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I worked here in Southern California at a grocery store for over 7 years. I skimmed the posts and was looking for the reasons I believe inflate prices on produce. I might have missed someone saying these and my apologies if they have.
The first thing I noticed is the amount of "shrink". This is a term used in the industry to describe food/items that have been damaged or are not cosmetically appealing (everyone avoids the dented cans of chili e.g.). This makes the slightest imperfection on any fruit or veggie a reason to throw it away. In recent years, they've tried to mitigate this by using much of this produce in prepped and packaged items. This, in conjunction with the man power it takes to bring ugly produce all the way to the store just to be thrown away, makes for an expensive adjustment in price to the pristine produce that is bought.
Another thing is that most grocery stores are union. The cost of labor that makes the wages they do come at a cost. I'm not advocating for or against unions, just stating a fact that higher wages raises prices overall. This isn't nearly what it was 20+ years ago due to all of the competition from Walmart, Target, Costco, etc. all trying to get in on the grocery business and not being union.
These, in addition to many other factors, inflate prices past what some might expect.
The first thing I noticed is the amount of "shrink". This is a term used in the industry to describe food/items that have been damaged or are not cosmetically appealing (everyone avoids the dented cans of chili e.g.). This makes the slightest imperfection on any fruit or veggie a reason to throw it away. In recent years, they've tried to mitigate this by using much of this produce in prepped and packaged items. This, in conjunction with the man power it takes to bring ugly produce all the way to the store just to be thrown away, makes for an expensive adjustment in price to the pristine produce that is bought.
Another thing is that most grocery stores are union. The cost of labor that makes the wages they do come at a cost. I'm not advocating for or against unions, just stating a fact that higher wages raises prices overall. This isn't nearly what it was 20+ years ago due to all of the competition from Walmart, Target, Costco, etc. all trying to get in on the grocery business and not being union.
These, in addition to many other factors, inflate prices past what some might expect.