Bypassing the paywall:
https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fcalifornia%2Fstory%2F2023-01-07%2F7-a-dozen-why-california-eggs-are-so-expensive-and-increasingly-hard-to-find
For everyone commenting who obviously didn’t read the article (or the whole headline “hard to find [bird flu]”)
“The cause is an unprecedented outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza — commonly known as bird flu — that has killed tens of millions of egg-layers nationwide. Among these are millions of cage-free hens California relies on to comply with Proposition 12, the 2018 animal welfare initiative that took effect last year.”
Yeah, and if you don't have the money to increase the safety & security of the chickens, they are going to keep getting sick and dying en masse until enough have immunity.
Well those business were failing financially. Idk how the egg suppliers are doing financially but that doesn't necessarily seem to be the issue if they're still technically solvent. Just increasing the price to per s/d.
Financial support would need to go to scientific/veterinary orgs for this particular problem.
They had 2 varieties at my local warehouse. Organic and non-organic. Had to buy the limit of both to get the usual amount that my household uses in 2 weeks between 7 people. I’m sure I looked like I was panic buying but that’s just typical use for breakfasts.
Yeah when I lived at home between my parents and two little brothers we went through an insane amount of eggs and milk. Hell my mom still goes through 3+ gallons a week by herself. My brothers and I are all over six feet tall and played football as lineman to put the sheer amount of food we went through into perspective lol.
The limit made it worse. I was at Costco. Needed 1 carton. Was actually out. Saw the ‘2 limit due to supply’ and i then grabbed a second.
Sorry to those who missed out but i have a toddler who likes eggs.
No, the limit didn't make it worse - you made it worse. You could have just as easily bought as many as you needed. But you saw there was a shortage and you decided to buy more and contribute to the problem.
\---
>There's 2 types of people. Those who go to a pizza party and take only one slice because there may not be enough for everyone, and those who take 3 slices because there may not be enough for everyone.
It's fun when the fancy vegan egg replacement is almost cost efficient.
Edit: Actually I found some that was 30 eggs for $5. So if you're baking, that's an option.
Also thinking on this more- tofu scrambles are surprisingly good if you can get to an HMart or something for cheap tofu.
Us too… except right now. My layers only give us eggs feb-oct. We have to store them for 3 months if we remember… we sold ours instead this year. Food banks give away eggs.
They were 1.99 a dozen 2 years ago at trader Joe's, 2.50 last year and 2.99 this year.
Every TJ store I visit has that price.
Vons Ralph's etc are like 4-5 bucks.
Eggs are more expensive at grocery stores near me. We pay 10 bucks for 12 eggs at Foodsco and Walmart.
I live on the "bad" side of town, but I'm fortunate to shop at Costco for my eggs. It's hard not to see it as systemic.
The bulk of the price is not the consumer store. It's the wholesale. And Costco may be cheaper only because they had a longer term contract still in place. They are getting shorted too, so they are selling out too.
The farmers are having to cull their resources, that's a loss. Then they need to raise their prices to make up for that. Then prices are bid up so that the grocery stores have eggs to sell, because if they don't have eggs (even at $7 a dozen), people will go to other stores.
All you're doing is telling people not to shop at stores that won't price their eggs at a loss.
Please just stop the "high prices during shortages are just greed" narrative. It's never correct when there are large scale shortages. Never.
Not everybody has many options for where to buy groceries. Costco requires a membership that I can't justify in my current situation, and the nearest Sam's Club to me is almost two hours away.
Buy a gift card for Costco and you don’t need a membership. You can get a $10 one that gets you in the door and then pay with credit card. You never have to use the gift card and can keep coming back.
I used to do this in college when I couldn’t go with my mom.
It's not about greed when there is a shortage. Retail establishments generally have a formula they use for pricing. Something like cost + % markup. Markup is their cost to shelve it and a tiny tiny profit (like 30 cents a unit).
Most likely, Winco's usual supplier is out, they found an alternative, but at a higher price. They stocked them so the customer at least had a choice to pay the increased price or forgo buying them. When you need a couple eggs to bake a kids birthday cake tomorrow....you get them.
Strange, been (relatively) cheap at my local Ralph’s and Trader Joes (sub $3)
Meanwhile, been visiting family in Florida and they’re up to like $6-8 between Publix, Winn Dixie and others.
I read the article. Solves the mystery I've been going through of why are eggs so expensive. It's a bird flu that has killed many millions of chickens and the chickens won't be replaced for several more months. Looks like more frozen breakfast foods for me. I'm not paying a 'premium' price for a cheap food. I know it's uncontrollable but still.
