"Karen AKA Kajikit" > wrote in message
...
> How come the more 'healthy' a cereal is supposed to be, the more it
> tastes like you're eating the box? I just tried the Post 'organics'
> apple and cinnamon and it wasn't nearly as nice as it sounded...
>
> What cereal do you eat for brekky?

Unfortunately, there are not alot of cereal options that work for me. What I like,
though, a

Malt-O-Meal, with craisins and a sprinkling of muscovado or turbinado sugar OR with a
couple teaspoons of mini chocolate chips

Raisin Nut Bran

Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs

Shredded Wheat

The cereal I could never get into was Grapenuts. It's just ludicrous! LOL! You eat
and eat and chew and chew, and there is never any less in the bowl than when you
began. Never seen anything quite like it. My grandma loved it though, and ate it as a
hot cereal with cinnamon and a little bit of butter.

kimberly

"Lynne A" > wrote in message
ps.com...
> On Apr 26, 8:22 am, Karen AKA Kajikit > wrote:
>> How come the more 'healthy' a cereal is supposed to be, the more it
>> tastes like you're eating the box? I just tried the Post 'organics'
>> apple and cinnamon and it wasn't nearly as nice as it sounded...
>>
>> What cereal do you eat for brekky?
>
> The Kashi products are the best tasting healthy cereals I've found.
>
> http://www.kashi.com/ourfood/default.aspx
>
> I've had the Go Lean, Go Lean crunch, and the Heart to Heart Honey
> Oat. All tasted really good.
>
> Lynne A

Have you tried the Strawberry Promise or 7 Whole Grain Puffs? We like both of those
too. My husband mixes Kashi Go Lean crunch with Nature's Valley flax
something-or-other and adds freeze dried fruits, usually strawberries. Sometimes he
adds flax flakes (also from Nature's Valley) or Meusli.

kimberly

On Apr 26, 10:22 am, Karen AKA Kajikit > wrote:
> How come the more 'healthy' a cereal is supposed to be, the more it
> tastes like you're eating the box? I just tried the Post 'organics'
> apple and cinnamon and it wasn't nearly as nice as it sounded...

Because unseasoned grains are bland, or subtle in flavor (depending on
your preferred adjective<g>) A dash of salt and other flavorings
makes them tasty.

> What cereal do you eat for brekky?

Dry cereal, I eat bran flakes, which are usually processed with added
sweetener.

Hot cereal, oatmeal or wheatena, made with yogurt, soy milk, dried
fruit and minced ginger. This morning it was a 10-grain cereal from
Bob's Redmill, with the last teaspoon of brown sugar and cinnamon
along with the rest.

maxine in ri

On Apr 26, 12:10 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote:
> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
>
> >> How come the more 'healthy' a cereal is supposed to be, the more it
> >> tastes like you're eating the box? I just tried the Post 'organics'
> >> apple and cinnamon and it wasn't nearly as nice as it sounded...
>
> >> What cereal do you eat for brekky?
>
> > I used to buy Shredded Wheat. It is pretty basic stuff, but tastes great
> > with a little honey or some dark brown sugar and fruit. I stopped getting
> > it recently because they employed a marketing gimmick recently to screw
> > their customers. They box large format appears to be the same height but
> > it
> > is skinner and holds only 18 biscuits instead of the 24 they used to sell
> > for the same price.
>
> If a product gets cheaper, what are your initial thoughts about it?

Depends on what you refer to when you say cheaper. The price never
goes down. The quality may go down, the quantity may go down, but the
price stays the same (until they raise it, of course).

And never fear, soon they will cut their costs again by compacting the
box.

maxine in ri

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

>
> I asked the following question earlier, but you didn't respond, so I'll ask
> again: If a product gets cheaper, what are your initial thoughts about it?
>
>
I am not Dave, but...

