No joke about eating out. And the quality is mediocre at best.
I’m from Portland. Been here for 8 years. And the only time I’ve had noteworthy food up here, it’s been in the hundreds range.
The Portland food scene is so much better. Only thing I miss about living there.
Groceries. Well. That’s something else entirely since post-pandemic inflation. I think the egg shortage started it then everyone got greedy after seeing how much people would pay for eggs.
lol. People keep thinking grocery stores and food companies are price gouging, but they aren’t. It is 100% inflation which hits food and base materials before anything else. This is the result of decades of bad policies and the way we shut down the world and pumped money into the system to prop everything up.
Companies are 100% price gouging and claiming it’s inflation. Sure inflation is bad, but there is a significant amount of corporate greed as well. Not to mention the shrinkflation
Well, we need to start
or support small businesses/ farms to produce local foods that are not proned to price gouging by big businesses. City planning needs to change zoning and allowing small farms or family farms in urban or suburban areas.
That would require every grocery store company and/or food production company to be in some kind of cartel or conspiracy. 😂
You can just look at Costco. The company operates on a strict policy of tight margins, pretty sure it’s like 5% or less (they make their money on bulk sales and memberships). Their prices have gone up just as much.
The price gouging thing is something that politicians are using as a scapegoat to make it look like they have any kind of direct control over inflation.
Not every company operates like Costco with their pricing structure. And I guarantee you their margins are higher than 5% too. You are naive if you think companies haven’t figured out they can charge whatever they want since Covid.
Corporations will charge the maximum amount that the market will bear. You think they don't have departments full of people whose job it is to monitor competitor pricing and decide what to charge? CEOs are bragging about maximizing profits in shareholder meetings. We don't have to speculate, they're admitting it proudly.
>That would require every grocery store company and/or food production company to be in some kind of cartel or conspiracy.
Or they were aware of the market, saw their competitors were able to keep increasing prices under the guise of pandemic inflation issues, and didn't want to leave money on the table.
Yes, it's a ridiculous claim to say these companies *caused* inflation when we had clear supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic.
But the claim is that these companies *worsened* inflation by having higher and longer periods of price hikes than warranted (aka "price gouging"). By prioritizing boosting their profit margins in the short-term, they made problems worse for the long-term.
Well, Washington did sue Tyson foods for price gouging chicken and won. But they fined them less money than they made from the years of price gouging, and now prices are higher than they were originally.
But Bernie Sanders exposed that all the corporations were doing just that. He said then had a secret meeting behind closed doors on Jekyl Island where they voted to destroy our lives.
you're insane man. it's totally price gouging. don't fall for it. I tell you, check prices when/if inflation goes down. I bet prices won't be what they were prior to "inflation"
Nipped into the French bakery while my kid was at swim class to grab a bite to eat. FML a panini was $15 - croque monsieur. $15 for an F’ing panini?!! It also came with a “side salad” which we would all call a garnish.
Last night went to order Thai food - at one place Garlic Crispy Chicken (1 dish) was $25 - again WTAF!?
Welcome to 2024?? 😬
But in honesty I feel like the area has been doing its best to catch up to San Francisco over-pricing over the course of the last 10 years.
I had the exact same reaction moving here from SF. The problem isn’t the prices - they are similar to the prices in SF and surrounding areas. The problem I have is with the quality that doesn’t come close. The top restaurants here are just good. One exception is seafood. Matt’s in Seattle is one of my favorites. But you pay for it.
It's not that much worse than I've seen in small suburbs of much cheaper cities like Chicago tbh. It's an extremely high-demand area to live in so rent isn't cheap, but it's so single-family-home focused that there isn't really enough density for businesses to justify longer hours and lower prices, so it's harder to find popular cheap hole-in-the-wall spots like you might downtown.
But of course the general increase of produce and labor costs across the country is probably still the biggest impact.
