WTF is up with egg prices?

[KrazyHorse]

The thing I'm really pointing out is how big consumer surplus on many items is. In those cases it makes little sense to reduce consumption due to relatively small changes in price

[giblets]

It might if grocery stores engage in price discrimination

I mean paying attention to prices is a good habit, of course you wouldn't cut back on eggs that much if they cost 50 cents each everywhere.

[KrazyHorse]

It makes sense to shop around if the prices are different; it doesn't make sense to reduce consumption (which is what I said).

[giblets]

I got distracted by whatever regexcellent and jon miller were saying.

[Dinner]

Eggs cost about $0.15 each here.

If you want balut that's more expensive. You don't want balut...

They sell those in the PI grocery store here.

[Dinner]

Checking the fliers there are indeed places which are much cheaper. I suspect some places have long term supply contracts in place while others do not.

[Dinner]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/californias-scrambled-eggs-1422232494

It appears part of it is also this. New animal welfare laws went into effect saying cages for battery hens (the system used to produce most of the eggs in the country) had to redesign their cages so that the bird could at least stand up and fully extend it's wings. Before (and still to this day in other states) companies made the cages so small the birds could never stand up in their entire lives. It means they can pack more birds into a smaller area and as the birds can't move it means they burn fewer calories and so you get more eggs per unit of feed.

This has meant egg producers have had to redesign their entire systems to accommodate the larger cage designs and in some cases even reduce the total number of hens in existing facilities. In time I am sure new capacity specially designed for the new animal welfare regulations will get built but it appears there is an adjustment period.

[Dauphin]

Hmm, I can't recall seeing anything but free range eggs in years.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

About two years ago they were $0.99 per dozen.

You can't factor any concerns for the welfare of the animals when prices are that low. So you were buying crappy battery-farmed eggs of low quality.

[regexcellent]

I would never buy free range eggs. Battery farming

[The Mad Monk]

I bet you would never buy grass-fed beef either.

[regexcellent]

I might have once by accident.

[C0ckney]

i feel for your taste buds.

[regexcellent]

There's no difference between free range and other eggs except one is a huge waste of money. They all taste the same hardboiled and scrambled.

[C0ckney]

how would you know since you never get them?