Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

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Re: Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

Post by storewanderer »

BillyGr wrote: January 10th, 2023, 1:09 pm There was a local posting yesterday of a Wal Mart with Medium eggs at $2.18 per dozen.

Kind of looked like they somehow got way too many (it was an endcap type cooler with nothing but the eggs in it), so that might explain the low pricing.

On the other hand, there were other postings about Walmart having the 5-dozen box over $27 (which makes it around $5.40 per dozen, not much better than many places for the singles).

Not sure anyone knows what is happening at the moment!
NorCal Safeway threw a personal price of 2.38 for dozen Lucerne Large eggs this week (regular is now 3.99 in Reno and 4.89 in rest of NorCal). It is odd how the egg price in NorCal has been pretty stable the past couple of months. Raleys and Save Mart are both under $5 per dozen as well. They must have a supply chain really dialed in there.
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Re: Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

Post by Brian Lutz »

I saw that the WinCo nearby is now pricing their dozen Oakdell Farms eggs at $5.29. in the past I've seen these being sold as low as $0.88.
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Re: Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

Post by mbz321 »

storewanderer wrote: January 11th, 2023, 8:27 pm
BillyGr wrote: January 10th, 2023, 1:09 pm There was a local posting yesterday of a Wal Mart with Medium eggs at $2.18 per dozen.

Kind of looked like they somehow got way too many (it was an endcap type cooler with nothing but the eggs in it), so that might explain the low pricing.

On the other hand, there were other postings about Walmart having the 5-dozen box over $27 (which makes it around $5.40 per dozen, not much better than many places for the singles).

Not sure anyone knows what is happening at the moment!
NorCal Safeway threw a personal price of 2.38 for dozen Lucerne Large eggs this week
I had a personal price coupon @ Acme for some Open Nature Free Range eggs for $3.25 a dozen, which is definitely a bargain for those type of eggs. Of course, the one location I went to was pretty much wiped out of all eggs, and the other only carried the similar packed, but 'Cage Free' version which the coupon didn't work on. :evil:
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Re: Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

Post by storewanderer »

So reportedly the reason egg pricing is staying lower in the NorCal grocers (Raleys, Save Mart, Safeway) is because California is still under a COVID-state of emergency. That state of emergency is scheduled to end in February. Due to the state of emergency they are not supposed to do price increases greater than 10% for a certain period of time or they get into a price gouging territory. I am not sure how often they can do a 10% price increase but it will be interesting to see what happens to the prices when this ends in February.
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Re: Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

Post by HCal »

storewanderer wrote: January 16th, 2023, 12:08 am So reportedly the reason egg pricing is staying lower in the NorCal grocers (Raleys, Save Mart, Safeway) is because California is still under a COVID-state of emergency. That state of emergency is scheduled to end in February. Due to the state of emergency they are not supposed to do price increases greater than 10% for a certain period of time or they get into a price gouging territory. I am not sure how often they can do a 10% price increase but it will be interesting to see what happens to the prices when this ends in February.
That doesn't sound right, because California's price gouging law explicitly says that it is permitted to raise prices more than 10% if it is due to higher costs charged by the supplier of the goods. The limit is 10% higher than the cost of the goods to the seller plus the customary (pre-emergency) markup, which essentially means that any increase in the cost of eggs may be passed through to customers legally.
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Re: Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

Post by storewanderer »

HCal wrote: January 18th, 2023, 2:04 pm
storewanderer wrote: January 16th, 2023, 12:08 am So reportedly the reason egg pricing is staying lower in the NorCal grocers (Raleys, Save Mart, Safeway) is because California is still under a COVID-state of emergency. That state of emergency is scheduled to end in February. Due to the state of emergency they are not supposed to do price increases greater than 10% for a certain period of time or they get into a price gouging territory. I am not sure how often they can do a 10% price increase but it will be interesting to see what happens to the prices when this ends in February.
That doesn't sound right, because California's price gouging law explicitly says that it is permitted to raise prices more than 10% if it is due to higher costs charged by the supplier of the goods. The limit is 10% higher than the cost of the goods to the seller plus the customary (pre-emergency) markup, which essentially means that any increase in the cost of eggs may be passed through to customers legally.
Well, CA AG Bonta does not agree with your assessment.

