Are grocery prices getting to you? | Napa Valley Register

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Are grocery prices getting to you?

Saturday, October 11, 2008

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By JENNIFER HUFFMAN
Register Business Writer

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Attention grocery shoppers:

Have you noticed grocery prices have been on the rise? Are your regular shopping trips more expensive? How are you dealing with increasing food costs?

Leave your thoughts here.

If you would like to be part of a story I am writing about rising food prices, contact me at jhuffman@napanews.com

32 comment(s)

14obama wrote on Oct 6, 2008 2:33 PM:

" The prices blow me away ! Pomegranites for $1.98 each,bread 4 bucks a loaf. I won't go there. It bums me out ! Time to make my own. "

vocal-de-local wrote on Oct 6, 2008 10:54 PM:

" I planted two fruit producing Pomegranate trees last Spring which are very good choices because they do not require a lot of water. That's one way of dealing with high costs! I'm trying to plant fruit bearing trees which have fewer water demands but are high in nutrients.

Milk products have become very expensive. And corn products used to be cheap but they are now pricey by comparison. I tend to not buy very much juice anymore because I'm not getting a high nutrient product for the amount of money spent. And that's how the price increases have changed my purchasing habits. I consider the nutritional value per dollar spent and I do not purchase items like pastries or junk food, even the health food varieties, very much anymore.

What I'm curious about is whether an increase in food prices will result in people eating out at fast food restaurants more often. The quality of food is so poor in those places that people should be very careful. They would be better off buying bulk beans and making burrito's. "

grapetownkid wrote on Oct 7, 2008 12:26 AM:

" that's the reason i don't shop at big grocery stores ...i shop at LA MORENITA MARKET or MI FAMILIA MARKET OR MI FAVORITA MARKET o and i almost forgot LATINO MARKET....these big company's are just way to expensive for me....and when I'm feeling very cheap i just go to Jack In The Box dollar menu...you gotta love those 2 tacos for a buck....and on Sundays i do my grocery shopping at the flea market... "

skippert wrote on Oct 7, 2008 7:01 AM:

" This is getting crazy. I can't even keep up. Our client don't (won't) pay more for their services. Yet I am paying more for there products to keep up their gardens. I nned that money to feed my kids, thanks. What gives. Like I have been saying we all need to start living off the land again. Good times. "

hudds5 wrote on Oct 7, 2008 7:12 AM:

" Yes, I think with gas prices eventually getting lower the stores do not have any excuses for their high prices. By the way, have you ever wonder why gas prices do NOT drop as fast as they go up when there is a change in the price of oil? "

14obama wrote on Oct 7, 2008 9:54 AM:

" We should steal from the CEO's and give to the poor. "

martha107 wrote on Oct 7, 2008 10:24 AM:

" I took a class at the County Co-op about planting a winter garden. I put the class to good use and have red cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, carrots, brussel sprouts and snap peas growing for the late fall harvest. I'm saving money and will have VERY fresh produce! I only wish there was a way to grow dog food - that's the big drain on my pocketbook! But I love those pups so if anyone has an idea on that angle, let me know! Maybe they'll like broccoli??!? "

vocal-de-local wrote on Oct 7, 2008 10:36 AM:

" hudds, I personally do not like being held hostage to energy warlords. Sure, prices may come down for awhile but I guarantee, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that prices will jump right back up. It's time for the American people to wean off of dependency. We can never be 100% independent due to the high level of population we now have. We can do our best, however, to conserve or start planning for the future by planting fruit trees or learning a little bit more about how to grow protein foods. If enough people did this in Napa County, we could develop an agricultural trade system which all of us would benefit from. But people would have to start taking charge now because it takes a few years for many trees to become fruit bearing. And it also takes some trial and error learning how to grow different types of crops and figuring out which varieties work best in your type of soil etc. "

a teacher wrote on Oct 7, 2008 11:24 AM:

" VDL: That's a great idea. I have a reputation of having a "Black thumb". In other words, I run a death camp for plants. However, this year I decided that any idiot can grow plants if they are mindful about the needs of the plant, so I grew some tomatoes, egglants, peppers and basil (I wanted to grow my own Eggplang Parmasian).