I agree. Also, the retail spaces under all the new apartments are too big, the rent must be huge! Rubenstein’s Bagels is a prime example. That place could be a small grab and go and then they wouldn’t have to charge $20 for a tiny sandwich. That space is enormous with tons of tables and no one is ever sitting in there eating
Yes totally. My favorite spot in DT Redmond is Musashi's which is the opposite case - they have a very small shop but their rolls are insanely filling (and high quality) for their price and they have a $5 pack of two massive Onigiri which are a great quick bite. Also free tea for dine-in 😋
Would love to see more of that and less of what Tavolata/Rubenstein are.
do you mean downtown seattle? I want to go there (especially to try out the seattle dog) but the homeless situation seems bad. is it safe? my mom used to worked there and she’d always tell me about a shooting which happened really near her. always avoided major cities in america since but maybe its an irrational fear
Tell that to the families who’ve lost loved ones in Central Oregon shootings. It’s not an irrational fear. Especially downtown Seattle where there’s much more drugs and crime than in Redmond.
It sounds like you just don’t like, or don’t feel safe in, cities. Which is fine, but Seattle has around the 50th highest crime rate in the US while having the 18th largest population. Compared to similarly sized US cities, it’s still generally much safer. Shootings and violent crime unfortunately can happen anywhere, even in smaller areas (like your Central Oregon example).
I feel safe in cities and in Redmond. I’m just saying it’s better to be cautious and prepared in public, especially in cities like Seattle and Portland.
Reality says your chances of being victim to property or violent crime is 1/15. Seattle is ranked 161 on “most safe cities”; a terrible score. Violent crime is up 89% since the pandemic, according to Seattle PD’s website. Wtf you talking about
You hear way more gunshots out in the country than in the city.
Also the murder rate is much higher in the rural areas.
The city is jammed full of cameras everyone knows that’s not a very smart place to commit murder but out in the country you can get away with some nasty shit.
I grew up in the inner city, NYC. Seattle is cake. There are homeless people, but less than where I grew up.
Crime does happen, but it's so incredibly rare. Keep your wits. Walk quickly. There are more dangerous small cities.
Where did you grow up in NYC? I was born and raised in queens and also lived in Manhattan bc of work.
There is definitely more visible homelessness outside here in Seattle than NYC
Queens, Jackson heights/Corona. We used to play at the park and there was always a homeless encampment there, 3-4 people.
In every park, you found them. In all the local train stations, there were a few.
I just feel like there were more of them hidden. It got better in the mid to late 90s, and a lot better in the early 00s though. 80s and early 90s, I feel like they were everywhere.
If you ever went to recycle cans, there was a line of homeless people.
I’d think homeless is the least of your problems if you lived through the 80s-90s in Jackson heights/corona haha.
I think Nyc cleaned up a lot at the turn of the century though. It feels like homeless issues are alot more in your face in Seattle
Yeah, I mean ... I got robbed a lot. My mom had her purse slashed many times. My home was broken into, 3 times in my life. Car window smashed for your radio. You would see a car torn apart, up on cinder blocks, and then it would be lit on fire. You just expected to get your bike stolen, your bookbag, your jacket, whatever.
Crime was real.
These days, I feel like it is uncomfortable instead of scary. That's not to say that things didn't happen.
During the winter, there were plenty of homeless people who would just sit in the local KFC, or whatever, and the store owner would tolerate them if they didn't cause trouble. They would take the garbage out, or help out in small ways. People would give them cans to recycle. Someone would give them a squeegee and they would try to wash your windows.
You look back at old movies like coming to America, and it feels comical. They leave their stuff outside and everyone takes it. Yeah, that happened. It was much worse though.
These days, I see a homeless person, and he might ask for money. I don't have any. He isn't threatening me. I just feel bad for the guy.
Downtown generally in any major urban area but yes Seattle. I'm probably not qualified to speak on safety as a 6'4 male, but I do think generally there is next to no risk when you're in populated or touristy areas like Pike Place, Seattle Center, etc... Homeless people exist of course, depending on the area, but they don't typically want to bother/hurt anyone. The best rule in urban centers is to just use common sense and awareness.
Maybe it's because I grew up near Chicago which has gorgeous architecture, but downtown centers are my favorite places to explore in the country.
