No inflation..

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Anyone notice there's no inflation lately except for the shit you have to pay for?  Funny how that works, eh?

[stromboli]

You'll need an economist to explain that. I got into inflation briefly in a government class in college, and determined economics ain't my thing.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Just got back from the grocery with my dad.. We spent about 3minutes in the produce department.. Stuff is double and triple from 2 weeks ago..

[Munch]

I don't think its gotten that bad here in the uk, but supermarkets are sneaky bastards. They will advertise 'special offers' on certain products, which you realize just by finding similar products without offers on your paying more for less anyway. I brought two cartons of juice for a buy one get the other half price, only to find a much larger carton of juice not advertised on offer for much cheaper.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

To be fair the drought in California is really jacking up produce here and in southern states it's the dipshit policies against migrant farm workers..

[SGOS]

The inflation index is composed of a basket of representative goods.  Items in the basket are added and taken out all the time to better represent actual inflation.  The problem is that this method of measurement invites political tinkering to produce a desired effect, and can often not be representative at all.  And like all the rest of the political tools, the inflation index can look very good, while certain groups, often the poor, are being affected adversely.  I stopped trusting the inflation reports when I learned how it was measured.  It's just more bullshit from your government.

[Youssuf Ramadan]

I don't think its gotten that bad here in the uk, but supermarkets are sneaky bastards. They will advertise 'special offers' on certain products, which you realize just by finding similar products without offers on your paying more for less anyway. I brought two cartons of juice for a buy one get the other half price, only to find a much larger carton of juice not advertised on offer for much cheaper.

It seems a lot of people down here in Cornwall are switching to Aldi and Lidl...

[AllPurposeAtheist]

The inflation index is composed of a basket of representative goods.  Items in the basket are added and taken out all the time to better represent actual inflation.  The problem is that this method of measurement invites political tinkering to produce a desired effect, and can often not be representative at all.  And like all the rest of the political tools, the inflation index can look very good, while certain groups, often the poor, are being affected adversely.  I stopped trusting the inflation reports when I learned how it was measured.  It's just more bullshit from your government.

Oh now.. Big bad gubnit will come and take away yer seckund uhmenmentabilities fer saying that..

[Munch]

It seems a lot of people down here in Cornwall are switching to Aldi and Lidl...

yeah we got a two Lidl here too, problem is they are set out the way from the town center so unless you drive its a pain to take the bus to.

[josephpalazzo]

The inflation index is composed of a basket of representative goods.  Items in the basket are added and taken out all the time to better represent actual inflation.  The problem is that this method of measurement invites political tinkering to produce a desired effect, and can often not be representative at all.  And like all the rest of the political tools, the inflation index can look very good, while certain groups, often the poor, are being affected adversely.  I stopped trusting the inflation reports when I learned how it was measured.  It's just more bullshit from your government.

Not really, the inflation rate is set by the Fed which is totally independent of the politicians in Washington, tho, if the Republicans had their way, they would abolish the Fed. What you need to consider is that prices can vary erratically from month to month, and from region to region. The most important items in the basket are foods and energy prices - with the former significantly dependent on the latter.  Recently, oil prices have been going down, and are slated to go down further, but it takes time for those prices to trickle down to the cost of other goods. It's one of the reason why the Fed decided to keep interest rate low - sending the Dow Jones to higher levels. Just keep in mind that interest rate are closedly linked to inflation rates. So if you see one going up, the other will follow through. At the moment, both have been stabled since 2008. But it won't stay there for eternity. Most people believe that an upward trend will start with the US economy growing in the next few years.

[Mike Cl]

I don't think its gotten that bad here in the uk, but supermarkets are sneaky bastards. They will advertise 'special offers' on certain products, which you realize just by finding similar products without offers on your paying more for less anyway. I brought two cartons of juice for a buy one get the other half price, only to find a much larger carton of juice not advertised on offer for much cheaper.

That is common here.  A can of something is offered for sale.  Sitting right next to it is a larger or smaller (yeah, sometimes) can of a different brand that is cheaper.  Or a can of one size is offered for sale--and if you do the math, a bigger can of the same stuff is cheaper per unit--which isn't on sale.  The US public cannot do the math to find per unit pricing--and the supermarkets take advantage of that.

[Hydra009]

That is common here.  A can of something is offered for sale.  Sitting right next to it is a larger or smaller (yeah, sometimes) can of a different brand that is cheaper.  Or a can of one size is offered for sale--and if you do the math, a bigger can of the same stuff is cheaper per unit--which isn't on sale.  The US public cannot do the math to find per unit pricing--and the supermarkets take advantage of that.

Often, they display the price per unit, though they sometimes compare different units, which can be very aggravating.  As it stands, it's marginally easier to crunch the numbers for a top dps build than to make thrifty a supermarket checkout.

[SGOS]

A couple of years ago, all ice cream manufacturers reduced the size of the traditional half gallon, down to a quart and a half.  I thought, "Isn't that nice.  They're reducing the amount they sell me."  The price went down, but I never calculated the per unit price.  I'm guessing they didn't lose money.  At any rate, the new smaller quantity is now the price of the old larger quantity.

[Hydra009]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/your-money/halving-the-portion-but-not-the-price.html

Plus, there are some "sales" that are simply up-selling in disguise.  2 for $4 when the product is $2 apiece.  Confusingly, there are also legitimate deals where a product is $2.29 apiece and 2 for $3.

[SGOS]

I remember discovering one time that a small can of Old El Paso enchilada sauce was the same price as the large can.  I actually asked a manager in the store, who informed me that all the pricing was done at Corporate Headquarters.  They didn't change it either.  The price of the small can may have gone up, but it was always the same price as the large can.