Weird egg prices and weird shoppers

The current price for a dozen eggs in the Albuquerque area is about $2 and up. Imagine my surprise when I saw fresh Grade AA, extra-large eggs on the bottom shelf at Trader Joe's for $1.19. Their other eggs (even in smaller sizes) were selling for at least twice as much but they were at eye level. Guess which ones shoppers were buying? Muy loco.

Are you sure those other eggs weren't "free range" or whatever? I've never noticed egg prices to be any more irrational at TJ's than anywhere else. My guess is there was something special about those smaller eggs.

The prices aren't irrational, the shoppers are. The only thing weird about the TJ $1.19 price is that it's almost half as much as the grocery stores.

To repeat, I think if you revisit TJ's, you'll find those other more expensive eggs had some other selling point - free range, high omega-3, dyed Easter egg colors, something.

You're right. The shelf above held brown eggs; above that: free range, which does not make TJ's prices irrational, only expensive. The ones I bought at almost half the price were from chickens that were fed no antibiotics or hormones, but they were white.

I was at the grocery store yesterday (Harris Teeter - not some specialty store) and their price on regular large white eggs was $2.49. Eggland's Best on the next shelf was only 20 cents more. I've never seen regular eggs this expensive. Are the hens on strike or what?

I was at the grocery store yesterday (Harris Teeter - not some specialty store) and their price on regular large white eggs was $2.49. Eggland's Best on the next shelf was was only 20 cents more. I've never seen regular eggs this expensive. Are the hens on strike or what?

I'm guessing it has something to do with feed prices. Between the corn ethanol boondoggle and huge demand for grain from places like China, the prices of all grains have skyrocketed and are now higher than they've been in a long time. Since the price of grain is a part of everything from chocolate (milk chocolate, anyway) to meats of all sorts (the price of feed) to tortillas (they've had near-unrest in Mexico), we can expect significant increases in food prices, I'm afraid.

I was at the grocery store yesterday (Harris Teeter - not some specialty store) and their price on regular large white eggs was $2.49. Eggland's Best on the next shelf was was only 20 cents more. I've never seen regular eggs this expensive. Are the hens on strike or what?

I'm guessing it has something to do with feed prices. Between the corn ethanol boondoggle and huge demand for grain from places like China, the prices of all grains have skyrocketed and are now higher than they've been in a long time. Since the price of grain is a part of everything from chocolate (milk chocolate, anyway) to meats of all sorts (the price of feed) to tortillas (they've had near-unrest in Mexico), we can expect significant increases in food prices, I'm afraid.

Not to mention, Mark, that feed prices are closely linked to petroleum prices, since petroleum is used for fuel, fertilizer and pesticides.

Mark Lipton

I was at the grocery store yesterday (Harris Teeter - not some specialty store) and their price on regular large white eggs was $2.49.

For a dozen? Sounds cheap by our Bay Area standards.

I usually pay $5 per dozen or $3 per half-dozen at the farmer's market, which still seems relatively cheap to me for the solid protein you get (in comparison to fresh fish).

And eggs are one thing I find it very difficult to skimp on. Anything less than the pristine best has off-flavors that cannot be covered up with sauces, etc, as you might do with less-than-pristine fish (although I'm pretty picky about that as well), or cheese that can be melted into a dish.

Of course I don't have kids.

You've got a pricey Farmers Market there! At the farm stand where I shop, I get fresh eggs from free-range birds at $1 a dozen.

I was at the grocery store yesterday (Harris Teeter - not some specialty store) and their price on regular large white eggs was $2.49.

For a dozen? Sounds cheap by our Bay Area standards.

I usually pay $5 per dozen or $3 per half-dozen at the farmer's market, which still seems relatively cheap to me for the solid protein you get (in comparison to fresh fish).

And eggs are one thing I find it very difficult to skimp on. Anything less than the pristine best has off-flavors that cannot be covered up with sauces, etc, as you might do with less-than-pristine fish (although I'm pretty picky about that as well), or cheese that can be melted into a dish.

Of course I don't have kids.

Can you float me a small loan?

I get fresh eggs from free-range birds at $1 a dozen.

Unbelievable.

Those are supermarket prices.

Good for you.

Well, the egg prices at TJ aren't weird anymore. The eggs that were $1.29 are now $1.89, perfectly unweird and in line with every other market in Albuquerque.

Wow that's crzy. I haven't paid any attention to egg prices for about five years now because a local farmer (cranky ol' yankee variety) delivers free range XL brown hormone free every friday nite and still charges me $1.25. I hope he's not reading this.

Cheers, TimH

Part of the blame for the increased prices of eggs and other foodstuffs can be directed at the ethanol industry. As demand for ethanol has skyrocketed, much of the grain supply that used to go into animal feed is now being diverted to achohol production, thus driving up the cost of feeding the chickens, cows, swine, and other edible animals. This has in turn been driving up the cost to the consumer for products derived from said edible animals.

Part of the blame for the increased prices of eggs and other foodstuffs can be directed at the ethanol industry. As demand for ethanol has skyrocketed, much of the grain supply that used to go into animal feed is now being diverted to achohol production, thus driving up the cost of feeding the chickens, cows, swine, and other edible animals. This has in turn been driving up the cost to the consumer for products derived from said edible animals.

That is true. The government imposed ethanol mandate in various areas has caused corn demand to significantly exceed supply. While that is good news for farmers that only produce corn, it is hurting the farmers that rely upon corn as feed for their animals. Locally, we have noticed that the ethanol mandate has increased the price of gasoline at the pump, increased the price of corn fed animals in the grocery stores and, obviously, increased the price of corn on the cob at the store. In the summer of 2005, corn on the cob was 10/$1. During the summer of 2007, they were on sale 4/$1.