Locator: 48401EGGS.
Wow, these guys are obsessed with eggs.
Last week in response to some news article, I wrote:
Inflation watch: yes, I know eggs are expensive, or better said, folks and the press are telling us that eggs are expensive.
Today, at Walmart, a dozen large eggs were selling for $4.17; a dozen extra large eggs, for $4.67.
Are eggs expensive or have Americans simply had an incredibly good bargain all these years?
This morning, for breakfast, I had one egg and a half-ounce of Spam mixed with the egg. Yes, a half-ounce; that's all I need and a couple of slices of toast and a damn good cup of coffee (a nod to David Lynch). The Keurig K-cup cost 57 cents. The egg: 4.67 / 12 = 39 cents. A typical candy bar costs $1.50 (range: $1.00 to $2.00 for the "typical" American candy bar). So, eggs? Historically much higher prices now, but "high-priced"? I honestly don't know.
I know a new Cybertruck can cost about $100,000. Americans have it pretty good in the big scheme of things.
Now, today, again, a long, long article on the price of eggs. It gets tedious. Link here.
If there's a single product that epitomizes what consumers hate about high prices nowadays, it's eggs.
People buy them regularly and therefore know their exact cost. They're ingredients in a lot of foods. And if you're looking for a protein source, they're one of the healthier alternatives out there that won't break the bank.
Except they're not so inexpensive anymore. The cost of a dozen grade-A large eggs hit $4.15 in December, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from $2.51 a year ago.
The average price of eggs hasn't been below $3 since June, and it hasn't been below $2 since the start of 2022. Wholesale prices paid by entities such as restaurants, grocery stores, and schools are much steeper: According to the global commodities tracker Expana, wholesale Midwest large eggs are $7.27 a dozen; the five-year average is $2.10.
There's a lot of variation depending on where you live and where you shop — eggs can be a loss leader, meaning grocery stores discount them to get people in the door, and big-box stores in particular price them quite low.
Citing data from Circana, Expana said the average cost of large eggs among smaller retailers was $5.31 a dozen. They're probably cheaper at Walmart and Costco.
If you're in a state with laws about cage-free eggs, you might see higher prices than you would in a state without them. No one knows when prices will come back down.
This interminable bird flu might not be an aberration, and other factors, such as the push to move toward cage-free eggs, may keep prices up, too. The acute causes of this price spike — a drop in supply, a jump in demand — point to long-term structural issues that might stick around.
At least they're honest -- blaming it on avian (bird) flu and not on government spending. LOL.
By the way, MSN articles like this encourage stockpiling. One can't store eggs as long as toilet paper but as noted earlier there's also an element of hoarding leading to a rise in prices.
It gets tedious. And it gets tedious to read this on the blog yet again. Sorry.
*******************************
Word Of The Day
In Dutch painting: tronie.
A tronie is a Dutch painting that depicts an exaggerated facial expression or a stock character in costume. The word "tronie". is Dutch for "face."
The most well-known examples of tronies -- at least for me -- are those by Johannes Vermeer (1632 - 1675). See Vermeer, Pieter Roelofs and Gregor J. M. Weber, Thames & Hudson, c. 2023, a museum catalogue book for the Vermeer exhibitioin at the Rijksmuseum, a joint venture with The Frick Collection in New York, although undated (?) was probably held during calendar year 2023, being made available during the launch of the catalogue (coffee table book).
Reminder:
- Shakespeared died 1616;
- the Great Plague (England), 1665 - 1666.
- Vermeer: 1632 - 1675.
Other than what we know through his paintings, we know almost nothing about Vermeer. He left no letters, notes, or diaries. No known pictures of Vermeer exist. There are some that some believe are Vermeer but are not known for fact to be of Vermeer.