I didn't get as much as I hoped, but I learned enough to do better next year. "

musikluvr wrote on Oct 7, 2008 11:31 AM:

" Grocery prices at Trader Joes are reasonable. Who can afford the prices in the regular super markets? "

sammy wrote on Oct 7, 2008 4:19 PM:

" Well, I know in our house, the Mama is back to baking bread and desserts for lunches and dessert. And,.. we just moved and will be growing a winter garden. NO matter what the prices are tho, I have always canned veggies, fruits, made my own jams/jellies. "

Maya wrote on Oct 7, 2008 7:06 PM:

" I'm all about Trader Joe's too. "

skippert wrote on Oct 8, 2008 6:48 AM:

" Don't forget about lettuce in the winter. It just needs to be in full sun. "

St.Hell.comNative wrote on Oct 8, 2008 2:42 PM:

" Trader Joe's, Costco, etc. Also, just as they keep saying, when you shop at the supermarket, shop the perimeter. It's where the fresh stuff is and it will be less expensive than buying junk that's already made/processed. "

musikluvr wrote on Oct 9, 2008 1:02 PM:

" If you vote for Prop 2 you will see higher food costs. "

asahigo wrote on Oct 10, 2008 12:56 PM:

" The rise in gas prices, plastics, and anything else made from crude oil is now driving up the price of food. We're going to face more than a depression if we don't force the government to get us independent from foreign oil. We'll never be completely independent from oil because there are just too many things made from crude oil to do make it "extinct" so to speak. "

vocal-de-local wrote on Oct 11, 2008 11:21 AM:

" I wish we had more packaging options. Does it bother any of you to throw away the non recyclable part of food packaging? I look forward to the day when we can bring our own containers into a store, buy bulk, and reuse our own packaging. I suppose we can already do that with bags. Does Trader Joe's REALLY have to package pears and plums in a container with plastic on top? How wasteful can you get? The more of our resources that go into stupid things like this, the less we have for other, more important uses. "

jonb3333 wrote on Oct 12, 2008 9:32 AM:

" $100 for 3 plastic bags filled with veggies and a little lunch meat, what do you think??? "

hawaiibarby wrote on Oct 12, 2008 8:25 PM:

" Too bad Napa doesn't have a Winco, I've never seen such low prices for groceries. They have a huge selection of BULK products from spices to pasta, lentils and the usual candies. A quality loaf of 9 grain bread for $1.87...I think Vacaville is the closest Winco, and I have one near me in Redding. It's shocking how much less their groceries are....oh you have to bag your own, but soooo worth it! "

suze wrote on Oct 13, 2008 12:55 PM:

" Yup, food keeps going up all the time.
I have stopped eating most animal products. I have a little meat about once a week and a meal of fish, but no milk, ice cream or cheese (waaaah - that's hard, cheese is so addictive!) Now I eat wholegrains, beans lentils, soy products and lots of veggies and fruit. I have a veggie garden and fruit trees. love giving stuff away and I trade with friends. Despite what would seem to be a high carb diet, I have lost quite a bit of weight and feel far more energetic. The big plus is it is a cheaper (and healthier) diet; foods like beans, garbanzos and lentils are inexpensive. There are some good vegetarian cookery books out there to help make it tasty. It seemed a bit bland at first, but now it seems tasty and I don't get so hungry with cravings etc.
People do not need to eat meat every day, and I for one will be voting yes on Prop 2. The suffering of some farm animals is hideous; all so we can gorge on cheap pork chops. Not for me. Save money and eat more vegetarian meals. "

amazed wrote on Oct 13, 2008 1:57 PM:

" Three words on grocery shopping: American Canyon Walmart. "

solanotonapadaily wrote on Oct 15, 2008 3:02 PM:

