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How much do holiday meals cost? Alabama Grocery Stores Expect Busy Weekend

How much do holiday meals cost? Alabama Grocery Stores Expect Busy Weekend

Inda Lou Schell arrived at the grocery store Thursday aiming to gather as many items as possible so she could throw an extravagant pre-Christmas party for about 30 members of her family on Sunday.

It’s not unusual for Schell, 91, to host this grand dinner, as she has for many years. But it’s a responsibility she continues to happily accept, even as the costs of purchasing turkey, ham, beef and other groceries continue to rise.

“I just don’t think about it,” said Schell, a longtime Chatom resident. “That’s just part of it.”

His comments were echoed by many shoppers at Ramey’s Market in Chatom, part of a family-owned chain of supermarkets in Mississippi and Alabama.

Even though the price of most food items has increased at the end of the year, the holiday meal will continue uninterrupted and largely unchanged from previous years, shoppers and grocery store workers say.

“A lot of people complain about the prices and that kind of thing, but I live alone and I don’t notice it as much,” said Chatom resident and former state lawmaker Elaine Beech, who was shopping on the Chatom market. be prepared to host multiple meals – Monday through Wednesday – for visiting family.

“It’s a once-a-year thing,” Beech said.

High costs

Grocery stores across Alabama and beyond are expecting a busy weekend – among the busiest of the year – despite continued pain at the checkout line.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statisticsprices of food items such as meat, poultry, fish and eggs increased between November and October. The consumer price index for beef rose 3.1%, while that for non-alcoholic beverages rose 1.5%.

Eggs, which have become a symbol of runaway inflation throughout the 2024 presidential campaign, rose 8.2% for the month.

“Inflation was not only up from the previous month, but it was also above expectations for food and services,” said Jason Imbrogno, associate professor of economics at the University of North Alabama.

Expana, a global food price information agency, estimates the cost of a typical Christmas meal to increase by 2.4% compared to 2023. The group’s “Main Meal Index” which includes staples like turkey, pork, beef, shrimp, lamb and vegetables like potatoes, carrots and turnips, increased 2.3% year-over-year last. Much of that increase was fueled by rising pork prices, while turkey prices are falling, the report said.

And gingerbread, a favorite holiday dessert, saw prices rise 5.5% from a year ago, driven by rising sugar and egg prices.

Butterball Turkey for sale

Turkey for sale at a Rouses Market in Spanish Fort, Alabama.John Sharp

Grocery stores expect shoppers to flock to their stores this weekend, even as prices rise. They often offer deals.

At Winn-Dixie stores in Alabama, a complete holiday meal is on sale for $39.99 through Christmas Eve.

This meal includes a choice of two Dietz & Watson Carver hams or two turkey breasts plus a host of sides – cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and homemade gravy – as well as King’s Hawaiian Rolls.

At Kroger, which now offers delivery to some Alabama residents, spokeswoman Tammie Young-Ennemba said its goal is to offer shoppers well-stocked shelves and daily and weekly promotions.

“We haven’t seen any change in terms of consumer purchasing habits,” Young-Ennemba said. “If anything, customers are more excited about the holidays and are busy preparing to celebrate.”

Standing rib roast is one of the best-selling meats at the supermarket, even as the price of beef rises. According to Expana, the price for a bone-in prime rib is $13.12 per pound, up 12% from last year.

Bargain shopping

Imbrogno said consumers, looking to reduce Christmas meal costs, will likely do so by substituting food items – such as replacing beef and pork with turkey, where prices are falling – or by substituting brands with off-brand alternatives. .

John Sullivan

John Sullivan, store manager at Ramey’s Market in Chatom, Alabama, is all smiles as he stocks the shelves ahead of the Christmas weekend shopping rush.John Sharp

According to national data from Expana, the cost of turkey is $1.07 per pound, which is lower than the 10-year average.

At grocers throughout Alabama, you can find good deals purchasing more generic items.