I have never in my lifetime seen a product get cheaper - as in less
expensive. I have seen plenty of products get 'cheaper' as in 'blech' -
because they have fiddled with the ingredients and made it 'yukky'.
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

"maxine in ri" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> On Apr 26, 12:10 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote:
>> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
>>
>> ...
>>
>> > Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
>>
>> >> How come the more 'healthy' a cereal is supposed to be, the more it
>> >> tastes like you're eating the box? I just tried the Post 'organics'
>> >> apple and cinnamon and it wasn't nearly as nice as it sounded...
>>
>> >> What cereal do you eat for brekky?
>>
>> > I used to buy Shredded Wheat. It is pretty basic stuff, but tastes
>> > great
>> > with a little honey or some dark brown sugar and fruit. I stopped
>> > getting
>> > it recently because they employed a marketing gimmick recently to screw
>> > their customers. They box large format appears to be the same height
>> > but
>> > it
>> > is skinner and holds only 18 biscuits instead of the 24 they used to
>> > sell
>> > for the same price.
>>
>> If a product gets cheaper, what are your initial thoughts about it?
>
> Depends on what you refer to when you say cheaper. The price never
> goes down. The quality may go down, the quantity may go down, but the
> price stays the same (until they raise it, of course).
>
> And never fear, soon they will cut their costs again by compacting the
> box.
>
> maxine in ri
>

Other than an attempt to "fool you", or rake in obscene profits, can you
think of any other reasons why a food company might shrink a package or
raise the price (which is really the same thing)? This is basic economics,
and the reasons are in the news constantly.

"Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
...
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>>
>> I asked the following question earlier, but you didn't respond, so I'll
>> ask again: If a product gets cheaper, what are your initial thoughts
>> about it?
> I am not Dave, but...
>
> I have never in my lifetime seen a product get cheaper - as in less
> expensive. I have seen plenty of products get 'cheaper' as in 'blech' -
> because they have fiddled with the ingredients and made it 'yukky'.
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy


Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've never
seen the prices on anything go down?

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
> >> If a product gets cheaper, what are your initial thoughts about it?
> >
> > Depends on what you refer to when you say cheaper. The price never
> > goes down. The quality may go down, the quantity may go down, but the
> > price stays the same (until they raise it, of course).
> >
> > And never fear, soon they will cut their costs again by compacting the
> > box.
> >
> > maxine in ri
> >
>
> Other than an attempt to "fool you", or rake in obscene profits, can you
> think of any other reasons why a food company might shrink a package or
> raise the price (which is really the same thing)? This is basic economics,
> and the reasons are in the news constantly.

Sorry, but economics and marketing a little more complicated that just a
simple matter of supply and demand. They spend a lot of money on packaging
advertising. I pointed out in one of the posts that the new skinnier boxes
were marked as new format. There is no doubt in my mind that the "new
format" boxes of 18 were intended to take the place of the old 24 size box
and become the large size, but they hold only 3/4 as much and are being
sold for the same price as the 24s. I commented on the same thing a month
or so ago about seeing cases of pop on sale with an attraction price, but
the cases were 18, not 24.

Packaging is part of marketing and there has long been a pattern of lower
price per unit for larger volumes. There appears to be a trend towards
reducing that bulk advantage by reducing the size.


And to answer your question about lowering price..... It encourages me to
buy more. If I see prices going up I tend to avoid them. When I see
marketing that is an obvious trick to fool me I boycott the product.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
> Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've never
> seen the prices on anything go down?


??????

Welcome to the age of electronics. Televisions are cheaper now than they
were years ago. That is not just factored for inflation. They are cheaper.
Computers are much better than they used to be, and a fraction of the
cost. Music CDs are cheaper now. Tires are cheaper per mile driven then
used to me. Salmon and shrimp are affordable now. Soft drinks are
relatively cheap now compared to years ago.

"The Cook" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:39:00 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
> > wrote:
>
>>"Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
...
>>> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I asked the following question earlier, but you didn't respond, so I'll
>>>> ask again: If a product gets cheaper, what are your initial thoughts
>>>> about it?
>>> I am not Dave, but...
>>>
>>> I have never in my lifetime seen a product get cheaper - as in less
>>> expensive. I have seen plenty of products get 'cheaper' as in 'blech' -
>>> because they have fiddled with the ingredients and made it 'yukky'.
>>> --
>>> Cheers
>>> Chatty Cathy
>>
>>
>>Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've never
>>seen the prices on anything go down?
>>
>
>
> Yes, computers.
> --
> Susan N.

Power tools, clothing....the list goes on and on. Why do they get cheaper?
Because many things are being made in Asia or Central America. But, not
cereal. Would you like to finish this thought?