" For those of us who do not support Walmart for other reasons, the Food-4-less on 29 in AMCAM/Vallejo is a good alternative for staples. "

traceeg wrote on Oct 17, 2008 9:47 AM:

" My husband and I went into Whole Foods one night (not to shop - just to buy one item) this was only the 2nd time I've been in there, and we noticed there were only 4 other people in the store. I don't think it will be in business in Napa much longer. It comes down to their outrageous prices. "

amazed wrote on Oct 17, 2008 12:43 PM:

" traceeg, have you been inside the Oxbow shops? Now THAT'S outrageous. "

napanian wrote on Oct 17, 2008 4:24 PM:

" '' I have a big family and commute to work, and man groceries are so expensive. My husband and kids love milk and it's near five dollars a gallon! I buy two to three gallons per week. '' We shop at Safeway, they have good deals on beef and poultry, with a club card." "

Duck wrote on Oct 18, 2008 9:42 PM:

" Trade Joe's is the only store to be trusted both for price and quality. Although some prices slowly creep up there also but you always get what you paid for and it is always highly satisfactory. "

Shorty94558 wrote on Oct 20, 2008 8:20 AM:

" Well, let's look at our options.
1. American Canyon Walmart
2. Food 4 Less
3. Soylent Green, perhaps?

Sad, though. With the exeption of Safeway and Trader Joes, there isn't a truly "DISCOUNTED" supermarket in Napa... you could go to the local Walmart if you want stale cheese and moldy turkey meat. You could go oto Safeway, but canned soups that aren't on sale can be $3.87 a can. You could go to Albertsons, but their generic selection is sub-par. You would go to Whole Foods, and pay $2.00 for a bottled water.

Sad, people are going out of town for discounted food items. "

misfit wrote on Oct 20, 2008 6:12 PM:

" We could also eat less, waste less and grow our own. "

richaelsmommie wrote on Oct 21, 2008 10:45 AM:

" I can't even afford to go grocery shopping. Prices are way to high on everything. Thank God for W.I.C. Everything needs to change in this world or we are all going to starve to death.

Martha107: My mom has dogs and has the same complaint about the dog food prices. She has recently started feeding her dogs on a raw food diet. They seem to like it and it is cheaper than dog food. She gets a thing of chicken thighs and it feeds 4 dogs for days. Just a suggestion. "

keenplanner wrote on Oct 21, 2008 4:47 PM:

" Growing your own vegetables is simple and is the ultimate in consuming local produce. Napa has a fantastic farming climate, and almost everybody has a yard. Spend the gas money you save by installing a drip watering system. Everything tastes better!
Whole Foods is jive. double-speak. They talk about buying local products, but fly their produce in from Argentina.
TJ's is OK, but why does everything need to be plastic-wrapped? "

merri wrote on Oct 23, 2008 10:22 AM:

" My husband and I spend 80 a week on grocery's. We do not eat meat or dairy. We have 8 raised beds with our produce and trade veggies for other things. Also growing weed helps. Oh and we make a little wine so we've got it pretty much covered. I have been thinking about setting up a company to build turn key gardens and hyrdoponic systems for home owners. Any takers. "

steph wrote on Oct 23, 2008 2:39 PM:

" We buy the two-fer milks at Safeway--Lucerne. Still exensive, but not $5 a gallon.
I agree that growing your own and starting with less processing is the way to go.

Ever watch some of the Hispanic moms buy groceries? Stacks of corn tortillas, dry beans, whole chickens, veggies--that's the way to go. Beans take time to cook, but they're so healthful and you don't have to stand right over them. Skip the cookies and chips or make your own.
Prices at Wal-Mart are SO much cheaper. You can get a lot of your staples there, but you do have to go elsewhere for meat and veggies unless you are near Am Can. (I've never had moldy anything from Wal-Mart!)

Stay away from sodas and juices--they're too expensive and help put on weight. Water is best. "

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