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Grocery cost question

firegiver

The Jack Dunlap Club
Gold Member
Sep 11, 2007
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Dear beloved folks who thought through everything and decided to support Donald Trump for president.
How, will our grocery prices be lowered? Since the inflation of our goods was such a very important issue and one that was apparently the top of the list, along with immigration, how will this administration lower food costs?

Also, how will that occur if we also deport the people that make up 50% of the farm industry work force, undocumented workers?
Thanks in advance.
 
Dear beloved folks who thought through everything and decided to support Donald Trump for president.
How, will our grocery prices be lowered? Since the inflation of our goods was such a very important issue and one that was apparently the top of the list, along with immigration, how will this administration lower food costs?

Also, how will that occur if we also deport the people that make up 50% of the farm industry work force, undocumented workers?
Thanks in advance.
Trump himself has already walked that back. It’s almost as if the President has extremely limited control over the way private businesses price their goods.
 
Trump himself has already walked that back. It’s almost as if the President has extremely limited control over the way private businesses price their goods.
The Republicans have spoken: we need to implement a centrally planned economy with rigorous price controls and government oversight so we can make sure eggs aren't too expensive
 
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I was watching Stephen Miller talking at CPAC and he was talking about deporting all the 'illegals'.
IF this were to occur, let's say he could wave a magic wand and make it happen, farms across America would shutter forever. It would be an instant crisis.

I just wonder how far politicians will take this scapegoat agenda.
 
The Republicans have spoken: we need to implement a centrally planned economy with rigorous price controls and government oversight so we can make sure eggs aren't too expensive
Yeah, I truly believe both Dems and Republicans just want their own versions of quasi-socialism. Liberals tend to support more traditional wealth redistribution, conservatives seem to support some executive control over private industry…which is a very specific type of socialism that starts with an F.
 
the general idea is that lower energy prices will lower the farmers' cost as well as the transportation and grocery stores overhead costs....
And like last time, refineries will shutdown, lay off thousands, and energy prices will double.
 
Dear beloved folks who thought through everything and decided to support Donald Trump for president.
How, will our grocery prices be lowered? Since the inflation of our goods was such a very important issue and one that was apparently the top of the list, along with immigration, how will this administration lower food costs?

Also, how will that occur if we also deport the people that make up 50% of the farm industry work force, undocumented workers?
Thanks in advance.
1) Stop printing money. 60% of the US Dollars in history have been printed in the last 5 years.
2) Stop making fake government jobs. Government jobs are usually very inefficient for multiple reasons.
3) Stop the handouts, stop the spending.

Inflation is the direct result of governement spending. If you want to slow or stop it, it is very simple. You have to reduce spending.
 
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Yeah, I truly believe both Dems and Republicans just want their own versions of quasi-socialism. Liberals tend to support more traditional wealth redistribution, conservatives seem to support some executive control over private industry…which is a very specific type of socialism that starts with an F.
Oh mine was tongue in cheek/joking about the Republicans wanting a Soviet style economy. I'm a New Deal Democrat/post WW2 social democrat
 
I was watching Stephen Miller talking at CPAC and he was talking about deporting all the 'illegals'.
IF this were to occur, let's say he could wave a magic wand and make it happen, farms across America would shutter forever. It would be an instant crisis.

I just wonder how far politicians will take this scapegoat agenda.
If you have been paying attention

1) no one, no one, suggested removing all illegals (although we will if necessary). What was discussed is removing criminal illegal aliens.
2) We WANT legal immigration. If we need more labor, we will allow it in legally.

Why is that hard for yall to understand?
 
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Yeah, I truly believe both Dems and Republicans just want their own versions of quasi-socialism. Liberals tend to support more traditional wealth redistribution, conservatives seem to support some executive control over private industry…which is a very specific type of socialism that starts with an F.
Libertarianism seems to be winning.

I would describe Musk and Vivek as libertarians.
 
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I was watching Stephen Miller talking at CPAC and he was talking about deporting all the 'illegals'.
IF this were to occur, let's say he could wave a magic wand and make it happen, farms across America would shutter forever. It would be an instant crisis.

I just wonder how far politicians will take this scapegoat agenda.
Mass deportations would be very difficult to carry out. I don't think they would actually try them, just do enough to scare business and working immigrants to fall into line, especially the latter group. Stephen Miller is trying to get Trump to deport American citizens too and end birthright citizenship however. He is a major believer in the idea of a herrenvolk country/volksgemeinschaft
 
Its absolutely mind bottling to me that people think when costs go down for private companies they’ll just be like “oh, hey, our cost went down, let’s lower our prices!” That has never happened in the course of history. Their costs will go down and they’ll just post more record profits. Just like how they’ve been posting record profits despite their costs going up, meaning they aren’t just passing along cost to consumers.

