Paid the same 49 cents a lb for turkey this year. The stores had plenty. Saturday the shelves were stocked other than the occasional “we’re sorry” sticker, but we have grown accustomed to those. We are stocking our pantry as much as we can with the weekly Publix Bogo’s. We know prices are going to skyrocket in January. All the people thinking tfg is playing 3d chess and getting other countries to bargain before he takes office are not paying attention. Already this week I heard Mexico and Canada saying they are prepared to play tit for tat with tariffs. This will not altar our celebration of thankfulness tomorrow. Getting ready to bake the pumpkin pies with my grandchildren in what has become an annual tradition. Lasagna will be our Christmas eve dinner. No cooking for me on Christmas day. I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and tell you that you and all The Racket News writers are on my thankful list.
American grocery stores are miraculous. I do most of my shopping at Ingle's whose HQ are in Asheville, NC. The HQ was severely damaged by hurricane Helene, but they still opened on a cash-only basis and had enough goods for me to stock up on everything but meat for a week.
One thing to consider re: turkey demand is how previous prices affect behavior over time: an increased price for a couple of years leads to using a replacement (say ham, chicken, or beef). Then the next year they may not bother to compare prices: either they assume the price is high, or perhaps they've decided that they don't actually like turkey all that much. That may just change the tradition for some permanently.
Moving to housing: I personally fall into camp that thinks our sky-high housing costs - due to lack of construction in areas where demand is highest - are the biggest driver of where and how we spend. Housing is a must: that's the first priority for one's income, followed by food and everything else.
Single-family housing zoning needs to be eliminated (and before anybody responds about this, this doesn't mean no SFH can be built - it just allows multi-family housing) and regulations surrounding permitting need to be loosened or made more efficient with defined building-types (say quadplexes or similar) allowed by-right.
I think this will take states overriding localities regarding zoning - and I don't think that's gonna happen any time soon, unfortunately.
It's funny how my/the brain works. I'm often triggered by words that jog the memory nerves to bring back old haunts from days gone by. I started reading and your first paragraph said this: " Every shelf is full; every item is perfectly stocked and faced.
OMG, i thought, there was a grocery store somewhere along Steve's working career. See, to this day, i can't walk down a grocery store aisle without being predisposed to facing it as i go. Old habits die hard and of course the other less painful reminder is if it's not busy, grab a broom and start sweeping.
Memories are good and all part of who and what we are. Over my working career, i thought work defined me. Now long retired, i have come to understand, it was what i did to pay the bills. Hopefully not bills derived from credit card debt with interest rates that defy usury rates that rival what mobsters used to charge when lending money (the vig?).
How is that even freaking legal? 30-35%? I get it with Guido, not so much Capital One.
All that aside, thanks for the memories. Thanks for making my morning cup(s) of coffee better (most mornings) with The Racket News. We've never met, and in all likelihood, never will. Yet from nearly 1900 miles away, with completely different political beliefs, i feel i know you, David, Jay and the collective cast of characters who grace the page.
Paid the same 49 cents a lb for turkey this year. The stores had plenty. Saturday the shelves were stocked other than the occasional “we’re sorry” sticker, but we have grown accustomed to those. We are stocking our pantry as much as we can with the weekly Publix Bogo’s. We know prices are going to skyrocket in January. All the people thinking tfg is playing 3d chess and getting other countries to bargain before he takes office are not paying attention. Already this week I heard Mexico and Canada saying they are prepared to play tit for tat with tariffs. This will not altar our celebration of thankfulness tomorrow. Getting ready to bake the pumpkin pies with my grandchildren in what has become an annual tradition. Lasagna will be our Christmas eve dinner. No cooking for me on Christmas day. I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and tell you that you and all The Racket News writers are on my thankful list.
American grocery stores are miraculous. I do most of my shopping at Ingle's whose HQ are in Asheville, NC. The HQ was severely damaged by hurricane Helene, but they still opened on a cash-only basis and had enough goods for me to stock up on everything but meat for a week.
I love Ingles.
One thing to consider re: turkey demand is how previous prices affect behavior over time: an increased price for a couple of years leads to using a replacement (say ham, chicken, or beef). Then the next year they may not bother to compare prices: either they assume the price is high, or perhaps they've decided that they don't actually like turkey all that much. That may just change the tradition for some permanently.
Moving to housing: I personally fall into camp that thinks our sky-high housing costs - due to lack of construction in areas where demand is highest - are the biggest driver of where and how we spend. Housing is a must: that's the first priority for one's income, followed by food and everything else.
Single-family housing zoning needs to be eliminated (and before anybody responds about this, this doesn't mean no SFH can be built - it just allows multi-family housing) and regulations surrounding permitting need to be loosened or made more efficient with defined building-types (say quadplexes or similar) allowed by-right.
I think this will take states overriding localities regarding zoning - and I don't think that's gonna happen any time soon, unfortunately.
It's funny how my/the brain works. I'm often triggered by words that jog the memory nerves to bring back old haunts from days gone by. I started reading and your first paragraph said this: " Every shelf is full; every item is perfectly stocked and faced.
OMG, i thought, there was a grocery store somewhere along Steve's working career. See, to this day, i can't walk down a grocery store aisle without being predisposed to facing it as i go. Old habits die hard and of course the other less painful reminder is if it's not busy, grab a broom and start sweeping.
Memories are good and all part of who and what we are. Over my working career, i thought work defined me. Now long retired, i have come to understand, it was what i did to pay the bills. Hopefully not bills derived from credit card debt with interest rates that defy usury rates that rival what mobsters used to charge when lending money (the vig?).
How is that even freaking legal? 30-35%? I get it with Guido, not so much Capital One.
All that aside, thanks for the memories. Thanks for making my morning cup(s) of coffee better (most mornings) with The Racket News. We've never met, and in all likelihood, never will. Yet from nearly 1900 miles away, with completely different political beliefs, i feel i know you, David, Jay and the collective cast of characters who grace the page.
Just another thing to be grateful for tomorrow.
Yes grateful for the daily tomorrow. We need to have Steve tell some good grocery store stories.
You know all my best stories.
You would not want me to tell them :)