Spicy Prices

From time to time, I shift my shopping allegiances. While it's normally the upper middle class Harris Teeter, dowdier Food Lion occasionally gets the nod. Less often, it's independent Earth Fare or the healthier-than-thou and publicly-traded Whole Foods.

Last night I went shopping in preparation for a Halloween pumpkin carve. While I was startled to have to visit three stores to find pumpkin beer, the spice prices were even spookier. I try to avoid writing about food costs because it can be a tad boring. But get this--an identical cannister of McCormick cinnamon sticks was twice as expensive at Harris Teeter than Food Lion. That's right, why pay $3 when you can spend $6!

I had a vague recollection that spices were one of the many things Food Lion sells cheaper. But that 100 percent markup, or spiceup, was a shocker. I don't have any other specific examples of spiceups, but I've experienced them before (in less extreme examples).

While we're talking about prices, I have one more observation (that I'll share): what gives with granola bar prices? The Spoonstress is quite fond of the Kashi's TLC bars that are decidely less sugary than the usual Quaker ones. And what premium does one pay for subtracting corn syrup from the ingredient list? A near 100 percent markup. [In the Spoonstress' defense, she isn't fussy and only requests a couple items per week. And the Kashi bars are pretty good.]

I can now see the logic of the 'you get what you pay for' school of shopping, but I've read enough of Marion Nestle's superb What to Eat (which you can find via the Amazon link at right) to know that it's nowhere near that simple. And at close to $1 per granola bar, that's getting to be a bit much. I did notice the other day that rolled oats in bulk cost less than $1 per pound. Hmm...

If you know me, you can see it coming: I'm either going to make a 5-pound granola bar for the heck of it or I'll try to make healthy granola bars at a reasonable price. Either way, wish me luck.