Winco Egg-Price Ripoff!!!!

[bill1]

Ray, I'm 2h SW of you and we're seeing sales...18 for $6 at Safeway; 24 for $6 at Costco.
I'd forgotten about the California ballot initiative, but thankfully that should be mostly upfront capitalization costs and then taper off.

Pretty sure I believe birds are sick in middle-america but I kinda' doubt that's true in CA. Can anyone comment?

I agree, whether prices go up due to true shortages or individual greed, it's best to just buy something else until things get back to normal.

I trust your palate...comment back on how your conversion to farm-fresh eggs goes for you.

 

[noboundaries]

Thanks, Bill. The Tuesday farmers market is not in my muscle memory yet. Maybe this coming week. $6.98/18 is still the price at my nearest grocer for cage-free, "humanely raised" eggs. $9.14/18 at Winco earlier this week. Maybe Winco's supplier got hit hard. I'll research.

 

[noboundaries]

There were 400 million+ egg laying commercial hens in the US. 60 million have been euthanized due to bird flu. That's a 15% reduction of the egg-laying population.

The math of the price-increase does not add up.

 

[mneeley490]

Reading Pops thread about his dad's store, Here's A Christmas day ad... Check out price of eggs

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/media/fassetts-ad-jpg.523226/full

I'd go for some of those T-bones at $.79 lb.

 

[bill1]

There were 400 million+ egg laying commercial hens in the US. 60 million have been euthanized due to bird flu. That's a 15% reduction of the egg-laying population.

The math of the price-increase does not add up.

I think it can add up Ray. If there's 15% fewer eggs and everyone in US said "Prices are too high, I'm eating 15% fewer eggs", then supply and demand would equilibrate and prices stay steady. If 85% of the folks say "price is no object" and 15% said "I'm not buying a single egg at this price" then also no price change. But if too many folks are not reducing their egg purchases, there's no real limit to the potential price increase except the point at which they are absolutely too expensive for the average shopper...and that may occur at a lot more than a 15% price increase. People will complain about the price, but not find a substitute that isn't in short supply. So you have too few goods for the demand.

If a price seems too high, buy something else. Alas, my message flops at home. My wife makes a menu and seems willing to pay about any price for the ingredients. And then again, I ate 3 eggs this morning because the mood struck me. My wife bought the last batch of eggs...I think she paid a fair price...but I'm not sure. And I'll grant you that sometimes you don't have a choice...if not buying gas makes you lose your job and starve your family, well I guess there's a moral imperative to pay the unfair price.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Bird flu, higher fuel prices to transport, lazy people that don't want to work...all of these things add to prices.
And yes, greed of companies that over-priced some commodities, just because they can get away with it.

Ryan

 

[Brokenhandle]

Apparently that egg commercial that ran who knows how long ago...it's the incredible, edible, egg! Was true! And yes, now I have that jingle stuck in my head!

Ryan

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Apparently that egg commercial that ran who knows how long ago...it's the incredible, edible, egg! Was true! And yes, now I have that jingle stuck in my head!

Ryan

Dangit Ryan, now that stinking jingle is stuck in my head as well. Thanks!

 

[Brokenhandle]

Dangit Ryan, now that stinking jingle is stuck in my head as well. Thanks!

Glad I could share!

Ryan

 

[civilsmoker]

The cage free or min cage per bird has gone into affect……. Then bird flu and then fuel prices……

 

[noboundaries]

The 18-count Grade AA egg prices from the producer I used to buy were $8.48 last week, $6.98 this week. I picked up an 18-count carton of Grade A eggs for $5.65. I just can't seem to get that Tuesday trip to the farmer's market in my brain.

The Trader Joes near me still runs out of eggs every day.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

I just go to the coop.

13 on Tuesday and 13 yesterday.

