# Food prices: thoughts?



## BennyMG1 (Jun 7, 2021)

I hope some of you that might be more in the know than me can chime in. I live in a rural farming community. Crops around here are widely varied to include corn, soybeans, peanuts and peaches. I grew up on a farm that grew soybeans and peanuts. Everything around here seems to be doing very well. It was a good peach harvest this year. Other crops still in, look pretty darn good. However, I’ve seen pictures of some of the large farms out in the Midwest and west that are pitiful due to drought. I know the farms out there are huge. I’m wondering, with all of the other factors including supply chain issues, how bad do you think food prices will jump this winter? I know there’s some experts that say the increase is going to be a slow roll. I’m not so sure.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Its going to be very bad. Our oldest who works for a big wholesale grocery company in Arkansas says Bidens enhanced unemployment money is keeping he worker bees away from work. They cant find enough people to load, unload or drive the trucks that delivers the food to the grocery stores. The Governor stopped the extra money for a while but got over ruled by a commie Federal Judge


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## Echo47 (Aug 11, 2021)

I reckon the impact of shortages or price inflation will be impacted by location just as much as any other factor. As an example, i hear from some folks up in the northeast that they're having shortages & higher prices on meat, but we have no such shortages or price gouging out here in the southwest. We've seen some price inflation, but nothing like what others experience. I attribute this mainly to being near a major CA port, though we don't live in CA (Thank God)


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## Robie (Jun 2, 2016)

It's going to take one thing for everything to go haywire....truckers.

If the Turnip-In-Chief demands that anyone involved in interstate travel must be vaccinated, the shortage of 60,000 truckers we have now will be tripled.

No trucks=no nothing, including food.

Do I think whoever dresses him everyday is capable of such nonsense?

Yes.


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## Echo47 (Aug 11, 2021)

Robie said:


> It's going to take one thing for everything to go haywire....truckers.
> 
> If the Turnip-In-Chief demands that anyone involved in interstate travel must be vaccinated, the shortage of 60,000 truckers we have now will be tripled.
> 
> ...


True! What's sad is that should this happen, most people will be past the point of no return by the time it's impact really hits. I get the feeling that the majority of folks don't *really *understand that if food isn't coming in, it's going to *really *not be coming in. There won't be a two day delay, it'll likely be a long while, & rushing to the grocery store with the thousands of other panicked buyers isn't going to help you.


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## Robie (Jun 2, 2016)

"In the olden days" supermarkets kept inventory in the back. They may have had floor to ceiling rows of product on hand, ready to go out to the floor when needed.

Those days are long gone and now, in the digital age, stuff is automatically ordered as needed when it electronically comes off the inventory when you buy one or ten. There's a name for it which escapes me.

When a store runs out of something these days, there is no backup stock to any degree behind closed doors.


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## Echo47 (Aug 11, 2021)

Robie said:


> "In the olden days" supermarkets kept inventory in the back. They may have had floor to ceiling rows of product on hand, ready to go out to the floor when needed.
> 
> Those days are long gone and now, in the digital age, stuff is automatically ordered as needed when it electronically comes off the inventory when you buy one or ten. There's a name for it which escapes me.
> 
> When a store runs out of something these days, there is no backup stock to any degree behind closed doors.


What you're looking for is the "just in time delivery system" our stores use now. The easiest example of how poorly it works is the rush on TP when Covid kicked off. Couldn't find jack & squat anywhere. System took months in places just to get basic necessities stocked again.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Robie said:


> "In the olden days" supermarkets kept inventory in the back. They may have had floor to ceiling rows of product on hand, ready to go out to the floor when needed.
> 
> Those days are long gone and now, in the digital age, stuff is automatically ordered as needed when it electronically comes off the inventory when you buy one or ten. There's a name for it which escapes me.
> 
> When a store runs out of something these days, there is no backup stock to any degree behind closed doors.


Just In Time Delivery.


