Re: Why aren't we seeing better values in astro equipment during this recession?

On Aug 9, 10:37 pm, Dave Typinski <möb...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Too_Many_Tools <too_many_to...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Aug 9, 3:46 pm, wsnel...@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Aug 8, 10:54 am, Too_Many_Tools <too_many_to...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Aug 6, 11:53 pm, "P. Edward Murray" <p.edwardmur...@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

I would say in the last year and a half I've seen enough
inflation...cans and I mean small cans of store brand cat food going
from 33 cents to 47 cents. And some of it was in the last 6 months or
so.

LOL...I have seen that too.

Our cat keeps reminding me that he is worth it.

TMT

Maybe the demand for cat food has increased.

A small pig might make a better pet, if times get really tough.

No...consumption is down and companies are trying to make up profits
by increasing product pricing.

Um, no.  All companies are being hit by increasing transportation
costs, which they pass on to the customer.  In the case of grocery
stores, which operate at *very* slim profit margins (about 2% or
less), and for which freight costs make up a whopping large fraction
of the expenses side of their income statements, they either raise
prices or go out of business.  It's that simple.

In markets where the margins are great enough to permit it, most
companies have simply eaten the increased costs of transportation and
fuel.

Point is, no company in its right mind is raising prices with the
purpose of offsetting a decline in sales.  That would be so idiotic it
wouldn't even pass the marketing (psychological warfare) department's
laugh test.

One also needs to look out for smaller portions...

Yep, that's what /many/ vendors have done to try to sneak price
increases past consumers without drawing their ire.  Instead of a ten
pound box filled with seven pounds of crap as before, it's now filled
with six at the same price.  Of course, the box is still all big and
shiny because form is vastly more important than substance when it's
sitting among competing products on a grocery store shelf.

Might not be such a bad thing in the food department.  In general, the
fraction of Americans who are educated enough and self disciplined
enough to eat reasonably sized portions of decent food is small. Might
help future health care costs if we ate fewer Doritos and less
Häagen-Dazs for the next coupla decades.  If that happens because
stuff comes in smaller portions for the same price, well hallelujah.
--
Dave

As for smaller contents in bigger packages, there have been some
reports of scopes being stopped down but still sold as larger
aperatures.

TMT
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Green Bananas
    ... if I need to buy both them and cat food, ... Our local Smart 'n Final store is not very big, ... There was no price visible though, ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Re: Why arent we seeing better values in astro equipment during this recession?
    ... costs, which they pass on to the customer. ... that's what /many/ vendors have done to try to sneak price ... sitting among competing products on a grocery store shelf. ... Might not be such a bad thing in the food department. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: Can one start the FLGS?
    ... your new gaming club in the campus newspapers. ... operating costs, especially labor. ... know a hardware store costs to open, ... difference in price per square foot or price to buy a given ...
    (rec.games.frp.dnd)
  • Re: Re: OT: Something Ive noticed about the hurricane survivors
    ... We can get good fresh stuff IN ... If I could get to a store that would sell me those items for the price ... I could make the allotment of food stamps feed me and my ...
    (rec.food.cooking)
  • Re: Trader Joes "Pros & Cons"
    ... It's not a store for everyone. ... better than the name brand and store brand elsewhere. ... candy-making and are half the price of similar bars in other stores. ... My cats adore the canned food, which is half the price of comparable ...
    (rec.food.cooking)