeled natural—the sodium per 4 oz serving jumps from 45-60 mgs to 200-400 mgs.
Let Supermarkets Help You Save Money
By 4.12.09
Consumer Reports is gearing up to release their supermarket ratings, but the preliminary results show that supermarkets are trying to help consumers by extending sales and rewarding loyalty. Inside, six ways to save a few bucks next time you fill up your shopping cart.
NY Corks Selling Wine In Supermarkets Plan
By 4.9.09
Do you enjoy one-stop shopping? Do you love to pick up your groceries, Valium, cat litter, and a nice Cab Sauv all from the same place without the sheer slog of taking out your credit card a whole four times? Well, tough luck, because New York Governor Paterson has nixed his plan to sell wine at supermarkets. Why?
