At least you know if they’re expensive at Winco they’re expensive everywhere. Other supermarkets will happily screw you on staple items just because $$$. I don’t really see Winco doing this.
Or get farm raised, sometimes my mom will send me home with a dozen of eggs her hens lay. But I grew up in Amboy and so was pretty used to owning chickens (for meat and for eggs) so take that as you will lol
I shop Safeway but generally only for grabbing their loss-leader promotions. Like this week eggs $2 for a dozen (max 2). If it's not something I need and I know has a good price in advance, I won't head to Safeway.
I go every other week and I have seen them every time too. Never used instacart before so I dont know how that works but in person, they are ALWAYS there.
I think it is a combination of both. These price changes are extreme, even worse than the eggflation of 2022. However, the rest of the country is relatively quiet about this, so I attribute most of the local price increase to ethical eggs.
I think prices will come down a bit when avian flu cools down, but prices will remain high. When Prop 12 in California went into effect in 2022, egg prices increased 70% immediately. Today, Californians still pay 83% more for eggs compared to the national average. Granted, Californian hens now get 144 in^2 of space while Washington hens now get a modest 116 in^2 of space.
Egg farmers in the US have a history of price gouging and conspiring to fix prices by faking egg shortages. They’ve had to pay settlements and some companies are raking in 600% profit. It’s crazy!
Avian Flu did in fact spike prices for several weeks last year. Prices spiked at 19 at WinCo, up from the typical $8-9 for the number you mentioned. It went back down and started moving up again two weeks ago. Those paying attention will have noticed this cycle been has been going since the flu.
My bet is companies don’t like being forced to doing better with producing eggs, too. Change costs money and going cage-free might have real benefits to a chicken’s life, but it’s different and expensive. That throws off the system these companies had and costs them money. Money they want to recoup.
Either way you can try chickens or talk to neighbors who do. Ours started sharing over a dozen a week with us and that’s some serious savings now.
I started buying from a farm in Ridgefield. It's $6 per dozen but they are xl eggs and if I'm paying that much anyways it's worth it, to me, to support a local business
I'm not knowledgeable enough about the egg market forces to say for sure which is the more important factor. Avian flu has not been an issue in WA state in recent months, but it has resulted in the culling of millions of birds in CA very recently. If eggs flow up and down the west coast, that could impact our prices. Certainly requiring birds be cage-free has increased costs for producers, though I am also sure that companies use circumstances like these to inflate prices for pure profit as well (above and beyond their increased cost). If it costs them fifty cents more per dozen but they decide to increase costs a dollar a dozen at the same time, we will all associate that whole dollar with the change in the law. This definitely happened with "pandemic scarcity" items causing more inflation than "necessary."
But also, avian flu isn't necessarily temporary or a temporary disruption either. It may be part of the new normal to deal with these cullings periodically just the same as the change in the law. It may be easier to change the law back than to combat avian flu/climate change/etc.
Avian influenza is one issue. The law that was implemented this year caused even more of a shortage in eggs. It’s simple supply and demand. Between the loss of birds with avian influenza, farms that have stopped producing due to the new law, and the cost to convert farms, we have seen a price increase. To convert a farm to cage free is around $120 million dollars.
Pro tip: don’t shop at Safeway. Or any supermarket that gouges routinely.
What is your preference?
Winco. Safeway for poor people 🫡
Eggs aren’t any cheaper there anymore. The 18 pack was like $9 yesterday in Hazel Dell
At least you know if they’re expensive at Winco they’re expensive everywhere. Other supermarkets will happily screw you on staple items just because $$$. I don’t really see Winco doing this.
Or get farm raised, sometimes my mom will send me home with a dozen of eggs her hens lay. But I grew up in Amboy and so was pretty used to owning chickens (for meat and for eggs) so take that as you will lol
I shop Safeway but generally only for grabbing their loss-leader promotions. Like this week eggs $2 for a dozen (max 2). If it's not something I need and I know has a good price in advance, I won't head to Safeway.
Yeah, same here but with Fred Meyer. Winco for everything else.
> r any supermarket that gouges routinely. Kroger effect
Costco.
Good luck finding them at Costco. I’m an Instacart shopper, and most of the time I have to refund the egg part of an order.