There’s 40 years of evidence that trickle down economics is an absolute scam but people just continue to buy into it.
 
Mass deportations would be very difficult to carry out. I don't think they would actually try them, just do enough to scare business and working immigrants to fall into line, especially the latter group. Stephen Miller is trying to get Trump to deport American citizens too and end birthright citizenship however. He is a major believer in the idea of a herrenvolk country/volksgemeinschaft
I have no doubt that if mass deportation were to take place American citizens would get swept up in that and deported, whether unintentionally or intentionally.
 
Its absolutely mind bottling to me that people think when costs go down for private companies they’ll just be like “oh, hey, our cost went down, let’s lower our prices!” That has never happened in the course of history. Their costs will go down and they’ll just post more record profits. Just like how they’ve been posting record profits despite their costs going up, meaning they aren’t just passing along cost to consumers.

There’s 40 years of evidence that trickle down economics is an absolute scam but people just continue to buy into it.
Its called competition. They don't lower prices because they want to, they lower prices because they have to. And yes it has happened and happens on a daily basis. Seems as if you have a basic misunderstanding.
 
Its called competition. They don't lower prices because they want to, they lower prices because they have to. And yes it has happened and happens on a daily basis. Seems as if you have a basic misunderstanding.

They don't lower prices. They never lower their prices.
 
Its called competition. They don't lower prices because they want to, they lower prices because they have to. And yes it has happened and happens on a daily basis. Seems as if you have a basic misunderstanding.
Can you cite one example from the last, say, 20 years of a company choosing to lower its prices?

Thanks
 
I have no doubt that if mass deportation were to take place American citizens would get swept up in that and deported, whether unintentionally or intentionally.
Their answer to "what are you going to do about family separation" is to deport everyone in the family, including American citizens
 
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Its called competition. They don't lower prices because they want to, they lower prices because they have to. And yes it has happened and happens on a daily basis. Seems as if you have a basic misunderstanding.
They might offer lower prices in relation to their competition but they don't actually lower prices from what they were say 5 years ago, especially when there is collusion in a market with only a few players, such as the grocery store industry
 
Can you cite one example from the last, say, 20 years of a company choosing to lower its prices?

Thanks
Yes.

During covid, you could buy a 12 pack of coca cola for about $8.

Today, you can go buy a 12 pack of coca cola for $8 and when you do, they will give you 12 more for free. So you get 24 colas for $8.

That is called lowering the price. And if you go to the grocery store you will see sales now. BOGO's and such just started back up about 6 months ago. Have you not been paying attention when you shop?
 
They might offer lower prices in relation to their competition but they don't actually lower prices from what they were say 5 years ago, especially when there is collusion in a market with only a few players, such as the grocery store industry

Tesla willingly lowers prices of their cars all the time and they don't have any competition.

Maybe this is why they hate Elon so much. Or maybe why he is so successful. idk.

Collusion is illegal. If there was collusion, dont you think Merrick Garland would have brought charges? Or did he waste all of his time going after Trump?

There are several players in the grocery industry. Within 5 miles of my house:

Publix
Harris Teeter
Aldi
Whole Foods
Trader Joes
Opie

Grocery stores average profit margin = 1.5%
Profit margin of your favorite industry = ????? (More than 1.5%)

Saying there is no competition is incorrect and a lie.
 
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Can you cite one example from the last, say, 20 years of a company choosing to lower its prices?

Thanks
And Tesla.

Tesla has no competition, yet has willingly lowered the prices of its cars.

Have you seen the stock price lately? Have you seen the public get access to better cars at lower prices? They are also better for the environment to boot. Thank you capitalism!
 
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Tesla willingly lowers prices of their cars all the time and they don't have any competition.

Maybe this is why they hate Elon so much. Or maybe why he is so successful. idk.

Collusion is illegal. If there was collusion, dont you think Merrick Garland would have brought charges? Or did he waste all of his time going after Trump?

