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But that roast beef, raw, is about $6 a pound and loses about 30% of the weight when cooked. It's been handled, trimmed, brined, roasted, packaged by workers earning $15 an hour. Then it is shipped with a driver who gets $25 an hour and the government law says he must park his rig and take a 30 minute break every 4 hours, which he is still being paid for.
At the market, workers paid $15 an hour move the roast into the deli case and then slice weigh and package it for you. The market is paying for the electricity to keep the meat cold and for the lights so you can see it. They are also paying SS taxes, disability insurance, and health insurance for that $15 an hour employee.
I suspect you are buying it for very near cost.
In Seattle, you could try the deli counter at Winco. They might be cheaper and they sell good products. Costco sells good deli meats, but you have to buy a 2 pound package.
( I am sympathetic. Gritting my teeth to be paying almost $5 for a loaf of my favorite Seattle sour dough bread)
I am a Winco shopper in the PNW. I have to disagree about quality deli meat there. I love Winco for some things, but deli meat is not one of them. What I've experienced is salt laden or unfresh product. I won't buy deli meat from them now.
I also want to remind folks that you can buy (if you can find and afford it) decently healthy deli meat. You have to ask for the leaner and reduced sodium varieties, and taste before you buy. It is not all unhealthy and horrible. But I do find that quality deli meat is a luxury item now. We do not buy it often for that reason.
I've found decent meat at Safeway and Fred Meyer.
On the other hand, I remember eatng bologna as a kid. I would consider it vile now.
This is the ham I bought yesterday, Smithfield Lean Generation Honey Cured Ham, for $5.99/lb. I ate it with Swiss cheese and Maille honey mustard, on Dave's Killer White Bread Done Right. Tasted fine.
I'd love to know what you cold cuts mavens think is wrong with it. I don't eat cold cuts often, and I don't give that much thought to what I'm choosing. I never buy chipped ham, or the cheapest available selection, but neither do I select the most expensive. I'm not enough of a connoisseur in this area, the way I am with, say, ice cream or cake.
This is the ham I bought yesterday, Smithfield Lean Generation Honey Cured Ham, for $5.99/lb. I ate it with Swiss cheese and Maille honey mustard, on Dave's Killer White Bread Done Right. Tasted fine.
I'd love to know what you cold cuts mavens think is wrong with it. I don't eat cold cuts often, and I don't give that much thought to what I'm choosing. I never buy chipped ham, or the cheapest available selection, but neither do I select the most expensive. I'm not enough of a connoisseur in this area, the way I am with, say, ice cream or cake.
Yea I am all about the visual of the product ( you showed no actual pics - just stats )
I will also taste test a small sample prior to shelling out the big $$$
I guess I just need to drop the issue and forget about quality deli cold cuts going forward as I am certain prices are NOT coming down
I will just make other food choices. Which will be easy when you are talking $13 per lb of food to work with.
You can buy a couple 1 lb NY steaks for the cost of a lb of premium ham or roast beef.
My grocer occasionally has NY steaks marked down to $7lb - I find it hard to buy cold cuts at double that cost
My preference for the $10.50/lb Primo Taglio roast beef notwithstanding, you can still usually buy ham or turkey for $5-7/lb here in North Texas.
I don't mind "splurging" on the roast beef considering I generally buy it 1/2 pound at a time, it really doesn't break the bank. Roast beef is just one of those things where the cheap one is not nearly as good.
The amounts they make you buy at Costco are not worth the price per pound savings if you are a 1 or 2 person household.
I am not only priced out the the deli counter; but at the fresh meat counter too. Meat prices are outrageous! The only time I can buy steak is if it has a "Managers Special" tag on it; meaning it needs to be sold that day. For cold cuts--and for the rest of your groceries--do what a lot of people do and only buy items on sale that week. Build your menus around these sales food even if you have to eat chicken as your only meat for a week. In that case, try a meatless meal! In these expensive times you have to be resilient and flexible in order to eat well if you are on a budget.
I am not only priced out the the deli counter; but at the fresh meat counter too. Meat prices are outrageous! The only time I can buy steak is if it has a "Managers Special" tag on it; meaning it needs to be sold that day. For cold cuts--and for the rest of your groceries--do what a lot of people do and only buy items on sale that week. Build your menus around these sales food even if you have to eat chicken as your only meat for a week. In that case, try a meatless meal! In these expensive times you have to be resilient and flexible in order to eat well if you are on a budget.
I hear you BJ
If it were not for a freezer full of nice fish from past fishing trips to Canada I would be be in despair at the amount I would be spending on food monthly.
I eat fish at least 3-4 times a week. Chicken from Costco ( rotisserie $4.99 ) I will make at least 4-5 meals from over a week. I might eat beef once every 2-3 weeks. usually hamburger grilled up in a skillet and ate with ketchup or steak sauce. I will eat steak maybe once a month if I am lucky.
I can afford to eat better ... I just choose to be frugal and not to spend more than needed.
I have given up the cheap carb items mostly as I have been dieting for the past 6 months or so ( dropped 40lbs ) Rice bread beans and pasta are all very cheap fillers and meal add ons ... yet they are bad for your waist line and over all health.
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