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>>
>> Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've never
>> seen the prices on anything go down?
>
>
> ??????
>
> Welcome to the age of electronics. Televisions are cheaper now than they
> were years ago. That is not just factored for inflation. They are cheaper.
> Computers are much better than they used to be, and a fraction of the
> cost. Music CDs are cheaper now. Tires are cheaper per mile driven then
> used to me. Salmon and shrimp are affordable now. Soft drinks are
> relatively cheap now compared to years ago.


In your other message, you mentioned supply and demand, which aren't the
primary factor affecting the price of groceries. And, the list of products
you mentioned here - their prices have varied for reasons which can't
necessarily be applied to each other (CDs vs seafood), nor can they be
compared to something like cereal. But, here's something which affects
cereal: Freight. If you don't believe me, let me know, and I'll look up what
it cost my company to ship food 10 years ago, 5 years ago, and yesterday.

If a manufacturer kept package size consistent, but raised the price
proportional to freigh costs, you'd probably be paying $6.00 for a product
that sold for $3.75 in the year 2000. You'd be complaining loudly.

Dave Smith wrote:
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>> Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've never
>> seen the prices on anything go down?
>
>
> ??????
>
> Welcome to the age of electronics. Televisions are cheaper now than they
> were years ago. That is not just factored for inflation. They are cheaper.
> Computers are much better than they used to be, and a fraction of the
> cost. Music CDs are cheaper now. Tires are cheaper per mile driven then
> used to me. Salmon and shrimp are affordable now. Soft drinks are
> relatively cheap now compared to years ago.

Ahem. Silly me, I was thinking about *food* - not other products - as I
assumed that's what we were discussing.

And as for salmon and shrimp - never seen their prices go down in the
20-odd years that I have been buying them. Soft drinks (which is sorta
food-related) haven't got cheaper here either. Maybe I should move to
the USA?
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:06:13 GMT, "Gabby" > wrote:

>
>"Karen AKA Kajikit" > wrote in message
.. .
>> How come the more 'healthy' a cereal is supposed to be, the more it
>> tastes like you're eating the box? I just tried the Post 'organics'
>> apple and cinnamon and it wasn't nearly as nice as it sounded...
>>
>> What cereal do you eat for brekky?
>

Oatmeal - big bowl with half a stick of butter cut into pat sized pieces, four
tablespoons of sugar and sometimes a bit of milk over it all.

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:39:00 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
> wrote:

>"Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
...
>> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> I asked the following question earlier, but you didn't respond, so I'll
>>> ask again: If a product gets cheaper, what are your initial thoughts
>>> about it?
>> I am not Dave, but...
>>
>> I have never in my lifetime seen a product get cheaper - as in less
>> expensive. I have seen plenty of products get 'cheaper' as in 'blech' -
>> because they have fiddled with the ingredients and made it 'yukky'.
>> --
>> Cheers
>> Chatty Cathy
>
>
>Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've never
>seen the prices on anything go down?
>


Yes, computers.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

wrote:

> On Thu, 26 Apr 2
>
>>of rice krispie treats but no other way. Cheerios, blecch!
>
>
> Let me guess you poured them into a bowl and poured milk on them...
>
> You missed a step.. open sugar jar, take one scoop, pour over bowl of
> cheeiros/rice crispies/plain corn flakes/chex/shredded wheat (non frosted)

Nope, I would never, ever in a million years eat any kind
of cereal without brown sugar!!!!! So that's not it. I just
don't care for Cheerios any more. As a kid they were my
absolute favorite. Now, when I think cold cereal they only
thing that comes to mind is corn flakes.

> I wouldn't eat any of the above with out being properly covered first.
>
> Plain cheerios is "blecch!"

I agree. I guess with enough sugar it's less blecch! :-)

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

"Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
...
> Dave Smith wrote:
>> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>>> Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've never
>>> seen the prices on anything go down?
>>
>>
>> ??????
>>
>> Welcome to the age of electronics. Televisions are cheaper now than they
>> were years ago. That is not just factored for inflation. They are
>> cheaper. Computers are much better than they used to be, and a fraction
>> of the
>> cost. Music CDs are cheaper now. Tires are cheaper per mile driven then
>> used to me. Salmon and shrimp are affordable now. Soft drinks are
>> relatively cheap now compared to years ago.
>
> Ahem. Silly me, I was thinking about *food* - not other products - as I
> assumed that's what we were discussing.
>
> And as for salmon and shrimp - never seen their prices go down in the
> 20-odd years that I have been buying them. Soft drinks (which is sorta
> food-related) haven't got cheaper here either. Maybe I should move to the
> USA?
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy


My point is this: Cereal is a good example of a product which is made here
in the U.S., so at least at this point in history, it is not going to get
cheaper because the manufacturers move production to China or some other
country where workers are paid very little. The only other way cereal could
get cheaper is if the manufacturers lower the quality, and that won't go
over well with retail customers for very long.

