catskinner
Veteran Member
I went shopping early this morning, wanting to get ahead of the price increase on meat. My first stop was the local Kroger. Just about everybody was wearing masks and a few had gloves. Produce looked ok. Either they had plenty of an item, or it was empty. The bread was being stocked so I got 2 fresh loaves for the freezer. There were only 2 of the 4# bags of sugar that were under $4, They had a shelf full of the name brand at the higher price. Canned meats were wiped out. Canned fruit was extremely low. Canned vegetables were low. Not much variety and mostly store brand or large cans. They had 3 packages of toilet paper, but plenty of Tide. Other cleaning supplies were hit or miss. I just looked down the aisle. All in all, they had some of most things as long as you weren't brand loyal. Then I went to the meat dept. Oh boy! Saw a sign for ground beef at $3.97. They were out of it. It must have been the price on the 1# rolls they have. They only had 3# packages for $15. They had a few packages of pork chops, but the pork roast that was on sale was empty. The total number of packages of fresh pork was maybe 20. Chicken was better. They even had 3 whole fryers, but at almost $8 each. I did get a couple of packages of thighs and a couple of pork chops. I say a couple, because that was the limit allowed. I also grabbed a box of Williams sausage.
Next I went to a locally owned store. This place made Kroger look like a Soviet era grocery store. The meat department was literally overflowing. Lots of everything. The best part was that the meats were all a lot cheaper per pound than at Kroger and there were no limits. The price difference was shocking. Chicken thighs at Kroger were $1.99 a pound and at the local store they were only 97 cents. Pork chops at Kroger were $4.19 a pound and at the local store, only $1.97. Williams sausage box was over a dollar cheaper. And, no limits. I will be shopping there first from now on.
I think the large chain stores are having supply chain problems, while the smaller local stores are doing ok on that end. Yes, their groceries are a little higher, but the avaliability of and price difference of their meat makes up for it as far as I'm concerned.
Next I went to a locally owned store. This place made Kroger look like a Soviet era grocery store. The meat department was literally overflowing. Lots of everything. The best part was that the meats were all a lot cheaper per pound than at Kroger and there were no limits. The price difference was shocking. Chicken thighs at Kroger were $1.99 a pound and at the local store they were only 97 cents. Pork chops at Kroger were $4.19 a pound and at the local store, only $1.97. Williams sausage box was over a dollar cheaper. And, no limits. I will be shopping there first from now on.
I think the large chain stores are having supply chain problems, while the smaller local stores are doing ok on that end. Yes, their groceries are a little higher, but the avaliability of and price difference of their meat makes up for it as far as I'm concerned.