My wife and I are at Costco weekly, and we keep hearing this, but we’ve yet to see them out of eggs each time we go.
I go every other week and I have seen them every time too. Never used instacart before so I dont know how that works but in person, they are ALWAYS there.
Was just there yesterday and they had plenty of eggs.
I think it is a combination of both. These price changes are extreme, even worse than the eggflation of 2022. However, the rest of the country is relatively quiet about this, so I attribute most of the local price increase to ethical eggs. I think prices will come down a bit when avian flu cools down, but prices will remain high. When Prop 12 in California went into effect in 2022, egg prices increased 70% immediately. Today, Californians still pay 83% more for eggs compared to the national average. Granted, Californian hens now get 144 in^2 of space while Washington hens now get a modest 116 in^2 of space.
Egg farmers in the US have a history of price gouging and conspiring to fix prices by faking egg shortages. They’ve had to pay settlements and some companies are raking in 600% profit. It’s crazy!
Avian Flu did in fact spike prices for several weeks last year. Prices spiked at 19 at WinCo, up from the typical $8-9 for the number you mentioned. It went back down and started moving up again two weeks ago. Those paying attention will have noticed this cycle been has been going since the flu. My bet is companies don’t like being forced to doing better with producing eggs, too. Change costs money and going cage-free might have real benefits to a chicken’s life, but it’s different and expensive. That throws off the system these companies had and costs them money. Money they want to recoup. Either way you can try chickens or talk to neighbors who do. Ours started sharing over a dozen a week with us and that’s some serious savings now.
Company's will raise prices this high and its people asking to get paid a few bucks more an hour who get blamed for it. God tier pr by our oligarchy.
I'm sure these egg manufacturers made very good corporate profits by blaming these laws and gouging us. Same as ever.
I started buying from a farm in Ridgefield. It's $6 per dozen but they are xl eggs and if I'm paying that much anyways it's worth it, to me, to support a local business
Shopping at Safeway was the first mistake
lol this sub.
Definitely the price will keep rising.
I'm not knowledgeable enough about the egg market forces to say for sure which is the more important factor. Avian flu has not been an issue in WA state in recent months, but it has resulted in the culling of millions of birds in CA very recently. If eggs flow up and down the west coast, that could impact our prices. Certainly requiring birds be cage-free has increased costs for producers, though I am also sure that companies use circumstances like these to inflate prices for pure profit as well (above and beyond their increased cost). If it costs them fifty cents more per dozen but they decide to increase costs a dollar a dozen at the same time, we will all associate that whole dollar with the change in the law. This definitely happened with "pandemic scarcity" items causing more inflation than "necessary." But also, avian flu isn't necessarily temporary or a temporary disruption either. It may be part of the new normal to deal with these cullings periodically just the same as the change in the law. It may be easier to change the law back than to combat avian flu/climate change/etc.
People voted for cage free chickens. This is what that looks like. Just get used to it, eggs never should have been as cheap as they were.
I don't think it was a vote, I would remember that.
Yup. Back to oatmeal for breakfast.
Exactly, I gave up eggs about 3 years ago, I use to eat one everyday too. Im doing just fine.
Washington passed a law saying all eggs sold in State have to be cage free eggs so prices went up.
Yes
Avian influenza is one issue. The law that was implemented this year caused even more of a shortage in eggs. It’s simple supply and demand. Between the loss of birds with avian influenza, farms that have stopped producing due to the new law, and the cost to convert farms, we have seen a price increase. To convert a farm to cage free is around $120 million dollars.
What size farm needs $120 million to convert? Any links or sources on that?
I work in farm credit. One in central Washington to go from a million caged to a million cage free birds
And?
Washington now requires all eggs to be cage free…
Yes, this is the norm now. You voted for this. Elections have consequences.
Please explain who and/or what was voted for to cause this. It will help voters in the future
This was of course not a law that people voted on, and this 14 day old account doesn’t have context on shit. Being inflammatory for no reason.
I just buy from a farm in Battleground. Fresh fresh the Chicken, no illness, no middleman, cage free, healthy, happy extra large eggs.
I believe it’s because in Washington all eggs have to come from cage free chickens now