Post a Meme, any Meme! (no politics)

[ratflinger]

 

[vinny]

...and the general level of naiveté is scaring the shit out of me. There does not seem to be any shortage of eggs, indeed the cooler is as full as it has ever been. When I questioned a manager about the price increase, there was no mention of "bird flu" but he did mention the 2x increase in diesel fuel and the difficulty in getting deliveries due to that. It may be my cynical nature, but I attribute at least a portion of the price increases we are seeing to a. greed and b. "get well" (by which I mean companies which have had bad quarters or years are making up lost ground).

Perhaps I am just too suspicious, but when you hear of a Hutterite colony in the area being forced to kill their flock when it was proven healthy, it raises suspicions beyond incompetence, and brings it to intention.

It started in the papers and news. The colony was in between two other poultry farms that were being forced to wipe out their entire flock. The Hutterites challenged and paid for external testing. This is when the papers went silent. They brought it to court and the pressure and publicity just stopped, but it was just expected that they should slaughter the whole flock because surrounding farms had been forced to.

There was a week, only a few weeks ago, that the egg shelf was bare in my local store. I find every time that happens it is enough to justify the doubling of the cost. Lumber, parts, and equipment supplies. Electrical wiring... I heard that the copper was easy to find, but they couldn't get enough plastic for the shielding. The next roll of wire I bought went from $58 to $160, for standard 14/2 house wiring.

 

[winemaker81]

I am totally amazed by modern fashion.






this is not a compliment .......

 

[JustJoe]

I am totally amazed by modern fashion.

View attachment 96623




this is not a compliment .......

Whoever designed that atrocity really needs a therapist.

 

[ibglowin]

Our small town is not just a one horse company town for employment via the National Lab but also for groceries. We have a Smiths (Kroger) Hypermarket in Los Alamos as well as a smaller Smiths here in White Rock and that's it. I do most of the foraging for food and I have seen grocery prices go up almost weekly over the past 18 months. We have had weeks at times when not only the egg shelves were completely empty but also the milk aisle. I have seen the price of produce on items go from $0.99/lb to now $2.00/lb. Mrs IB loves her Reddi Whip on top of her morning greek yogurt. It has gone from $4.79/bottle to now over $7.50 a bottle. Meat and chicken forget about it.

Corporations are reporting record profits each quarter in most every sector of the stock market and I don't think its any secret that the main reason is they are raising prices faster than they actually need to to make the same amount of profit as before. Oil companies are the best at this. Any hint of a supply reduction and the price of gas goes up immediately but then when that supply goes back up the price of gas trickles down at a snails pace.

Kroger has reported record profits this year..........

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/01/kroger-kr-earnings-q3-2022-.html
https://accountable.us/profiteering...-net-income-after-marking-up-consumer-prices/

...and the general level of naiveté is scaring the shit out of me. There does not seem to be any shortage of eggs, indeed the cooler is as full as it has ever been. When I questioned a manager about the price increase, there was no mention of "bird flu" but he did mention the 2x increase in diesel fuel and the difficulty in getting deliveries due to that. It may be my cynical nature, but I attribute at least a portion of the price increases we are seeing to a. greed and b. "get well" (by which I mean companies which have had bad quarters or years are making up lost ground).

 

[winemaker81]

Whoever designed that atrocity really needs a therapist.

I disagree. The person who designed that is a genius, after all, he/she/it got people to believe it's fashion. That takes exceptional ability.

The people who believe it's fashion need therapy.

 

[jswordy]

View attachment 96607

My Uncle Phil turned 95 on Dec. 10. Still push mows his yard and clears his own snow from sidewalks and drive. I call him to wish him happy birthday, and he said, "I do as much for myself as I can because I think it keeps me going. My goal is 100." He has had one heart attack quite a few years ago, but I think he'll make it.