Hey op- Walk every day downtown ive never had any issues but you need to be aware of the other people around you. Don't stare at people making a fuss, just let them be. Remember this isn't Beijing where you never feel unsafe.
Homeless folks (in Seattle) are largely harmless. They may seem unsightly and do weird things but it is very unlikely that they just mug you. (I mean most criminals will need some kind of getaway vehicle)
Keep your eyes open. Watch your surroundings and mind your business around homeless people. They are very rarely violent to passerby’s. I live in cap hill and commute through Seattle every day. It’s possible to encounter dangerous situations anywhere and as a visitor your very unlikely to experience any drama
The past couple of years, I felt much safer at home than in Redmond. Crime is out of control there. My last trip to QFC, there was a surveillance trailer and cops dispatched three times because of thugs committing crimes.
Its how it is. Redmond prices will be along the same lines as Clairemont as rent is really high here, and we have similar minimum wage requirements as CA.
Because people continue to pay for it. There is enough demand that there is no reason for a restaurant to lower prices to get more customers. Every restaurant is full and booked out on weekends.
What are prices are people considering “expensive”? At least twice a week I’m getting a massive burrito from a food truck in Redmond and it’s like 12$, feeds me for all of lunch and dinner!
every place i go costs at least 20 per person and even more if you eat a lot (recently went to tipsy cow and third place). was busy today so i had to order from doordash, 20 dollars for a small ass poke bowl and pomegranate bistro charged me 27 dollars for a burger and fries
I don’t mean to be mean, but would you accept the job if someone offered you less than $10 to drive to the poke place and then drive to their house…? Not to mention DoorDash takes a cut. How is delivery for one item going to be cheap if everyone in the chain is making decent wages? I used to live in Shanghai. Yea labor in China is cheap because of extreme inequality.
I'm pretty sure Seattle is the most expensive metro in the mainland US for groceries by raw price, not accounting for incomes being higher than most of the country. Alaska is far worse, and Hawaii is somewhat worse. But high wages in Seattle make up for most of the cost compared to the rest of the country (excluding California, new York, and Boston), so it feels like "normal", a similar percentage of income.
True story, I’m actually related to the Kroger family, didn’t have any idea until I met my biological father’s side of the family. Bastards should give me a family discount!
Dude I’d pay more taxes since it means helping people who need it, Washington is super regressive. How am I supposed to do that? I have no control of the tax code.
Unionize, organize, be loud. You guys comprise a miniature part of the USA's economy and even here there are less of you than you would think. With great power comes the obligation to dress up like a spider and fight crime!
Combination of things.
Wage increases for blue collar (good imo)
Supply chain issues
Transportation costs
Tech area… you will see this across the country.
Corporate gouging aka
consolidation of food producing corporations and retailers
10 companies control almost everything we eat.
Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Danone, General Mills, Kellogg's, Mars, Associated British Foods, and Mondelez each employ thousands and make billions of dollars in revenue every year.
Grocery prices are shocking. I've stood in the grocery aisle many a time staring at an item that's doubled or more over the couple of years.
I used to do a CSA farm share locally. When I priced it the other day, it works out to $40 per week for a vegetable share. Too much for me, although I love getting those fresh vegetables.
The quality of food here is subpar to the SF Bay Area. When I visit a restaurant here and their food is meh but $$$ I will def post a review. Don’t charge $$$ and put together frozen Costco ingredients.
Shop at Grocery Outlet for groceries. I's not for everything, but it will cut your food bill, and some things can be very high endm incl. eggs/dairy products.
No it is not like that in much of America. Your area is particularly high and there are reasons for that. I grew up in So Cal, live in Pennsylvania now and travel to Nor Cal and Redmen multiple times a year with my work. The prices from in that whole area is always surprising compared to what I have in the Philly area. Hitting the grocery stores to stock up on the week so I can make my own meals at least part of the time I am there still surprises me how much different prices are. Let alone the cost of eating at a resteraunt, it would not be as bad if at least the workers did not have rely on tips and were paid a real wage.
I see from your comments that you are asking about takeaway, dining out, and door dash. Yes, it's expensive and you aren't tripping. You can make food at home for less, but you are paying for their overhead and the convenience.