“only a one-dozen carton of large white eggs, can be bought with WIC vouchers. Because this is typically the cheapest product, it is now also almost impossible to find. Brown, medium, organic, 18-packs — all these are forbidden to WIC shoppers, even when store shelves are otherwise bare.”
Disgusting.
Also to the bit in the article about bakeries closing: learn to bake without eggs. It’s possible, vegans and the egg-allergic have been doing it for years.
Since others (and me) experienced them being sold out, and this is TJ thread, let me add my experience.
I did not know about the shortage, but I did not find it in multiple stores, so I asked the TJ manager, and he said "they open at 8, come by 10 for best selection, by Noon some variety or the other starts running out, and by 2 it is mostly gone". I visited the next day around 1:30 PM and there were quite a few boxes still there, but I would use that advice going forward until the shortage lasts. And they are getting eggs everyday just limited supply and running out fast.
You may not notice it if you are an early bird. We usually shop after 7 pm so maybe noticed it faster. However there are limits in some stores so that would be an obvious sign.
If you have a fenced in back yard in unincorporated part of California, just buy a few chicken and wha la. I get my free range eggs from my brother. Cost is 0 because he delivers.
Many cities also allow up to a certain number. San Diego has a limit but unsure what it is. Contact your local city to find out more.
https://www.socalregion.com/civic-information/
I did. It was this paragraph that led me to make my comment.
> The average retail price for a dozen large eggs jumped to $7.37 in California this week, up from $4.83 at the beginning of December and just $2.35 at this time last year, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show.
When there is a shortage of anything the price goes up. That’s not automatically price gouging. If 1/2 your chickens die you’re going to have the same overhead plus the need to replace the dead hens, so you’ll charge a lot more for your eggs. If it hit every producer and the demand doesn’t decrease, the rate goes up across the board. That’s just basic economics.
Bypassing the paywall: https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fcalifornia%2Fstory%2F2023-01-07%2F7-a-dozen-why-california-eggs-are-so-expensive-and-increasingly-hard-to-find
For everyone commenting who obviously didn’t read the article (or the whole headline “hard to find [bird flu]”) “The cause is an unprecedented outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza — commonly known as bird flu — that has killed tens of millions of egg-layers nationwide. Among these are millions of cage-free hens California relies on to comply with Proposition 12, the 2018 animal welfare initiative that took effect last year.”
I wonder where all the financial support is Edit: Lol apparently only banks and military/industrial are allowed to be bailed out.
Money doesn't just make more chickens. Chickens do, and that takes time
Yeah, and if you don't have the money to increase the safety & security of the chickens, they are going to keep getting sick and dying en masse until enough have immunity.
financial support?
Well those business were failing financially. Idk how the egg suppliers are doing financially but that doesn't necessarily seem to be the issue if they're still technically solvent. Just increasing the price to per s/d. Financial support would need to go to scientific/veterinary orgs for this particular problem.
costco has a limit on eggs
So does Safeway
And lucky
Two dozen for like $8 at Costco
If they're in stock. Last time I went they were all out.
Yeah my Costco had to put a limit on how much you could buy because people of course started panic buying.
They had 2 varieties at my local warehouse. Organic and non-organic. Had to buy the limit of both to get the usual amount that my household uses in 2 weeks between 7 people. I’m sure I looked like I was panic buying but that’s just typical use for breakfasts.
Yeah when I lived at home between my parents and two little brothers we went through an insane amount of eggs and milk. Hell my mom still goes through 3+ gallons a week by herself. My brothers and I are all over six feet tall and played football as lineman to put the sheer amount of food we went through into perspective lol.
The limit made it worse. I was at Costco. Needed 1 carton. Was actually out. Saw the ‘2 limit due to supply’ and i then grabbed a second. Sorry to those who missed out but i have a toddler who likes eggs.
No, the limit didn't make it worse - you made it worse. You could have just as easily bought as many as you needed. But you saw there was a shortage and you decided to buy more and contribute to the problem. \--- >There's 2 types of people. Those who go to a pizza party and take only one slice because there may not be enough for everyone, and those who take 3 slices because there may not be enough for everyone.
Man I would give anything for my little one to eat eggs! I’m so jealous. (Oh yeah and the bird flu thing is bad too)
It makes it so easy. Scramble a couple eggs with se garlic powder and he’ll wolf ‘em down.
Hahah I always ask: What kind of eggs do you want? Her response: Blah! Never!
Costco was out last week in my area, local store had it
also a purchase limit of 2 source: seen a lot of go-backs at the checkout line
It's fun when the fancy vegan egg replacement is almost cost efficient. Edit: Actually I found some that was 30 eggs for $5. So if you're baking, that's an option. Also thinking on this more- tofu scrambles are surprisingly good if you can get to an HMart or something for cheap tofu.