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## CapitalKane49p (Apr 7, 2020)

North of the 49th on the West Coast and just did my bi-monthly Costco run. I was shocked at the rise in some prices. Bacon has gone through there roof, beef was stable but that is probably because ranchers are having to sell off their herds due to the drought. Also, I like to have a couple of cases of Gatorade around at all times for the electrolytes, etc... but there was none to be found nor Vitawater. Thankfully I've got a few cans of the powders stashed away. Tons of other stuff but unfortunately I can't eat or drink TP or cheap 3-use then toss clothing Chicom clothing. Also a lot of the racks above the foods stuffs were empty. 

Interesting times my brothers and sisters. 

Godspeed


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## Pobilly Duke (May 9, 2020)

Robie said:


> "In the olden days" supermarkets kept inventory in the back. They may have had floor to ceiling rows of product on hand, ready to go out to the floor when needed.
> 
> Those days are long gone and now, in the digital age, stuff is automatically ordered as needed when it electronically comes off the inventory when you buy one or ten. There's a name for it which escapes me.
> 
> When a store runs out of something these days, there is no backup stock to any degree behind closed doors.


They call it "just in time delivery", simple, nothing fancy.
Killer-No warehouse no backup... Disrupt that flow? Takes a long, long while to put everything back in place.


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## charito (Oct 12, 2013)

CapitalKane49p said:


> North of the 49th on the West Coast and just did my bi-monthly Costco run. I was shocked at the rise in some prices. Bacon has gone through there roof, beef was stable but that is probably because ranchers are having to sell off their herds due to the drought. Also, I like to have a couple of cases of Gatorade around at all times for the electrolytes, etc... but there was none to be found nor Vitawater. Thankfully I've got a few cans of the powders stashed away. Tons of other stuff but unfortunately I can't eat or drink TP or cheap 3-use then toss clothing Chicom clothing. Also a lot of the racks above the foods stuffs were empty.
> 
> Interesting times my brothers and sisters.
> 
> Godspeed



Thanks for that update on Costco. I was thinking of renewing our membership.....but I won't bother.


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## Koefe (Jul 20, 2021)

Robie said:


> "In the olden days" supermarkets kept inventory in the back. They may have had floor to ceiling rows of product on hand, ready to go out to the floor when needed.
> 
> Those days are long gone and now, in the digital age, stuff is automatically ordered as needed when it electronically comes off the inventory when you buy one or ten. There's a name for it which escapes me.
> 
> When a store runs out of something these days, there is no backup stock to any degree behind closed doors.


the term you’re looking for is “auto-fill” where we are. i was a warehouse manager for a couple of years and that’s exactly how it’s done, every time 1 item got sold, the computer manually entered to send 1 more. there was almost zero physical ordering done on our part, everything that comes in was typically just enough to fill the shelves with a little of high volume items kept in the warehouse for backup. sad, nowadays there’s so much crap in the product and regulation of it, there’s no way to essentially stockpile a warehouse, companies feel like product in the warehouse doesn’t sell, floor product does, no more no less.


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## CapitalKane49p (Apr 7, 2020)

charito said:


> Thanks for that update on Costco. I was thinking of renewing our membership.....but I won't bother.


I wouldn't go that far. Still some deals to be had there, got a huge bag of limes for 5 bucks when they are selling g for 70-80 cents each at the market. If they end of days are coming then at least I'll have a nice margarita to enjoy them. One good two cart run will easily pay off that membership in savings.

Godspeed.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Robie said:


> It's going to take one thing for everything to go haywire....truckers.
> 
> If the Turnip-In-Chief demands that anyone involved in interstate travel must be vaccinated, the shortage of 60,000 truckers we have now will be tripled.
> 
> ...


Rumor is driving a truck is not a very popular way to make a living these days. Nobody wants to do it.


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## BennyMG1 (Jun 7, 2021)

bigwheel said:


> Rumor is driving a truck is not a very popular way to make a living these days. Nobody wants to do it.