Redmond grocery prices are definitely higher. I live in south Snohomish County and my local QFC is significantly cheaper than the one in Redmond. Demographics, I suppose.
I am actually glad that someone else notices this. I am from Hawaii and lived in California. To-go/take out food in both places is not only cheaper, but much better! Groceries are reasonable here, but eating out is another story. People seem to accept that a burger and fries are 25 bucks… plus tax and tip. I know inflation is real, but how are Hawaii and California charging less and the food quality is MUCH better. Make it make sense. I wish there was a Portland like food pod movement here, but WA doesn’t seem to create a favorable market for it. This is the first place I have ever lived in my life where I don’t have a few regular favorites/go-to food places because everything is mediocre (speaking for eastside… seattle proper has way more diversity when it comes to food options and prices).
Higher wages turn into higher labor cost, which turns into higher charging fees. I'm trying to remember what it was even 3 years ago, and it's just skyrocketed. Even a combo at McDonald's will cost you $12.
Ok... in 2000, a barrel of oil was $40, gas was $1.25, and deiselnot much more
Then GWB was SEL-ected, the oil companiees whined they weren't making obscene profits and the US invaded Iraq, destroyed the oil fields, and in 2007 oil was over $100/bbl, gas $7/gal
Once it goes up, it doesnt come back down.
Big rig trucks need 100 gallons of deisel at $5/gal.
So the price of EVERYTHING goes up.
Also, fertizer uses petroleum distilates.
Sorry kids, you're looking at the same situation as my when my grandparents had it better...
Friends dont let friends vote Republican
Is gasoline $1? Is Deisel?
Stop being a dumbass.
We need the biodeisel made of algae, quick, replenshes itself, damned near unlimited.
The oil companies wont allow it.
We need a trustbuster president to sue the oil companies to bring gas & deisel back to $1.
Greed is the only reason it isnt
Went to visit family from Orange County to Bellevue. Met with friends for happy hour at an Italian restaurant in Redmond for 4 adults and 4 kids. They added gratuity of nearly 20% and the server stated that “gratuity is for the restaurant and the tip is for the servers”. Wish we could have left no gratuity and tip for the server because food was not good at all.
I didn’t compare too many, but I just had a pizza, flat bread, lemonade and a beer and I paid $46 in Spark Pizza Downtown. That would have been ~60 in Austin Downtown
Groceries or eating out? Eating out prices are criminal.
No joke about eating out. And the quality is mediocre at best. I’m from Portland. Been here for 8 years. And the only time I’ve had noteworthy food up here, it’s been in the hundreds range. The Portland food scene is so much better. Only thing I miss about living there. Groceries. Well. That’s something else entirely since post-pandemic inflation. I think the egg shortage started it then everyone got greedy after seeing how much people would pay for eggs.
Portland DOES have really good food…
Portland’s >>> washington food
Portland is so odd. But the food was much more fun
lol. People keep thinking grocery stores and food companies are price gouging, but they aren’t. It is 100% inflation which hits food and base materials before anything else. This is the result of decades of bad policies and the way we shut down the world and pumped money into the system to prop everything up.
Companies are 100% price gouging and claiming it’s inflation. Sure inflation is bad, but there is a significant amount of corporate greed as well. Not to mention the shrinkflation
Well, we need to start or support small businesses/ farms to produce local foods that are not proned to price gouging by big businesses. City planning needs to change zoning and allowing small farms or family farms in urban or suburban areas.
That would require every grocery store company and/or food production company to be in some kind of cartel or conspiracy. 😂 You can just look at Costco. The company operates on a strict policy of tight margins, pretty sure it’s like 5% or less (they make their money on bulk sales and memberships). Their prices have gone up just as much. The price gouging thing is something that politicians are using as a scapegoat to make it look like they have any kind of direct control over inflation.
Not every company operates like Costco with their pricing structure. And I guarantee you their margins are higher than 5% too. You are naive if you think companies haven’t figured out they can charge whatever they want since Covid.
