Gov Brown Signs $15 CA min wage law RIP California Businesses (Orange: price, store)

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

You raised the case of grocery price increases (specifically: beef). I've been wondering about that for years. The price of dairy, most noticeably in my shopping--cheese, has increased 30-40% in the last 5 years or so, roughly. Yet there's never been any discussion in the media about inflation, which we keep being told is very low. So what's going on? I asked at one of my local grocery stores, a small, independently-owned one, and they told me it was due to transportation costs. (This was back when gas prices were peaking.) But shortly after that, gas prices plunged, but prices kept going up.

Can anyone explain what's going on? Prices for similar products have gone up in other stores, too (maybe not quite as much as the mom-and-pop store), so it's not just that one store.

Maybe because other commodities have dropped at the same time, ie. gasoline. Also, with no increase in wages there hasn't been enough demand to push prices higher across the economy.

Here's a much better explanation than I can offer:

Forbes Welcome

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

Maybe because other commodities have dropped at the same time, ie. gasoline. Also, with no increase in wages there hasn't been enough demand to push prices higher across the economy.

Here's a much better explanation than I can offer:

Forbes Welcome

OK, thanks. That explains one half of my question. The other half is: why are grocery prices going up? What is causing them, especially meat and dairy--not sure about fruit and produce, to go up, and sharply, in the case of certain commodities?

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OK, thanks. That explains one half of my question. The other half is: why are grocery prices going up? What is causing them, especially meat and dairy--not sure about fruit and produce, to go up, and sharply, in the case of certain commodities?

I don't have a clue, last month the price of avocados doubled to $2.00 each, now they are back down to about $1.10. I think there's a lot of game playing in some commodity markets with contrived shortages etc.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by RaymondChandlerLives

I'd love to hear the rationale for this one .

Me too, but I'm not going to hold my breath

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

Me too, but I'm not going to hold my breath

Supply and Demand, Crop problems like they had with Avocados a short while back and of course ..... greed.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by expatCA

Supply and Demand, Crop problems like they had with Avocados a short while back and of course ..... greed.

Democrats hate avocados? Who knew?

[Des-Lab]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

I think there's a lot of game playing in some commodity markets with contrived shortages etc.

That's right. Yes there is. Paper traders, day traders, hedge funds, etc. all engage in various amounts of manipulation, collusion, etc. Especially in the fuel industry. Make no mistake about it. I can name three fuel companies based just in California alone who keep their doors open almost solely because of those types of business practices.

That's how they survive. Not to mention the army of support staff many of them have and even more peoples 401(k) accounts.

You can expect to see more of that volatility and price spikes in the next few years with the incoming business friendly Trump Administration.

You can complain about it (won't do any good), waste everyones time with another theater showing of 'an investigation' (let me tell you something......these guys are masters at covering their tracks and paying off the right people to make trouble go away....no one ever has and never will be prosecuted much less convicted even though every one of these activities are their daily bread and butter) or join the party and get invested. Sure you'll be paying more like everyone else. But the dividends will more than offset it.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Democrats hate avocados? Who knew?

???????????????????? Who said anything about Dems?

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by expatCA

???????????????????? Who said anything about Dems?

You did. The comments are part of a string following your comment here:

Originally Posted by expatCA

Except the greedy corporations are helped more by Dems than Republicanism which is why they support Dems far more. You are helping them.

OK both parties do so, just the dens more.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

I don't have a clue, last month the price of avocados doubled to $2.00 each, now they are back down to about $1.10. I think there's a lot of game playing in some commodity markets with contrived shortages etc.

There was a problem w/the avocado crop in Mexico a couple of months back; that explains that, at least.