For example, a Best Choice turkey sold for $1.49 per pound at Rouses Market in Spanish Fort and offered a considerably cheaper alternative to the Butterball premium all-natural turkey, which sold for $1.99 per pound.

At Ramey’s, a Best Choice turkey sold for 98 cents per pound.

Store brands are also cheaper alternatives.

A Publix brand turkey sold for $1.19 per pound at the Daphne store. A Piggly Wiggly turkey sold for 99 cents a pound at Hoover.

It’s not just with meats. A box of Stove Top sells for $3.59 at Ramey’s, but the Best Choice version costs $1.79.

Rolls, a staple of holiday meals, are more expensive depending on the brand. Shoppers can pay $3.99 for a bag of 10 frozen Sister Schubert Yeast Rolls, originally from Alabama at Ramey’s, and $4.04 for a package of Parker House Style Yeast Rolls from Sister Schubert at the Daphne Publix. But at the Walmart on Sparkman Road in Huntsville, a package of a dozen Great Value rolls costs $1.38. At Aldi on US 72, a dozen rolls cost $1.99.

Padding

The differences in stuffing and price for a box of the traditional holiday meal. Top is the Best Choice brand, selling for $1.79 per box. Bottom is the Stove Top brand of stuffing, sold for $3.59 per box at Ramey’s Market in Chatom, Alabama on Thursday, December 19, 2024.John Sharp

John Dove, an economics professor at Troy University, said he doesn’t expect Alabama consumers to change their behavior much when shopping for Christmas dinner. He added that families are more likely to skip seeing a movie or other leisure activities in December to offset meal costs rather than modifying, reducing or changing the Christmas meal menu.

“I think at least in general most families are not going to be as sensitive to price changes like this for something like a Christmas meal,” Dove said.

Inflation, which peaked at around 9.1% in June 2022, has fallen to around 2.5%, but prices continue to rise – just not as fast, Dove said.

“People may no longer feel the effects of inflation as significantly as they used to,” he said. “Wages have had the opportunity to adjust to this inflation, which means they have tended to increase over time. This also helps offset the effects of inflation.

It’s time to splurge

Ramey market

JB White of Millry, Alabama, walks the aisle inside Ramey Market Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Chatom, Alabama.John Sharp

Chatom resident Shirley Turner plans to cook for her three sons and their families. She plans to be at Ramey Market “every day” to buy groceries for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals.

“I cook for them on Monday too,” she said, adding that she felt “happy” not to have to worry about grocery store prices.

Some shoppers, like Kiona Rogers of Millry, are cutting back on their spending because they simply don’t want to waste food in a time when it’s not cheap to buy items.

Rogers said she will be making chicken and sausage gumbo on Christmas Day because she will be spending the holiday with her husband and two young children. She said she made a turkey dinner last year, but much of it was thrown away.

“Last Christmas we had a full dinner,” she said. “It’s more expensive. And then a lot of it is wasted. It’s just me, my husband and my two little children. Gumbo doesn’t cost that much.

Dove said ultimately, Alabamians are going to spend money celebrating with their families this holiday season.

He also said the presidential outcome likely won’t hurt, since nearly 65 percent of the state’s voters supported the winner, President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump’s victory was largely attributed to voters’ concerns about inflation and rising grocery prices.

He added: “I think the election result may very well have increased consumer confidence and optimism in general in the state, meaning people are generally just willing to spend or perhaps ” splurge” a little more than usual.

Dove said, “I think consumers, not only in Alabama, but everywhere else, are just not as sensitive to increased food prices during the holidays as they might be, given the importance of vacations. »

Schell, 91, a lifelong Chatom resident, said Christmas is special and certainly worth the time and cost spent at the grocery store.

“I still love cooking and spending quality time with family,” she said. “I have been blessed beyond measure.”

Kayode Crown, William Thornton and Ruth Serven Smith contributed to this story.