 

[bill1]

A city boy like me had to look this stuff all up but given the studliness of roosters (dozen impregnations per day), the brood size of hens (8-10 chicks; too bad for the boys), the gestation/incubation time of chickens (3 weeks), and the age (puberty?) at which a hen becomes productive (3 months)...an egg shortage caused by having to decimate herds for disease reasons shouldn't last more than a few months. So hopefully egg prices will be coming down as herds equilibrate to a market-driven level.
I haven't been able to "give up" eggs (Lent or otherwise) but I'm down to one per day. I find beating them with some cream and adding to hash browns seems to "extend" them so I feel more like I'm getting 2 eggs than 1. Add some grated cheese and meat in a burrito and I almost feel I'm back to my 3-egger breakfast.

 

[mneeley490]

Pardon another city-boy 4-H question here, but I have attended county fairs since I was a kid.
Do you really need a rooster for egg production? I thought hens were able to lay infertile eggs without them? I know that fertile eggs will have a blood spot in them when cracked open.

 

[bill1]

Pardon another city-boy 4-H question here, but I have attended county fairs since I was a kid.
Do you really need a rooster for egg production? I thought hens were able to lay infertile eggs without them? I know that fertile eggs will have a blood spot in them when cracked open.

But hens only live a couple years and if they get killed in the name of disease control they don't make it that long. You only need a rooster to replace dead hens!
This is also why you can have >1000 laying hens and only need one rooster to keep the ranch going. And hence why I said that being a baby boy chicken is tough luck...most of those don't make it to rooster status. Well, unless you're lucky enough to be a baby boy in a "roaster" breed instead of a "layer" breed.
And that's about the extent of my knowledge. Don't ask me how bees do it.

 

[mneeley490]

But hens only live a couple years and if they get killed in the name of disease control they don't make it that long. You only need a rooster to replace dead hens!

Gotcha. My nephew raises chickens, and from the stories he's told me about his mean rooster, I'm still not sure it's worth keeping one. Especially if you have a Coastal Ranch store nearby, like we do. Their live chicks should be coming in by now.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Roosters fertilize the eggs so you can get baby chix.
Hens will produce egg without a roo.

 

[bill1]

Gotcha. My nephew raises chickens, and from the stories he's told me about his mean rooster, I'm still not sure it's worth keeping one. Especially if you have a Coastal Ranch store nearby, like we do. Their live chicks should be coming in by now.

Some roosters are mean enought they kill the hens they're supposedly making love to. This is why I don't think you want to throw a dozen roosters together and just let the fittest survive.

And as you note, if you have a dozen hens and not 100,000, you don't want to mess with a rooster at all.

I suspect there's an art to raising roosters...hoping someone can fill in the gaps in both our understandings.

 

[fxsales1959]

I went shopping at Winco early this morning for some essentials. I hate shopping there at the first of the month because they will jack up prices on staples due to food assistance programs and higher reimbursements. I picked up two grade AA,18-count egg cartons and didn't pay attention to the price. Got to the register. $8.98 for the first one and $13.98 for the second! ____that! I had them remove the items from my cart.

I asked the checker why the price increase. Her answer, "bird flu." My answer is not printable here.

I literally drive 6.5 miles, passing 5 other higher-priced grocery stores, to shop at Winco. The closest other grocer to my house is a quarter mile away, but their prices are too high to shop there regularly, and trust me, I've calculated the gas price delta. I went there anyway and picked up two 18-count cartons for $6.98 each, about a $1.50 more than I pay normally at Winco.

Just venting.

Ray

We never buy 18, but i hate to admit it mama makes a stop at dollra general on he way home fomPublx. Dozens ben running $4.99

 

[noboundaries]

I typically like to have two 18 packs in the fridge for baking, cooking, breakfast at dinner, etc. Steam-boiled is quick protein if I feel my sugar acting up. I'll typically eat two or three cut in half. I sauce or season them with everything from mayo/S&P to teryaki sauce, mustards, my quick hot sauce, left over gravy, etc. I'll open the fridge, cut the eggs, then decide what I'm in the mood to put on them. My wife will look at some of my concoctions and say, "Pregnant ladies got NUTHIN' on you with their cravings."

Until the price rise I'd steam-boil 18 at a time. As the price drops, it'll be steaming time again!