The price of cereal will absolutely be affected by two things: The cost of
shipping it, and the cost of manufacturing it. I'm not privy to the labor
costs which food manufacturers have to deal with, but I can tell you this:
The cost per mile for trucking has almost doubled in the past 7-8 years.
That affects every step in the chain of events required to produce and
deliver your food.

You could respond by saying that the manufacturer could absorb some of this
cost, because you pretend to have inside knowledge of their financial
situation, but that would be a silly thing for you to think (this is
directed more at Dave, really). Or, you could say the manufacturer could
raise prices to deal with rising costs, and keep the package size the same.
But, that would be faulty reasoning, in some cases. Manufacturers (and
efficient grocery stores) know what price customers will accept. Raise the
price of an item from $3.25 to $3.75, and it might not affect sales very
much. Move the price to $4.50, and maybe the product stops moving off the
shelves. Perhaps there's something about the $4.00 threshold that turns
people off. Nobody really knows, but we *do* see lots of things priced a
penny shy of the whole dollar amount ($24.99 instead of $25.00). The
psychology's absurd, but there it is.

So, manufacturers decide that raising the price won't work, and they shrink
the package, instead. I'm not saying that a quest for higher profits might
not also be a motive, but it's definitely NOT as simple as just that.

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:48:42 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
> wrote:

>"Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
...
>> Dave Smith wrote:
>>> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>>>> Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've never
>>>> seen the prices on anything go down?
>>>
>>>
>>> ??????
>>>
>>> Welcome to the age of electronics. Televisions are cheaper now than they
>>> were years ago. That is not just factored for inflation. They are
>>> cheaper. Computers are much better than they used to be, and a fraction
>>> of the
>>> cost. Music CDs are cheaper now. Tires are cheaper per mile driven then
>>> used to me. Salmon and shrimp are affordable now. Soft drinks are
>>> relatively cheap now compared to years ago.
>>
>> Ahem. Silly me, I was thinking about *food* - not other products - as I
>> assumed that's what we were discussing.
>>
>> And as for salmon and shrimp - never seen their prices go down in the
>> 20-odd years that I have been buying them. Soft drinks (which is sorta
>> food-related) haven't got cheaper here either. Maybe I should move to the
>> USA?
>> --
>> Cheers
>> Chatty Cathy
>
>
>My point is this: Cereal is a good example of a product which is made here
>in the U.S., so at least at this point in history, it is not going to get
>cheaper because the manufacturers move production to China or some other
>country where workers are paid very little. The only other way cereal could
>get cheaper is if the manufacturers lower the quality, and that won't go
>over well with retail customers for very long.
>
>The price of cereal will absolutely be affected by two things: The cost of
>shipping it, and the cost of manufacturing it. I'm not privy to the labor
>costs which food manufacturers have to deal with, but I can tell you this:
>The cost per mile for trucking has almost doubled in the past 7-8 years.
>That affects every step in the chain of events required to produce and
>deliver your food.
>
>You could respond by saying that the manufacturer could absorb some of this
>cost, because you pretend to have inside knowledge of their financial
>situation, but that would be a silly thing for you to think (this is
>directed more at Dave, really). Or, you could say the manufacturer could
>raise prices to deal with rising costs, and keep the package size the same.
>But, that would be faulty reasoning, in some cases. Manufacturers (and
>efficient grocery stores) know what price customers will accept. Raise the
>price of an item from $3.25 to $3.75, and it might not affect sales very
>much. Move the price to $4.50, and maybe the product stops moving off the
>shelves. Perhaps there's something about the $4.00 threshold that turns
>people off. Nobody really knows, but we *do* see lots of things priced a
>penny shy of the whole dollar amount ($24.99 instead of $25.00). The
>psychology's absurd, but there it is.
>
>So, manufacturers decide that raising the price won't work, and they shrink
>the package, instead. I'm not saying that a quest for higher profits might
>not also be a motive, but it's definitely NOT as simple as just that.
>