I have a couple of friends that are truck drivers. They are telling me that a lot of drivers never came back after the first round of Covid shutdowns and many of the older truckers no longer want to do long haul. They also told me there is a shortage of loaders and they often spend a lot of time waiting at distribution centers where they used to just pick up and go. They both talked about some other reasons that I reallydidn’t understand because it was in that “trucker language” that I don’t speak.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Our local market is crippled, grocery wise, because each of the three small towns within a 30 mile radius only has one grocery store. (Not counting Dollar General).
And, those three grocery stores are all owned by the same company - Southeast Grocers. They are serviced from the warehouse in Jacksonville, as are all the other Southeast Grocers stores.
The result is a LOT of empty space on the shelves. Another result is not much variety of manufacturers, the major emphasis is on the company's "house brand". Want Green Giant canned peas? You are out of luck.

At least those in suburbia may have choices as to where to shop. We don't, unless we want a round trip of 90 minutes or more.
People laugh and make jokes about Dollar General stores, but they give us rural dwellers a choice. And I'm glad they are here.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

BennyMG1 said:


> I have a couple of friends that are truck drivers. They are telling me that a lot of drivers never came back after the first round of Covid shutdowns and many of the older truckers no longer want to do long haul. They also told me there is a shortage of loaders and they often spend a lot of time waiting at distribution centers where they used to just pick up and go. They both talked about some other reasons that I reallydidn’t understand because it was in that “trucker language” that I don’t speak.


I spent 45 years in building materials wholesale distribution before I retired in 2016.
During the Great Recession of '07 many trucking companies went out of business. Ultimately over 1,000 went belly up
.
When business began to return in 2012 or so, many of the old time truckers were gone. I began to see drivers from the Caribbean and Eastern Europe showing up at our docks to pick up outbound freight.
Many could not speak any English at all, and when I asked them what they were to pick up they shoved a piece of paper with a load number scribbled on it at me.
Me: "I've got loads ready going to Memphis, Virginia Beach, and Columbus Ohio. Which one are you getting?"
Driver: Shoves paper at me.
Me, silently in my head: "How the heck is this clown going to find his way to Memphis? Can he even read road signs? Just how did he pass his CDL license test?"

The Good Old Boy trucker, the Knight of the Road, is very few and far between anymore.
I'm glad I retired.


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## BennyMG1 (Jun 7, 2021)

rice paddy daddy said:


> Our local market is crippled, grocery wise, because each of the three small towns within a 30 mile radius only has one grocery store. (Not counting Dollar General).
> And, those three grocery stores are all owned by the same company - Southeast Grocers. They are serviced from the warehouse in Jacksonville, as are all the other Southeast Grocers stores.
> The result is a LOT of empty space on the shelves. Another result is not much variety of manufacturers, the major emphasis is on the company's "house brand". Want Green Giant canned peas? You are out of luck.
> 
> ...


We love DG in our small town. I guess I’m lucky in that the closest big grocery store is only 30 minutes away. We have one grocery store in our town and it’s exactly as you describe. The local couple that owned it for years retired and sold it to a guy from the Carolinas that has several small town grocery stores. The prices are much much higher than anywhere else. My mother who used to shop there every Saturday, now makes the trek to the next largest town to shop (my parents are the most active octogenarians you would ever meet)


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Having driven trucks for a few years the reasons I quit and will never drive again is all the medical BS. Drug tests all the time. After being on the road all day/week the last thing I want to do is go sit in a DR. office for a couple more hours to piss in a cup, for nothing. 
Second is the health requirements. Being a big guy, broad shoulders, my neck is large. If it's to large no med card, aka no driving. So weight lifing to stay in shape is an issue. Same if my blood pressure is a little high. Again after wasting the morning at the DR. office I might be a little upset. On my only day off this week. One point over their limit and I've lost my job. I'm driving a truck sitting on my butt ALL day. I'm not a marathon runner in perfect physical health.
Of course you have the stupid long hours on the road away from my life. Waiting, waiting, waiting all the time for numerous things. Cops and weight stations harassing you all the time. God forbid you have a light out, or your paperwork isn't perfect.
The traffic and idiot drivers. The things I've seen spending time behind the wheel for hours. You have to drive like your on edge all day. When will the next idiot cut me off, pull out, stop in front of me, etc. 75 feet long and 80,000 pounds doesn't stop on a dime or handle like a new Mustang. Yet the cops will focus their efforts on truck drivers when 90% of the problems are caused by others. No I don't support the blue line. 
What a great way to waste your life for a few dollars. I surprised anybody puts up with the crap and drives at all.


