"Strange you should know where I shop. I guess I'm flattered you care."
Wow. I don't know whether that's paranoia or vanity or just a misunderstanding, but Trader Joe's was just an example - a store I thought might represent to you higher quality standards than what you ascribe to more mass-market outlets and products.
As for "long shelf life crap", yes, Wonder Bread has a longer shelf life, but that hardly means no spoilage costs. Stuff gets pulled from the shelves when it reaches its sell-by date, whether at Kroger or Trader Joe's. But yes, spoilage costs are low in the US. Is that really a bad thing? Thanks to packaging, freezing and just plain efficiency, the spoilage rate in the US food supply is less than 3% (per the US DOE), the US actually produces less garbage per person than many places with much less packaged food (also per the US DOE), and the US has the world's lowest food expenditures relative to all consumption. US households spend less than ten percent of their budgets, on average, on food. French households spend over 15% and, highest among OECD countries, Polish, Korean and Turkish households spend 31%, 32% and 33% respectively. Russians spend 34%.
Capitalism has something to do with that advantage, I suspect.
You might also be interested in knowing that high end - or higher quality, more natural foods - grocers tend to have higher markups - at least if the only public one I know of is any indication. Whole Foods average markup (gross profit over cost of goods sold) the last 12 months was 54%, compared to 32% for Kroger and 37% for the industry.
Whole Foods is capitalist, too. |