There are several players in the grocery industry. Within 5 miles of my house:

Publix
Harris Teeter
Aldi
Whole Foods
Trader Joes
Opie

Grocery stores average profit margin = 1.5%
Profit margin of your favorite industry = ????? (More than 1.5%)

Saying there is no competition is incorrect and a lie.
Aldi, Opie(???) Trader Joes inhabit different market niches than say Harris Teeter. Harris Teeter is owned by Kroger Co, which also owns Kroger (obviously), and Marianos. Kroger and Albertson just attempted to merge and that got blocked. Whole Foods is owned by freakin' Amazon.
 
And Tesla.

Tesla has no competition, yet has willingly lowered the prices of its cars.

Have you seen the stock price lately? Have you seen the public get access to better cars at lower prices? They are also better for the environment to boot. Thank you capitalism!
Ok, good, you found an example. Here’s an article about it: https://apnews.com/article/tesla-lowers-prices-62999b502bddefc75aa1dbee47205d62

Tesla did lower their prices, however it came after their sales dropped, their stock price fell, and competition increased. To say they have no competition is extremely stupid, given that just about every auto manufacturer in the world has created an electric car.

Tesla’s cut in cost also came with a layoff of 10,000 employees. Would you be in favor of a carton of eggs reducing in price by 2% if it meant thousands of workers were laid off?

What we’re specifically referring to are companies lowering their prices in response to an increase in profits, not a decrease. What you’re suggesting is that a company will have lower costs (without layoffs), generating higher profit margins, and they will just willingly cut into their own profits by lowering costs. The example you provided was for a company that lost revenue and laid people off and lowered prices by approx 2% in order to try to drive higher sales and recover profit after a sluggish quarter.
 
And Tesla.

Tesla has no competition, yet has willingly lowered the prices of its cars.

Have you seen the stock price lately? Have you seen the public get access to better cars at lower prices? They are also better for the environment to boot. Thank you capitalism!
Tesla's competition is other electric car producers
 
Aldi, Opie(???) Trader Joes inhabit different market niches than say Harris Teeter. Harris Teeter is owned by Kroger Co, which also owns Kroger (obviously), and Marianos. Kroger and Albertson just attempted to merge and that got blocked. Whole Foods is owned by freakin' Amazon.
And they all compete. Are you claiming they don't compete? What is the point you are trying to make?

There is plenty of competition in the grocery business. Claiming otherwise is an outright lie and ignoring everything your eyes see.

And how about Tesla? Lowering prices without any competition and delivering a better product to consumers.

Thoughts?
 
The gas market is a more volatile market than say grocery prices. But gas prices have never gone back to what they were 20 years ago
Did you adjust for inflation?

What was the inflation adjusted price of gas 20 years ago?

You can't ignore inflation in that calculation if you want to compare apples to apples and do a correct analysis
 
Ok, good, you found an example. Here’s an article about it: https://apnews.com/article/tesla-lowers-prices-62999b502bddefc75aa1dbee47205d62

Tesla did lower their prices, however it came after their sales dropped, their stock price fell, and competition increased. To say they have no competition is extremely stupid, given that just about every auto manufacturer in the world has created an electric car.

Tesla’s cut in cost also came with a layoff of 10,000 employees. Would you be in favor of a carton of eggs reducing in price by 2% if it meant thousands of workers were laid off?

What we’re specifically referring to are companies lowering their prices in response to an increase in profits, not a decrease. What you’re suggesting is that a company will have lower costs (without layoffs), generating higher profit margins, and they will just willingly cut into their own profits by lowering costs. The example you provided was for a company that lost revenue and laid people off and lowered prices by approx 2% in order to try to drive higher sales and recover profit after a sluggish quarter.


1) Why does it matter what caused them to lower prices? You asked a question and i answered it. Competition is not the only reason for companies to lower prices. They will often lower prices to be on the efficiency curve (drawing a blank on correct term). If they can make more money by lowering the price, they will do so (which they often can). Economies of scale and such. Your premise that companies never lower prices is wrong. Your premise that grocers don't have competition is wrong.

Am i in favor of prices of eggs being reduced by 2% if it requires laying off 10,000 people? Absolutely 100% yes. Not only that, economics (science) demands those people be fired. Those people will then go find more meaningful useful work. That is economics. Those 10,000 people you are referring to are what we call fat. Innefficiency. THey need to be fired and repurposed. Those coal miners can learn to code, right? That is what happened in the insutrial revolution and it is what will happen with the AI revolution that is coming. And it will all be a net positive for society. We will be entering the age of abundancy.
 
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If you want lower grocery prices ...... capitalism is your best shot.

 
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