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## BamaDOC (Feb 5, 2020)

Chipper said:


> Having driven trucks for a few years the reasons I quit and will never drive again is all the medical BS. Drug tests all the time. After being on the road all day/week the last thing I want to do is go sit in a DR. office for a couple more hours to piss in a cup, for nothing.
> Second is the health requirements. Being a big guy, broad shoulders, my neck is large. If it's to large no med card, aka no driving. So weight lifing to stay in shape is an issue. Same if my blood pressure is a little high. Again after wasting the morning at the DR. office I might be a little upset. On my only day off this week. One point over their limit and I've lost my job. I'm driving a truck sitting on my butt ALL day. I'm not a marathon runner in perfect physical health.
> Of course you have the stupid long hours on the road away from my life. Waiting, waiting, waiting all the time for numerous things. Cops and weight stations harassing you all the time. God forbid you have a light out, or your paperwork isn't perfect.
> The traffic and idiot drivers. The things I've seen spending time behind the wheel for hours. You have to drive like your on edge all day. When will the next idiot cut me off, pull out, stop in front of me, etc. 75 feet long and 80,000 pounds doesn't stop on a dime or handle like a new Mustang. Yet the cops will focus their efforts on truck drivers when 90% of the problems are caused by others. No I don't support the blue line.
> What a great way to waste your life for a few dollars. I surprised anybody puts up with the crap and drives at all.


Sorry about all the BS Chipper..
I hate driving... so many idiots on the road... it always drives me into a rage.. all the assholes out there...
I can't imagine having to put up with it all day all week...
congrats on getting out.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

i belong to several trucker Facebook pages, and some of the dash cam footage they post is interesting, to say the least.


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## NKAWTG (Feb 14, 2017)

rice paddy daddy said:


> i belong to several trucker Facebook pages, and some of the dash cam footage they post is interesting, to say the least.


Well don't keep it a secret, post a link...


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

BennyMG1 said:


> I have a couple of friends that are truck drivers. They are telling me that a lot of drivers never came back after the first round of Covid shutdowns and many of the older truckers no longer want to do long haul. They also told me there is a shortage of loaders and they often spend a lot of time waiting at distribution centers where they used to just pick up and go. They both talked about some other reasons that I reallydidn’t understand because it was in that “trucker language” that I don’t speak.


Our baby boy did it for a couple of years. Nearly killed him. Driving a truck ranks up near logging on the insurance actuarial tables of hazardous jobs which means its probably pretty accurate since it involves money. Long list of reasons why.
They rank 7. Us poor old school crossing guards come in at 12. Both jobs much more dangerous than being a cop.








Top 25 most dangerous jobs in the United States


Roofers, power lineman, construction jobs are among the most dangerous jobs in the United States based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and studied by AdvisorSmith.




www.ishn.com


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## CapitalKane49p (Apr 7, 2020)

Friend was a long haul trucker for a bit and hated it. Dangerous work, companies racing to the bottom with prices and he couldn't stand the food on the road after a while. Can't be healthy sitting all day long like they do. 

Godspeed.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

NKAWTG said:


> Well don't keep it a secret, post a link...


Getting ready to hit the rack, too late to fool with facebook, but the website www.cdllife.com has both a webpage and a Facebook page.
Their FB page usually has some good videos, their webpage looks like it might.


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