 

[jswordy]

View attachment 96620

 

[jswordy]

...and the general level of naiveté is scaring the shit out of me. There does not seem to be any shortage of eggs, indeed the cooler is as full as it has ever been. When I questioned a manager about the price increase, there was no mention of "bird flu" but he did mention the 2x increase in diesel fuel and the difficulty in getting deliveries due to that. It may be my cynical nature, but I attribute at least a portion of the price increases we are seeing to a. greed and b. "get well" (by which I mean companies which have had bad quarters or years are making up lost ground).

Oh, it's very real. There is a shortage of eggs, but as with most U.S. commodities, higher prices are chiefly being driven by speculators getting richer from the situation at hand.

https://apnews.com/article/health-a...ulture-omaha-ca8f94677d828d5838ecaff894403388
https://mynorthwest.com/3754375/wsda-cries-fowl-as-bird-flu-hits-commercial-livestock-population/
https://gazette.com/news/environmen...cle_b2b75cfe-7b0c-11ed-bb09-e75564305566.html
Canada...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/bird-flu-outbreaks-threat-1.6684560
Europe...

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...lling-of-140m-farmed-birds-since-last-october
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/...st-devastating-bird-flu-outbreak-ever-eu-says
Egg production...

https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/livestock/poultry/eggs-profile
Note in the above, it says eggs are sold as commodities. That means there is a commodity bid trade built on their sale. This is where almost all the increase in prices is coming from, speculation on future egg supplies in a bird flu influenced market. Here is the recent report. Also note: "Offerings are light. Supplies are light to moderate."

https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/pybshellegg.pdf

 

[Boatboy24]

 

[vinny]

The nice thing about country living is the residents don't play the games the markets do. I get farm fresh eggs, better than any organic or free range label, for $6 an 18 pack.

God forbid I get a craving for Iceberg lettuce, though. That was $5 a head last time I was in town.

 

[winemanden]

...and the general level of naiveté is scaring the shit out of me. There does not seem to be any shortage of eggs, indeed the cooler is as full as it has ever been. When I questioned a manager about the price increase, there was no mention of "bird flu" but he did mention the 2x increase in diesel fuel and the difficulty in getting deliveries due to that. It may be my cynical nature, but I attribute at least a portion of the price increases we are seeing to a. greed and b. "get well" (by which I mean companies which have had bad quarters or years are making up lost ground).

In the UK, 'Which' magazine did a survey on price rises. They found that supermarkets cheaper, own brand products had risen almost three times as much as branded stuff. That seems to me to be very clever marketing as more people are buying own brands due to cost of living going up. Maintain profit margins. at all cost.

 

[winemanden]

My Uncle Phil turned 95 on Dec. 10. Still push mows his yard and clears his own snow from sidewalks and drive. I call him to wish him happy birthday, and he said, "I do as much for myself as I can because I think it keeps me going. My goal is 100." He has had one heart attack quite a few years ago, but I think he'll make it.

People seem amazed that I mow my lawns and trim the hedge when I'm pushing 90. I'm amazed myself sometimes.

 

[ibglowin]

 

[ibglowin]

 

[ibglowin]

 

[jswordy]

The nice thing about country living is the residents don't play the games the markets do. I get farm fresh eggs, better than any organic or free range label, for $6 an 18 pack.

God forbid I get a craving for Iceberg lettuce, though. That was $5 a head last time I was in town.

I am still getting mine down the road for $3 a dozen cuz yard bugs are free feed. Mmmm... Can't beat the yardbird flavor, in eggs or meat. We're growing our own salad materials. Also mmm...

 

[jswordy]

People seem amazed that I mow my lawns and trim the hedge when I'm pushing 90. I'm amazed myself sometimes.

Are you really pushing 90? Wow, congratulations! I'd rather sit on my ass and drink, to be honest, but I stay busy cuz – USE IT or LOSE IT!

 

[vinny]

I am still getting mine down the road for $3 a dozen cuz yard bugs are free feed. Mmmm... Can't beat the yardbird flavor, in eggs or meat. We're growing our own salad materials. Also mmm...

We pay about the same if you account for the exchange rate.

 

[jswordy]

View attachment 96628

I think Halmark and J-Lo are in a race.