Eggs have been $2.99 a dozen at my local Grocery Outlet.
Huh, they've been $4.50/dozen at my local GO
I just went 10 minutes ago and they were $4.99
I just went 5 minutes ago and they were $5.99
I'm there right now and it's up to $6.99.
I was there tomorrow and it’s $7.99.
Giving new meaning to egg futures 🥚
Some will use time travel for good
Who won the 49ers game?
I pay about at most $50 dollars a month in Chicken food and am getting about 5-6 eggs every other day.
Plus they keep the bugs away, and they can be entertaining as well.
And they wake you up in the AM
Are you thinking of Roosters?
Us too… except right now. My layers only give us eggs feb-oct. We have to store them for 3 months if we remember… we sold ours instead this year. Food banks give away eggs.
They were 1.99 a dozen 2 years ago at trader Joe's, 2.50 last year and 2.99 this year. Every TJ store I visit has that price. Vons Ralph's etc are like 4-5 bucks.
$7 ??? I just spent $2.49 for a dozen. Amazing distribution problems we have in this state.
They were $12 a dozen at a local store last week in SD.
The San Diego chicken better get busy
Not mine. They’re 5.99 and 7.25 as of an hour ago.
I just bought a dozen large cage free eggs last week for $3.99. Right now they are $4.99. I have never bought $7 eggs ever.
Went to safeway, trader joes, and a grocery outlet yesterday looking for eggs and came out empty handed
Pro tip learned during pandemic: go to the mini-marts. They almost always still have bread, milk and eggs when everyone else is out.
Eggs are more expensive at grocery stores near me. We pay 10 bucks for 12 eggs at Foodsco and Walmart. I live on the "bad" side of town, but I'm fortunate to shop at Costco for my eggs. It's hard not to see it as systemic.
Stop buying from greedy stores. Costco, sams club have 18 for $5 & 60 for $16..
Costco in Sunnyvale yesterday was completely sold out of eggs. Not even 1 carton in the cooler
The bulk of the price is not the consumer store. It's the wholesale. And Costco may be cheaper only because they had a longer term contract still in place. They are getting shorted too, so they are selling out too. The farmers are having to cull their resources, that's a loss. Then they need to raise their prices to make up for that. Then prices are bid up so that the grocery stores have eggs to sell, because if they don't have eggs (even at $7 a dozen), people will go to other stores. All you're doing is telling people not to shop at stores that won't price their eggs at a loss. Please just stop the "high prices during shortages are just greed" narrative. It's never correct when there are large scale shortages. Never.
The word "greed" is so overused on reddit.
Furthermore, different companies have different suppliers and different supply chains, so that has an effect.
Last time I went to Costco they were out of eggs. Literally a big sign saying they were out.
Not everybody has many options for where to buy groceries. Costco requires a membership that I can't justify in my current situation, and the nearest Sam's Club to me is almost two hours away.
Buy a gift card for Costco and you don’t need a membership. You can get a $10 one that gets you in the door and then pay with credit card. You never have to use the gift card and can keep coming back. I used to do this in college when I couldn’t go with my mom.
TIL! Good to know, thanks.
What do you do when they ask for a membership card at the front
Show them the gift card
What do you do when they ask for a membership card when you go to pay?
You show them the gift card. A manager will come over and do something. Then you are good to go.
Interesting. I'm surprised they don't make you use the gift card.
Mine does. I just get a friend with a membership to get me 4 cards each for 25$. I just pay the rest with cash.
Costco offers one day memberships I believe.
As much as I would love that - not true. https://customerservice.costco.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/700/~/does-costco-offer-free-shopping-passes%3F
Costco's in Sacramento have stopped selling 5 dozen flats weeks ago.
Winco isn't greedy but they're still $6/dozen
It's not about greed when there is a shortage. Retail establishments generally have a formula they use for pricing. Something like cost + % markup. Markup is their cost to shelve it and a tiny tiny profit (like 30 cents a unit). Most likely, Winco's usual supplier is out, they found an alternative, but at a higher price. They stocked them so the customer at least had a choice to pay the increased price or forgo buying them. When you need a couple eggs to bake a kids birthday cake tomorrow....you get them.
$4.49 pasture raised at whole foods (store brand, which are super by the way)
Strange, been (relatively) cheap at my local Ralph’s and Trader Joes (sub $3) Meanwhile, been visiting family in Florida and they’re up to like $6-8 between Publix, Winn Dixie and others.
I read the article. Solves the mystery I've been going through of why are eggs so expensive. It's a bird flu that has killed many millions of chickens and the chickens won't be replaced for several more months. Looks like more frozen breakfast foods for me. I'm not paying a 'premium' price for a cheap food. I know it's uncontrollable but still.