And one can hope that the farmer is getting more for the grain since
it now costs him more to produce it.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

On Apr 26, 10:22 am, Karen AKA Kajikit > wrote:
> How come the more 'healthy' a cereal is supposed to be, the more it
> tastes like you're eating the box? I just tried the Post 'organics'
> apple and cinnamon and it wasn't nearly as nice as it sounded...
>
> What cereal do you eat for brekky?

cereal offenders?

a bug just landed and disappeared in my bowl of cereal
I ate it anyway. it was my last bowl.. but he was a cereal offender

On Apr 27, 9:25�am, Chatty Cathy > wrote:
> Dave Smith wrote:
> > JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
> >> Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've never
> >> seen the prices on anything go down?
>
> > ??????
>
> > Welcome to the age of electronics. Televisions are cheaper now than they
> > were years ago. That is not just factored for inflation. They are cheaper.
> > Computers are much better than they used to be, and a fraction of the
> > cost. *Music CDs are cheaper now. *Tires are cheaper per mile driven then
> > used to me. Salmon and shrimp are affordable now. *Soft drinks are
> > relatively cheap now compared to years ago.
>
> Ahem. Silly me, I was thinking about *food* - not other products - as I
> assumed that's what we were discussing.
>
> And as for salmon and shrimp - never seen their prices go down in the
> 20-odd years that I have been buying them. Soft drinks (which is sorta
> food-related) haven't got cheaper here either. Maybe I should move to
> the USA?
> --

All seafood prices (especially shrimp) in the US have risen
dramatically over the past 50-60 years, up until the '60s seafood was
considered the food of the poor... fresh caught shrimp, never frozen
was about 10cents/lb, in fact if you were a regular patron and bought
say a hunk of halibut, a slab of cod, and a couple pounds of whitfish
the fishmonger tossed in a few pounds of shrimp for free, and plenty
of fish heads and trimmings to make a delicious stock... young
housewives with cleavage got a package of fresh roe too.

Soft drink prices here (US) have more than quadrupled since the '50s,
and that's in real dollars accounting for inflation (a cold bottle of
Coke was a nickel), even worse for hard drinks (I still remember the 5
cent bar beer on tap - 12oz glass, every 4th on the house - could get
truly shit faced for a buck... and they fed you real food all you
could eat, free).

The prices of lot of hard/durable goods have dropped significantly,
but food and services have risen dramatically.

The Cook > wrote:
> On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:48:42 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
> >
> >The price of cereal will absolutely be affected by two things: The cost of
> >shipping it, and the cost of manufacturing it. I'm not privy to the labor

> And one can hope that the farmer is getting more for the grain since
> it now costs him more to produce it.

Without knowing, I'm willing to bet that the cost of the raw grain
is essentially a non-issue. In other words, too small to make much
difference in the end comsumer price.

I know when I was doing high volume computer printer work that the
cost of paper was so small that it made no difference if people used
1 sided or 2 sided printing. The cost per page image was determined
by other costs. It always bothered the enviromentalists, and it
bothered me a bit, but the paper was essentially free.

Simarlily, grain is a very large scale commodity such that its cost
compared to the processing, factory overhead, packaging, etc. is
probably almost zero on a per-box basis. The farmer could suddenly
be getting twice the price for grain in the field and I bet it would
not cause even a blip in cereal prices at the store.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

On Apr 26, 2:48 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote:
> "Nancy2" > wrote in message
>
> oups.com...
>
>
>
> > On Apr 26, 11:03 am, Puester > wrote:
> >> Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
> >> > How come the more 'healthy' a cereal is supposed to be, the more it
> >> > tastes like you're eating the box? I just tried the Post 'organics'
> >> > apple and cinnamon and it wasn't nearly as nice as it sounded...
>
> >> > What cereal do you eat for brekky?
>
> >> Rarely, oatmeal or cream of wheat.
>
> >> Cereal seems to be like a heart-healthy diet: if it tastes good, it's
> >> not good for you.
> >> :-(
>
> >> gloria p
>
> > I generally don't eat cereal for breakfast - just some fresh
> > grapefruit sections.
>
> > But for cold cereal, I like corn flakes, Cheerios, Kix and the
> > original Nabisco Shredded Wheat, which I believe they don't make any
> > more - or at least, I can't find it. I don't like those mini things.
> > I like the big biscuits from Nabisco, that you could break up into
> > chunks, and then eat with sugar & milk on them.
>
> > N.
>
> The original shredded wheat is still being manufactured. Your grocery store
> has chosen not to stock it for some reason.