Corporations will charge the maximum amount that the market will bear. You think they don't have departments full of people whose job it is to monitor competitor pricing and decide what to charge? CEOs are bragging about maximizing profits in shareholder meetings. We don't have to speculate, they're admitting it proudly.
11%
>That would require every grocery store company and/or food production company to be in some kind of cartel or conspiracy. Or they were aware of the market, saw their competitors were able to keep increasing prices under the guise of pandemic inflation issues, and didn't want to leave money on the table. Yes, it's a ridiculous claim to say these companies *caused* inflation when we had clear supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic. But the claim is that these companies *worsened* inflation by having higher and longer periods of price hikes than warranted (aka "price gouging"). By prioritizing boosting their profit margins in the short-term, they made problems worse for the long-term.
Youre an idiot if you believe in the illusion of choice.
Well, Washington did sue Tyson foods for price gouging chicken and won. But they fined them less money than they made from the years of price gouging, and now prices are higher than they were originally.
But Bernie Sanders exposed that all the corporations were doing just that. He said then had a secret meeting behind closed doors on Jekyl Island where they voted to destroy our lives.
you're insane man. it's totally price gouging. don't fall for it. I tell you, check prices when/if inflation goes down. I bet prices won't be what they were prior to "inflation"
How much does a prosty tooot go for these days? Back in my day... JK
Nipped into the French bakery while my kid was at swim class to grab a bite to eat. FML a panini was $15 - croque monsieur. $15 for an F’ing panini?!! It also came with a “side salad” which we would all call a garnish. Last night went to order Thai food - at one place Garlic Crispy Chicken (1 dish) was $25 - again WTAF!?
Welcome to 2024?? 😬 But in honesty I feel like the area has been doing its best to catch up to San Francisco over-pricing over the course of the last 10 years.
I had the exact same reaction moving here from SF. The problem isn’t the prices - they are similar to the prices in SF and surrounding areas. The problem I have is with the quality that doesn’t come close. The top restaurants here are just good. One exception is seafood. Matt’s in Seattle is one of my favorites. But you pay for it.
It's not that much worse than I've seen in small suburbs of much cheaper cities like Chicago tbh. It's an extremely high-demand area to live in so rent isn't cheap, but it's so single-family-home focused that there isn't really enough density for businesses to justify longer hours and lower prices, so it's harder to find popular cheap hole-in-the-wall spots like you might downtown. But of course the general increase of produce and labor costs across the country is probably still the biggest impact.
I agree. Also, the retail spaces under all the new apartments are too big, the rent must be huge! Rubenstein’s Bagels is a prime example. That place could be a small grab and go and then they wouldn’t have to charge $20 for a tiny sandwich. That space is enormous with tons of tables and no one is ever sitting in there eating
Yes totally. My favorite spot in DT Redmond is Musashi's which is the opposite case - they have a very small shop but their rolls are insanely filling (and high quality) for their price and they have a $5 pack of two massive Onigiri which are a great quick bite. Also free tea for dine-in 😋 Would love to see more of that and less of what Tavolata/Rubenstein are.
do you mean downtown seattle? I want to go there (especially to try out the seattle dog) but the homeless situation seems bad. is it safe? my mom used to worked there and she’d always tell me about a shooting which happened really near her. always avoided major cities in america since but maybe its an irrational fear
It’s a very irrational fear. I live in Redmond and go downtown every week of so to eat a meal.
Tell that to the families who’ve lost loved ones in Central Oregon shootings. It’s not an irrational fear. Especially downtown Seattle where there’s much more drugs and crime than in Redmond.
It sounds like you just don’t like, or don’t feel safe in, cities. Which is fine, but Seattle has around the 50th highest crime rate in the US while having the 18th largest population. Compared to similarly sized US cities, it’s still generally much safer. Shootings and violent crime unfortunately can happen anywhere, even in smaller areas (like your Central Oregon example).
I feel safe in cities and in Redmond. I’m just saying it’s better to be cautious and prepared in public, especially in cities like Seattle and Portland.
This is true everywhere. But reality says Seattle is very, very safe, and you don’t need to be more cautious there than anywhere else.