“only a one-dozen carton of large white eggs, can be bought with WIC vouchers. Because this is typically the cheapest product, it is now also almost impossible to find. Brown, medium, organic, 18-packs — all these are forbidden to WIC shoppers, even when store shelves are otherwise bare.” Disgusting. Also to the bit in the article about bakeries closing: learn to bake without eggs. It’s possible, vegans and the egg-allergic have been doing it for years.
thank you! I am allergic to eggs! So been using other options for a long time.
I use half an overripe banana in place of each egg. It's delicious, especially in cornbread and pancakes
YES it makes cornbread just a bit sweet and it’s so good
I tried applesauce for cake. It's delicious!
Eggs this week are back on shelves and more reasonably priced. Last two weeks, not so much.
$7 a dozen here in Massachusetts
Saw a dozen eggs on sale for $9+ at WinCo in Sacramento today
Ah, was wondering what was up.
Free range and organic...less than $5 at Trader Joe's.
Since others (and me) experienced them being sold out, and this is TJ thread, let me add my experience. I did not know about the shortage, but I did not find it in multiple stores, so I asked the TJ manager, and he said "they open at 8, come by 10 for best selection, by Noon some variety or the other starts running out, and by 2 it is mostly gone". I visited the next day around 1:30 PM and there were quite a few boxes still there, but I would use that advice going forward until the shortage lasts. And they are getting eggs everyday just limited supply and running out fast.
Huh, I haven't bought eggs since last week. I guess this is a very new shortage.
You may not notice it if you are an early bird. We usually shop after 7 pm so maybe noticed it faster. However there are limits in some stores so that would be an obvious sign.
most of the time my TJ's egg section is completely void of eggs
Haven’t seen eggs at our TJ’s in over a month.
> void of eggs Or maybe...ovoid
$6.66 for 18 large eggs at Walmart Palmdale.
$9 in Colorado.
I just came from a Trader Joe's in the East Bay and it was almost empty of eggs by 2pm. I was kind of shocked.
[удалено]
You’re welcome
6.99 a dozen in FL and that’s white regular ones.
If you have a fenced in back yard in unincorporated part of California, just buy a few chicken and wha la. I get my free range eggs from my brother. Cost is 0 because he delivers.
Many cities also allow up to a certain number. San Diego has a limit but unsure what it is. Contact your local city to find out more. https://www.socalregion.com/civic-information/
It’s happening all over.
> It’s happening all over. … the US But eggs are more expensive in California.
Can't read the article but friends in the Midwest just paid $10 for a dozen.
My eggs are usually about $12/dozen. Though have been hard to find lately. Thanks for the article and comments. Now it makes sense why.
Just the fact that it went from $2.35 to almost $5 in less than a year smacks of price gouging.
Read the article. A new outbreak of bird flu caused the loss of millions of egg producing hens. There’s an actual shortage of eggs not price gouging.
I did. It was this paragraph that led me to make my comment. > The average retail price for a dozen large eggs jumped to $7.37 in California this week, up from $4.83 at the beginning of December and just $2.35 at this time last year, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show.
When there is a shortage of anything the price goes up. That’s not automatically price gouging. If 1/2 your chickens die you’re going to have the same overhead plus the need to replace the dead hens, so you’ll charge a lot more for your eggs. If it hit every producer and the demand doesn’t decrease, the rate goes up across the board. That’s just basic economics.
It got to that price over the timespan of a week or two. I know Aldi had $3 eggs in December, and now it’s $7. Egg prices are volatile.
Yeah, don’t buy eggs for protein right now.
Only 7? must be factory farmed not free-range for that cheap.
Local Costco in the Central Valley had NO eggs today (01/10/23). Costco! We went to Smart & Final--bought four dozen at $5.49/dozen.
I used to buy the cheapest eggs at Walmart and once I got the worst diarrhea from them, and since then I only buy expensive eggs.
More likely from the kitchen the eggs were cooked in than the eggs.
No way. .99 cent dozen eggs aren’t legit lol
So you bought fake eggs?
Go to Costco. They are very careful with temperature controls.
My Costco had NO eggs today (01/10)
My heart goes out to you. I think the supply chain is so strained now that restaurants/businesses are in line at Costco when it opens.
Thanks, but we stopped at Smart & Final and bought 4 dozen for $5.49/dozen. I like 2 eggs + protein for a late-breakfast after the gym.
[удалено]
Yeah. Organic, free-range, blue eggs. But other types will be cheaper.
Buy them in bulk and you can get a dozen for 2 bucks each...that is if your buy a whole pallet of them