They do stock their own brand, which is awful. It tastes like
cardboard. But then, we're a captive audience for one main chain, and
75% of their shelf space is their own brand. I hate it. I've
complained a number of times, but they're unwilling to change.

N.

"Nancy2" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> On Apr 26, 2:48 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" > wrote:
>> "Nancy2" > wrote in message
>>
>> oups.com...
>>
>>
>>
>> > On Apr 26, 11:03 am, Puester > wrote:
>> >> Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
>> >> > How come the more 'healthy' a cereal is supposed to be, the more it
>> >> > tastes like you're eating the box? I just tried the Post 'organics'
>> >> > apple and cinnamon and it wasn't nearly as nice as it sounded...
>>
>> >> > What cereal do you eat for brekky?
>>
>> >> Rarely, oatmeal or cream of wheat.
>>
>> >> Cereal seems to be like a heart-healthy diet: if it tastes good, it's
>> >> not good for you.
>> >> :-(
>>
>> >> gloria p
>>
>> > I generally don't eat cereal for breakfast - just some fresh
>> > grapefruit sections.
>>
>> > But for cold cereal, I like corn flakes, Cheerios, Kix and the
>> > original Nabisco Shredded Wheat, which I believe they don't make any
>> > more - or at least, I can't find it. I don't like those mini things.
>> > I like the big biscuits from Nabisco, that you could break up into
>> > chunks, and then eat with sugar & milk on them.
>>
>> > N.
>>
>> The original shredded wheat is still being manufactured. Your grocery
>> store
>> has chosen not to stock it for some reason.
>
> They do stock their own brand, which is awful. It tastes like
> cardboard. But then, we're a captive audience for one main chain, and
> 75% of their shelf space is their own brand. I hate it. I've
> complained a number of times, but they're unwilling to change.
>
> N.
>

Crazy idea: Since the spoon size version tastes the same as the biscuits,
you could choose not to suffer, and buy the small ones. :-)

Dave Smith > wrote:

>Televisions are cheaper now than they
>were years ago.
>Computers are much better than they used to be, and a fraction of the
>cost.

Slave labor

>Music CDs are cheaper now.

Lousier music

>Tires are cheaper per mile driven then
>used to me.

More likely to peel

>Salmon and shrimp are affordable now.

Farmed

>Soft drinks are
>relatively cheap now compared to years ago.

High-fructose corn syrup

Steve

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

>
> My point is this:

Finally!!

> Cereal is a good example of a product which is made here
> in the U.S.,

<snipped>

<Cathy nudges Joe>

Not all food products are made/grown in the USA, or are available in the
rest of the world - sad but true.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

"Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
...
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>>
>> My point is this:
>
> Finally!!
>
>> Cereal is a good example of a product which is made here in the U.S.,
>
> <snipped>
>
> <Cathy nudges Joe>
>
> Not all food products are made/grown in the USA, or are available in the
> rest of the world - sad but true.

Both true, but irrelevant to this discussion.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
> "Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Ahem. Silly me, I was thinking about *food* - not other products - as I
>> assumed that's what we were discussing.
>>
>> And as for salmon and shrimp - never seen their prices go down in the
>> 20-odd years that I have been buying them. Soft drinks (which is sorta
>> food-related) haven't got cheaper here either. Maybe I should move to the
>> USA?
>> --
>> Cheers
>> Chatty Cathy
>
>
> My point is this: Cereal is a good example of a product which is made here
> in the U.S., so at least at this point in history, it is not going to get
> cheaper because the manufacturers move production to China or some other
> country where workers are paid very little. The only other way cereal could
> get cheaper is if the manufacturers lower the quality, and that won't go
> over well with retail customers for very long.

You would be surprised at what food (or half-products) get shipped all
over the world. In the case of cereals most of the final product sold in
the US might originate there, but some bits will probably be imported
(the box itself comes to mind; how many of those are 'printed in ...').