All it took was 1 of those 3 NorCal chains to interpret this the way I am describing it, to keep the price down at all 3 chains... I am also wondering if the suppliers may also be cautious about price increases so as to not be accused of price gouging during a public health emergency.

This is why at least 1 of those 3 NorCal chains does not want any trouble:
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/califor ... c/2855759/

Yet there are other chains in CA that have absolutely increased their egg prices significantly more than 10%... perhaps Bonta is currently looking into them.
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Re: Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

Post by HCal »

storewanderer wrote: January 18th, 2023, 11:31 pm
Well, CA AG Bonta does not agree with your assessment.
It's not my assessment, it's clearly stated in the law. "However, a greater price increase is not unlawful if that person can prove that the increase in price was directly attributable to additional costs imposed on it by the supplier of the goods, or directly attributable to additional costs for labor or materials used to provide the services, during the state of emergency or local emergency" California Penal Code 396(b)
storewanderer wrote: January 18th, 2023, 11:31 pmAll it took was 1 of those 3 NorCal chains to interpret this the way I am describing it, to keep the price down at all 3 chains... I am also wondering if the suppliers may also be cautious about price increases so as to not be accused of price gouging during a public health emergency.

This is why at least 1 of those 3 NorCal chains does not want any trouble:
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/califor ... c/2855759/

Yet there are other chains in CA that have absolutely increased their egg prices significantly more than 10%... perhaps Bonta is currently looking into them.
The Smart & Final case was from price increases in 2020, when there was no avian flu outbreak, so they couldn't use this defense.
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Re: Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

Post by storewanderer »

HCal wrote: January 19th, 2023, 1:47 pm

It's not my assessment, it's clearly stated in the law. "However, a greater price increase is not unlawful if that person can prove that the increase in price was directly attributable to additional costs imposed on it by the supplier of the goods, or directly attributable to additional costs for labor or materials used to provide the services, during the state of emergency or local emergency" California Penal Code 396(b)


The Smart & Final case was from price increases in 2020, when there was no avian flu outbreak, so they couldn't use this defense.
I don't know what to tell you- all I am saying is how the NorCal Stores are pricing their eggs, and how it has ended up that way...

Have there been a lot of egg laying birds that produce cage free eggs for CA stores killed in CA due to the bird flu outbreak? I thought most of the flu outbreaks and mass killings of egg laying birds was in the midwest, and I am not sure what percentage of eggs are imported into CA at this point. I understand the situation rocks the market, so to speak. But given CA was one of the first with these cage free egg rules I am wondering if the supply chain in CA is somewhat insulated from those problems.

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have also kept their egg pricing down at least out in CA/NV, both sell only cage free eggs; both are in the 2.89-2.99 per dozen range currently.
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Re: Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

Post by HCal »

storewanderer wrote: January 20th, 2023, 1:21 am
I don't know what to tell you- all I am saying is how the NorCal Stores are pricing their eggs, and how it has ended up that way...

Have there been a lot of egg laying birds that produce cage free eggs for CA stores killed in CA due to the bird flu outbreak? I thought most of the flu outbreaks and mass killings of egg laying birds was in the midwest, and I am not sure what percentage of eggs are imported into CA at this point. I understand the situation rocks the market, so to speak. But given CA was one of the first with these cage free egg rules I am wondering if the supply chain in CA is somewhat insulated from those problems.
I think that sounds plausible. If CA's egg market is a bit isolated from the rest of the nation (similar to the gasoline market) then a market shock in the midwest may not be felt in CA as much.
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Re: Natural Grocers -1.99 dozen eggs

Post by storewanderer »

HCal wrote: January 20th, 2023, 5:20 pm



I think that sounds plausible. If CA's egg market is a bit isolated from the rest of the nation (similar to the gasoline market) then a market shock in the midwest may not be felt in CA as much.
I am suspicious this may be one of those cases where that situation has actually helped the consumer in terms of price.

But let's see if something happens when the public health emergency ends, unless it gets extended again next month.
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