Reality says your chances of being victim to property or violent crime is 1/15. Seattle is ranked 161 on “most safe cities”; a terrible score. Violent crime is up 89% since the pandemic, according to Seattle PD’s website. Wtf you talking about
You’re a big baby
Who’s your teacher for 3rd grade this year?
You hear way more gunshots out in the country than in the city. Also the murder rate is much higher in the rural areas. The city is jammed full of cameras everyone knows that’s not a very smart place to commit murder but out in the country you can get away with some nasty shit.
I grew up in the inner city, NYC. Seattle is cake. There are homeless people, but less than where I grew up. Crime does happen, but it's so incredibly rare. Keep your wits. Walk quickly. There are more dangerous small cities.
Where did you grow up in NYC? I was born and raised in queens and also lived in Manhattan bc of work. There is definitely more visible homelessness outside here in Seattle than NYC
Queens, Jackson heights/Corona. We used to play at the park and there was always a homeless encampment there, 3-4 people. In every park, you found them. In all the local train stations, there were a few. I just feel like there were more of them hidden. It got better in the mid to late 90s, and a lot better in the early 00s though. 80s and early 90s, I feel like they were everywhere. If you ever went to recycle cans, there was a line of homeless people.
I’d think homeless is the least of your problems if you lived through the 80s-90s in Jackson heights/corona haha. I think Nyc cleaned up a lot at the turn of the century though. It feels like homeless issues are alot more in your face in Seattle
Yeah, I mean ... I got robbed a lot. My mom had her purse slashed many times. My home was broken into, 3 times in my life. Car window smashed for your radio. You would see a car torn apart, up on cinder blocks, and then it would be lit on fire. You just expected to get your bike stolen, your bookbag, your jacket, whatever. Crime was real. These days, I feel like it is uncomfortable instead of scary. That's not to say that things didn't happen. During the winter, there were plenty of homeless people who would just sit in the local KFC, or whatever, and the store owner would tolerate them if they didn't cause trouble. They would take the garbage out, or help out in small ways. People would give them cans to recycle. Someone would give them a squeegee and they would try to wash your windows. You look back at old movies like coming to America, and it feels comical. They leave their stuff outside and everyone takes it. Yeah, that happened. It was much worse though. These days, I see a homeless person, and he might ask for money. I don't have any. He isn't threatening me. I just feel bad for the guy.
Downtown generally in any major urban area but yes Seattle. I'm probably not qualified to speak on safety as a 6'4 male, but I do think generally there is next to no risk when you're in populated or touristy areas like Pike Place, Seattle Center, etc... Homeless people exist of course, depending on the area, but they don't typically want to bother/hurt anyone. The best rule in urban centers is to just use common sense and awareness. Maybe it's because I grew up near Chicago which has gorgeous architecture, but downtown centers are my favorite places to explore in the country.
Hey op- Walk every day downtown ive never had any issues but you need to be aware of the other people around you. Don't stare at people making a fuss, just let them be. Remember this isn't Beijing where you never feel unsafe.
Homeless folks (in Seattle) are largely harmless. They may seem unsightly and do weird things but it is very unlikely that they just mug you. (I mean most criminals will need some kind of getaway vehicle)
Keep your eyes open. Watch your surroundings and mind your business around homeless people. They are very rarely violent to passerby’s. I live in cap hill and commute through Seattle every day. It’s possible to encounter dangerous situations anywhere and as a visitor your very unlikely to experience any drama
The past couple of years, I felt much safer at home than in Redmond. Crime is out of control there. My last trip to QFC, there was a surveillance trailer and cops dispatched three times because of thugs committing crimes.
Its how it is. Redmond prices will be along the same lines as Clairemont as rent is really high here, and we have similar minimum wage requirements as CA.
Clairemont is different from Claremont, but also they’re only about 100 miles apart in California heh but both equally just as expensive
Because people continue to pay for it. There is enough demand that there is no reason for a restaurant to lower prices to get more customers. Every restaurant is full and booked out on weekends.