>
> The price of cereal will absolutely be affected by two things: The cost of
> shipping it, and the cost of manufacturing it. I'm not privy to the labor
> costs which food manufacturers have to deal with, but I can tell you this:
> The cost per mile for trucking has almost doubled in the past 7-8 years.
> That affects every step in the chain of events required to produce and
> deliver your food.
>
> You could respond by saying that the manufacturer could absorb some of this
> cost, because you pretend to have inside knowledge of their financial
> situation, but that would be a silly thing for you to think (this is
> directed more at Dave, really). Or, you could say the manufacturer could
> raise prices to deal with rising costs, and keep the package size the same.
> But, that would be faulty reasoning, in some cases. Manufacturers (and
> efficient grocery stores) know what price customers will accept. Raise the
> price of an item from $3.25 to $3.75, and it might not affect sales very
> much. Move the price to $4.50, and maybe the product stops moving off the
> shelves. Perhaps there's something about the $4.00 threshold that turns
> people off. Nobody really knows, but we *do* see lots of things priced a
> penny shy of the whole dollar amount ($24.99 instead of $25.00). The
> psychology's absurd, but there it is.
>
> So, manufacturers decide that raising the price won't work, and they shrink
> the package, instead. I'm not saying that a quest for higher profits might
> not also be a motive, but it's definitely NOT as simple as just that.
>
Quite so.

The 'true' cost of one box of cereal on the shelf in the shop (according
to cost-based accounting) can not be calculated without a whole range of
assumptions. Production cost is split into variable cost (raw materials,
electricity used for milling, etc) and depreciation of fixed assets used
in the production process. So depending on how many boxes are sold per
annum, the share per box of the fixed costs will vary. Also if the
product sells well, cost of keeping stock will be negligible. If the
product sells slowly, cost of keeping stock (interest, warehouse space,
admin.) will be higher.

Distribution cost varies depending on another bunch of factors, like
distance between plant and store, handling and storage costs at
wholesalers, distribution frequency, etc.
And BTW, smaller pack sizes push up handling and packaging costs, so
shrinking pack sizes does not automatically translate into higher profits.

The net result is that there is no such thing as 'cost', no matter how
badly the sales reps want that figure, so they can give discounts to 1
cent above it to make their targets. Things are run based on three criteria:
- are we in the same price bracket as the competition
- supply and demand (what can we charge before people stop buying it)
- do we still make some profit at the end of the quarter (US) or year
(rest of world)

Consumers can be manipulated in various ways. I know of one company
(food-stuffs, although not cereal) that keeps 'backup' brands; if the
competition starts a price-war they start flooding the market with the
cheaper brand while keeping the prices on their primary brands high. The
actual product is the same, except for the label (to the level that
halfway through packing a batch the machine is stopped, another roll of
labels goes on, and the rest is packed as 'cheap brand'). Some people
swear they can taste a difference though.

J.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
> "Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>>
>>> My point is this:
>> Finally!!
>>
>>> Cereal is a good example of a product which is made here in the U.S.,
>> <snipped>
>>
>> <Cathy nudges Joe>
>>
>> Not all food products are made/grown in the USA, or are available in the
>> rest of the world - sad but true.
>
> Both true, but irrelevant to this discussion.
>
>
Really? Why is that?

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy - who knows she is gonna be sorry she asked...

"jack masters" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>> "Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Ahem. Silly me, I was thinking about *food* - not other products - as I
>>> assumed that's what we were discussing.
>>>
>>> And as for salmon and shrimp - never seen their prices go down in the
>>> 20-odd years that I have been buying them. Soft drinks (which is sorta
>>> food-related) haven't got cheaper here either. Maybe I should move to
>>> the USA?
>>> --
>>> Cheers
>>> Chatty Cathy
>>
>>
>> My point is this: Cereal is a good example of a product which is made
>> here in the U.S., so at least at this point in history, it is not going
>> to get cheaper because the manufacturers move production to China or some
>> other country where workers are paid very little. The only other way
>> cereal could get cheaper is if the manufacturers lower the quality, and
>> that won't go over well with retail customers for very long.
>
> You would be surprised at what food (or half-products) get shipped all
> over the world. In the case of cereals most of the final product sold in
> the US might originate there, but some bits will probably be imported (the
> box itself comes to mind; how many of those are 'printed in ...').


Actually, I wouldn't be surprised. The OP mentioned shredded wheat. I know
EXACTLY where the factories are which manufacture the product for U.S.
markets. They're all domestic.

"Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
...
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>> "Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>>>
>>>> My point is this:
>>> Finally!!
>>>
>>>> Cereal is a good example of a product which is made here in the U.S.,
>>> <snipped>
>>>
>>> <Cathy nudges Joe>
>>>
>>> Not all food products are made/grown in the USA, or are available in the
>>> rest of the world - sad but true.
>>
>> Both true, but irrelevant to this discussion.
> Really? Why is that?
> Chatty Cathy - who knows she is gonna be sorry she asked...


1) Dave said "shredded wheat". Unless he was talking about private label
stuff, it's all made here in the U.S. Therefore, your "not all food
products" statement is irrelevant.

2) "or are available in the rest of the world" - so?

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

> 1) Dave said "shredded wheat". Unless he was talking about private label
> stuff, it's all made here in the U.S. Therefore, your "not all food
> products" statement is irrelevant.
>
> 2) "or are available in the rest of the world" - so?
>
So.. you didn't you say earlier on in this thread:

"Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've
neverseen the prices on anything go down?"

Now go sit in the corner - again...

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

>
> Have you tried the Strawberry Promise or 7 Whole Grain Puffs? We like both of those
> too. My husband mixes Kashi Go Lean crunch with Nature's Valley flax
> something-or-other and adds freeze dried fruits, usually strawberries. Sometimes he
> adds flax flakes (also from Nature's Valley) or Meusli.
>
> kimberly

Not yet, but I will, thanks for the recommendation. If you like
yogurt, mix some of the Go Lean Crunch in with vanilla yogurt, SO
good.

Lynne A

"Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
...
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>> 1) Dave said "shredded wheat". Unless he was talking about private label
>> stuff, it's all made here in the U.S. Therefore, your "not all food
>> products" statement is irrelevant.
>>
>> 2) "or are available in the rest of the world" - so?
> So.. you didn't you say earlier on in this thread:
>
> "Widen your thinking to include ALL products, not just food. You've
> neverseen the prices on anything go down?"
>
> Now go sit in the corner - again...
>
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

You said "not all food products", which limited my response to that comment.
Now you want to widen it again?

On Apr 26, 9:46 pm, Jo Anne > wrote:
>
> I never ate cereal in my life until recently. Milk makes me gag, and I
> could never see the point in eating cereal without it.
>
> But I discovered Kashi GoLean recently. It's *really* good! So, about
> twice a week, I have 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup berries, and 1/2 cup
> Kashi GoLean cereal all mixed up.
>
> A nice break from my usual boiled egg.
>
> Jo Anne

I mix it with vanilla yogurt too, Jo Anne. That's breakfast many
mornings since it's so quick, easy, and filling. It seems to satisfy
more with yogurt than with milk.

Lynne A

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

>
> You said "not all food products", which limited my response to that comment.
> Now you want to widen it again?

Widen what??

I've got about 45 minutes of spare time left - so if you really want to
continue this "discussion"... go for it.

p.s. I am a slow reader, so make it "short and sweet"
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Steve Pope wrote:

> Dave Smith > wrote:

> > Tires are cheaper per mile driven then
> > used to me.
>
> More likely to peel

No way. Tires these days are far superior to the ones of years past.
It's not unusual to meet younger people who have never changed a flat,
because they never had one.




Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

"Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
...
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>>
>> You said "not all food products", which limited my response to that
>> comment. Now you want to widen it again?
>
> Widen what??
>
> I've got about 45 minutes of spare time left - so if you really want to
> continue this "discussion"... go for it.
>
> p.s. I am a slow reader, so make it "short and sweet"
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

Cathy, just go back and read the messages again. All the info you need is
already there.

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

>
> Cathy, just go back and read the messages again. All the info you need is
> already there.
>

Never mind
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
> "Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>>
>>> Cathy, just go back and read the messages again. All the info you need is
>>> already there.
>> Never mind
>> --
>> Cheers
>> Chatty Cathy
>
> Have a nice weekend.
>
>
You too.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

"Chatty Cathy" > wrote in message
...
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>
>>
>> Cathy, just go back and read the messages again. All the info you need is
>> already there.
>
> Never mind
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

Have a nice weekend.

Stan Horwitz wrote:

>
> Uncle Sam flax seed cereal has a nice nutty flavor and it goes great
> with some skim milk with diced peaches in light syrup.

What no Ketchup??

<just kidding>

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy