Walmart Junk Food Inflation
This food inflation spiral has been a trip. Yesterday I spent $2.80 accidentally, because I thought a bag of chips was $1.50 and the price skyrocketed. As an unemployable burden on society watching food prices go up has been frightening, although I suppose I should be more frightened by the rental housing market.
My usual junk food these days continues to be chocolate. Although some chocolate has increased in price (the No Name brand at Central Fresh Market jumped from $1.29 to $1.50 suddenly, and the expensive 100g bars at Dollarama are now $1.75 instead of $1.50) the Walmart 100g bars have stayed stable after a jump from $0.97 or something. I do not know how much longer this will last, or what I will do when the price skyrockets on these as well.
Other junk foods at Walmart have gone up precipitously. Last June a box of eight house-brand cereal bars (think Nutri-Grain knockoffs) were $0.97. Then they went up to $1.49 and now they are $1.97. They doubled in price in less than a year.
The price of potato chips has been a roller-coaster. Like chocolate bars, they were at $0.97 for a long time. Then the price went up to $1.29. Then Walmart must have faced consumer backlash, because the price went back down to $0.97. Then two weeks ago chips went back up to $1.29, and now they are $1.48 . It is the dip in prices that fascinates me. What happened here?
Unfortunately as my money runs out my anxiety rises, and with it so does my junk food consumption. I am embarrassed to admit the fraction of my food budget that goes towards junk food (especially unethical Walmart junk food) every week. I am also embarrassed to admit what this has done to my waistline.
It's not just Walmart, of course. City Pizza was my pandemic food, but it looks as if those days are over too. Pizza jumped from $1.05 to $1.25 to $1.50, and now is $1.75 a slice. It will hit $2.00 by the end of the year, I am guessing.
Prices have risen at the farmer's market, but I feel that the prices have not risen as quickly as inflation. But the days of cheap food (nutritious and otherwise) are coming to an end.