 Image by Newbirth35 via Flickr |
| You have to dig deep for some Greek-style yogurts. |
Greek-style yogurt is strained to make it thicker, but what makes it so expensive?
Fage, Oikos and Chobani are not only hard to pronounce, their inflated prices are hard to stomach.
At ShopRite supermarkets, a 32-ounce container of Chobani Greek-style yogurt is $5.99. Trader Joe's own brand of non-fat Greek yogurt is $4.99 for 32 ounces and $2.99 for 16 ounces.
They're made here, not in Greece.
Now, Costco Wholesale in Hackensack has brought the price of Greek-style yogurt down to earth -- $6.49 for two 32-ounce containers of Kirkland Signature non-fat yogurt (about $3.25 each).
I tried a free sample with honey before I made the purchase and could not believe this thick, mouth-filling yogurt has no fat.
Up and down prices
Also at Costco, Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix is up to $4.99 for 16 ounces, but those incredible, small, round Campari tomatoes are down to $4.49 for a 2-pound package.
Fairway Market in Paramus sells two 1-pound packages of these same Sunset-brand Campari tomatoes for $5, but their taste doesn't compare to the ones from Costco.
On Tuesday, I bought a large seedless watermelon at Costco for $4.99, the lowest price so far this season.
Today, ShopRite put seedless watermelons on sale for $3.99, a $2 discount.
Not recommended
I drove to Trader Joe's in Paramus this morning to check Greek yogurt prices and pick up a few pounds of its imported Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti ($1.39 for 16 ounces).
As good as that product is, I was disappointed with a can of Wild Pink Shrimp that I tried for the first time ($1.99 for 4 ounces).
The label says, "Crisp, tiny Oregon shrimp."
They are tiny -- about the size of the nail on my smallest finger -- but I found them far from "crisp" when I ate them over a big salad. "Mealy" is more like it.
Yuck.
It should be obvious greed makes Greek yogurt expensive at most stores.
ReplyDeleteCostco shows you can make a profit, employ union workers and charge reasonable prices for high quality food.
Greek style yogurt is the latest fad. By the time I left my old company this May, there would be a half dozen or so containers of it with employee's names written on the top in the breakroom refrigerator. I often buy it at Eastern Groceries (now called Farmer's Produce on both the door AND the receipt) in a 16 oz container for $1.
ReplyDeleteFattals and Corrados sells a Turkish yogurt that is very similar to Greek yogurt in 32 oz containers for around $4. The brand is called Omur and it has a picture of cows on it.
Chuck:
ReplyDeleteThanks as always for the money saving tips.
Hey Chuck:
ReplyDeleteI guess Greek yogurt is like lebneh, which you can eat with cut-up cucumber and tomato in the morning.
Do you know if you would add a little olive oil? How about dried mint?
Victor, lebneh is a bit thicker but its pretty close. I would add a little olive oil, dried mint, a little Aleppo pepper and also some crushed garlic. You can put some toasted pine nuts on the top too along with a bit of olive oil and a spoon of red pepper paste.
ReplyDeleteSounds great. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI just got a Stop & Shop flier in the mail with a "weekly special" on all varieties of Cabot-brand Greek Yogurt at two 32-ounce containers for $6 with a store card.
ReplyDeleteThe sale is in effect Aug. 12-18, 2011.
Gee Victor, you'd think you'd know why Greek style yogurt is so expensive. It's because most of it is made in the Adirondack Mountains and has to travel several thousand miles by truck to get to Hackensack.
ReplyDeleteYou mean several hundred miles, don't you?
ReplyDeleteYou should be happy those tiny shrimp weren't crisp. If they were, it likely would be because the shells were still on.
ReplyDeleteActually, if you don't overcook shrimp, they stay crunchy.
ReplyDeleteim eating greek yogurt now mmm =P
ReplyDelete