"I used to
spend that and fill the freezer, and we'd have some left over," Ashley
said as she shopped Thursday at Bailey Park Thriftway with her
granddaughter, Amari Ashley, 5. "Now there's never any leftovers, if we
make it through the month."
Staples such as bread, milk, lettuce and eggs cost
as much as 50 percent more now than two years ago, driven up by
record-high energy, corn and wheat prices. Overall, the costs for
groceries rose 5 percent in 2007, and the Arlington, Va.-based Food
Marketing Institute said people across the country are bargain-shopping
more and dining out less.
The cost of a loaf of bread has increased 32
percent since January 2005, to its current $1.32 average. Eggs have
increased almost 50 percent in the past year to an average $2.17.
A family of four, shopping moderately, spends an
average $904 per month on groceries, according to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. That's $80 more than in 2006.
More and more people are seeking help at food
banks to fill out their thinning cupboards. America's Harvest, which
distributes to 200 food banks around the country, said its client load
increased 20 percent at the end of 2007.
Industry analysts say high prices are here to
stay.
"I'm definitely buying cheaper," Ashley said.
"Buying hamburger instead of ground beef, not really getting steak. I'm
buying more meat and fresh vegetables because it's easier to make those
stretch. And of course I can't afford name brands.
"I used to go to a lot of different stores to try
to shop sales and things like that," she added. "But with the cost of
gas, that gets hard, too."
Battle Creek's Keona Hoover, 26, said she's
spending about $170 per grocery trip now, when she used to drop $70 or
$80 at the register. With two kids at home, she said she doesn't think
she can buy any less food, but has a hard time with the rising costs.
"My kids' appetites is big, after school," Hoover
said. "It's getting tough."
Hoover said she tries to find bargains, but even
discount grocery stores such as Save-A-Lot are raising prices.
"The stores where food's priced low doesn't mean
anymore you're going to spend less there," Hoover said. "You just have
to budget."
As consumers seek bargains, they've turned away
from local grocers and turning to super centers, such as Meijer and
Wal-Mart. The smaller local grocers already struggle to compete.
Hardial Singh, owner of Wattles Park Grocery in
Emmett Township, said he's watched his business steadily decline the
past three years.
"The smaller stores are getting pinched out,"
Singh said. "That's always been the case, but now because of the
economy, everybody's sitting on their pennies."
Customers have always favored his store for small,
last-minute items, Singh said, but lately, many have been avoiding
spending those extra few dollars.
To help keep his costs competitive with the larger
stores, Singh's gone from four employees down to two and puts in at
least 10 hours a day, six days a week, himself. He makes a point of
getting to know his customers because personal service is one of the
only ways he can compete.
He named gas as the chief culprit behind the
rising prices.
"Everything goes up with gas," he said. "In the
last three years, prices have hiked up 20 percent. That's everything,
from A to Z; it's not just one thing.
"People just have to cut down on the things they
do."
The Associated Press contributed to this
report. Justin A. Hinkley can be reached at 966-0698 or
jhinkley@battlecr.gannett.com.