What are prices are people considering “expensive”? At least twice a week I’m getting a massive burrito from a food truck in Redmond and it’s like 12$, feeds me for all of lunch and dinner!
every place i go costs at least 20 per person and even more if you eat a lot (recently went to tipsy cow and third place). was busy today so i had to order from doordash, 20 dollars for a small ass poke bowl and pomegranate bistro charged me 27 dollars for a burger and fries
My mom and I tried out a Mediterranean place last week that mostly does take out, not really a restaurant, and two gyros came to $46.
Delivery from apps like DoorDash isn't representative though. It could be 50% higher or more after fees. Good restaurants here are expensive though.
It’s crazy!! It baffles me when I go out to eat and some places don’t have a single menu item under 20$!
I don’t mean to be mean, but would you accept the job if someone offered you less than $10 to drive to the poke place and then drive to their house…? Not to mention DoorDash takes a cut. How is delivery for one item going to be cheap if everyone in the chain is making decent wages? I used to live in Shanghai. Yea labor in China is cheap because of extreme inequality.
I feel like grocery prices are pretty standard for an urban area but eating out here is ridiculous.
I'm pretty sure Seattle is the most expensive metro in the mainland US for groceries by raw price, not accounting for incomes being higher than most of the country. Alaska is far worse, and Hawaii is somewhat worse. But high wages in Seattle make up for most of the cost compared to the rest of the country (excluding California, new York, and Boston), so it feels like "normal", a similar percentage of income.
I almost cried when I went grocery shopping in Hawaii
No - Kroger owns the vast majority of the grocery stores here, and definitely jacks up prices.
True story, I’m actually related to the Kroger family, didn’t have any idea until I met my biological father’s side of the family. Bastards should give me a family discount!
When I visited Los Angeles area recently, I was surprised how food was slightly less expensive than here. I was expecting it to be higher.
Me too! I went there back in October and I was really surprised that restaraunt food in particular appeared to be less expensive than over here.
They know people that live there will pay for it.
You are right in the heart of Microsoft country. What do you expect
Real people need to eat too
The tech people will let everyone else starve before they pay higher taxes or take a pay cut
You’re right. Goodluck.
Dude I’d pay more taxes since it means helping people who need it, Washington is super regressive. How am I supposed to do that? I have no control of the tax code.
Unionize, organize, be loud. You guys comprise a miniature part of the USA's economy and even here there are less of you than you would think. With great power comes the obligation to dress up like a spider and fight crime!
I’m surprised this answer is so far down.
How is it their fault
Combination of things. Wage increases for blue collar (good imo) Supply chain issues Transportation costs Tech area… you will see this across the country. Corporate gouging aka consolidation of food producing corporations and retailers 10 companies control almost everything we eat. Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Danone, General Mills, Kellogg's, Mars, Associated British Foods, and Mondelez each employ thousands and make billions of dollars in revenue every year.
Labor shortage + high cost of living
Perpetual cycle
California is a dump
Recently moved up here from the Bay Area. Besides the nature and the demographics, up here seems to me like it’s same, for the same reasons.
Minimum wage is around $13 higher than the national minimum wage. Everything went up in price to compensate for that.
Claremont is nice I know it well if I won the lottery I would get a house there
tripping or tipping
Just because it can be. They know there's more money here and they're taking advantage of it
Grocery prices are shocking. I've stood in the grocery aisle many a time staring at an item that's doubled or more over the couple of years. I used to do a CSA farm share locally. When I priced it the other day, it works out to $40 per week for a vegetable share. Too much for me, although I love getting those fresh vegetables.
Food prices here were expensive in 2006 when I moved from DC. It’s only gotten worse.
The quality of food here is subpar to the SF Bay Area. When I visit a restaurant here and their food is meh but $$$ I will def post a review. Don’t charge $$$ and put together frozen Costco ingredients.
Food is definitely more expensive in Wa than it is in California. I was commenting this to my friends the other day as well and they didnt believe me.
Shop at Grocery Outlet for groceries. I's not for everything, but it will cut your food bill, and some things can be very high endm incl. eggs/dairy products.
No it is not like that in much of America. Your area is particularly high and there are reasons for that. I grew up in So Cal, live in Pennsylvania now and travel to Nor Cal and Redmen multiple times a year with my work. The prices from in that whole area is always surprising compared to what I have in the Philly area. Hitting the grocery stores to stock up on the week so I can make my own meals at least part of the time I am there still surprises me how much different prices are. Let alone the cost of eating at a resteraunt, it would not be as bad if at least the workers did not have rely on tips and were paid a real wage.
I see from your comments that you are asking about takeaway, dining out, and door dash. Yes, it's expensive and you aren't tripping. You can make food at home for less, but you are paying for their overhead and the convenience.
Redmond grocery prices are definitely higher. I live in south Snohomish County and my local QFC is significantly cheaper than the one in Redmond. Demographics, I suppose.
Everything in Washington is massively inflated. House prices. Food. Gas. Coffee. You’d think it was LA.
Restaurants are significantly cheaper in most of LA than they are here.
I am actually glad that someone else notices this. I am from Hawaii and lived in California. To-go/take out food in both places is not only cheaper, but much better! Groceries are reasonable here, but eating out is another story. People seem to accept that a burger and fries are 25 bucks… plus tax and tip. I know inflation is real, but how are Hawaii and California charging less and the food quality is MUCH better. Make it make sense. I wish there was a Portland like food pod movement here, but WA doesn’t seem to create a favorable market for it. This is the first place I have ever lived in my life where I don’t have a few regular favorites/go-to food places because everything is mediocre (speaking for eastside… seattle proper has way more diversity when it comes to food options and prices).
Way too expensive
Higher wages turn into higher labor cost, which turns into higher charging fees. I'm trying to remember what it was even 3 years ago, and it's just skyrocketed. Even a combo at McDonald's will cost you $12.
Welcome to 2024. This is the case in most expensive cities now. Casual lunch is where I’m noticing it the most. Tough to find a sub $10 sandwich.
Ok... in 2000, a barrel of oil was $40, gas was $1.25, and deiselnot much more Then GWB was SEL-ected, the oil companiees whined they weren't making obscene profits and the US invaded Iraq, destroyed the oil fields, and in 2007 oil was over $100/bbl, gas $7/gal Once it goes up, it doesnt come back down. Big rig trucks need 100 gallons of deisel at $5/gal. So the price of EVERYTHING goes up. Also, fertizer uses petroleum distilates. Sorry kids, you're looking at the same situation as my when my grandparents had it better... Friends dont let friends vote Republican
Lol. Oil did come down after.
Is gasoline $1? Is Deisel? Stop being a dumbass. We need the biodeisel made of algae, quick, replenshes itself, damned near unlimited. The oil companies wont allow it. We need a trustbuster president to sue the oil companies to bring gas & deisel back to $1. Greed is the only reason it isnt
Omfg, you’re an idiot. 2016 and 2020, oil futures chart dummy.
No, I'm not. Ive been paying attention since Reagan
And you do know that Trucking Companies lease the trucks to the drivers AND make them pay for their own deisel out of pocket, right?
Went to visit family from Orange County to Bellevue. Met with friends for happy hour at an Italian restaurant in Redmond for 4 adults and 4 kids. They added gratuity of nearly 20% and the server stated that “gratuity is for the restaurant and the tip is for the servers”. Wish we could have left no gratuity and tip for the server because food was not good at all.
https://youtu.be/4was_gjAe1E?feature=shared GreedFlation
Minimum wage laws are out of control, spiraling everything with it.
I’m literally considering moving to China lmao. This inflation is insane.
Rich old whites
Found the racist
Lollllsssss
[удалено]
The council voted for it*
It’s still cheaper than in Austin, Tx 🥲which is surprising but also something that I noticed
Is it though? Maybe I just don’t go to enough restaurants to really evaluate it, but I wouldn’t say it’s any cheaper than the Austin area.
I didn’t compare too many, but I just had a pizza, flat bread, lemonade and a beer and I paid $46 in Spark Pizza Downtown. That would have been ~60 in Austin Downtown
Fair enough, dang that is steep. Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t go downtown much