A grocery store customer encountering the high price of Simply Orange juice on a recent trip determined that it was “simply” too much money for him to pay.
The video documenting the shopping excursion came from creator @keysofawesome, who curates an eclectic mix of videos on their account. This video, posted Monday, showed a grocery store aisle with a large jug of Simply Orange, an orange juice brand that’s part of the Coca-Cola family, for $6.48.
The customer expressed alarm, saying, “This is my favorite sh*t, Simply Orange juice, $7!” He then assesses, “That’s simply muthaf*ckin’ too high! Put this sh*t on simply goddamn layaway.”
He then concludes, “Imma come back and get you when I get paid.”
The price of orange juice has been a consumer concern for a number of months now. A Wall Street Journal article from October noted, “In grocery stores, a gallon of orange juice on average cost $9.18 during the four-week period ending October 7, up more than 10% from the same time last year, according to data from the Florida Department of Citrus and Nielsen. Analysts say rising prices could drive away shoppers deepening the years-long slide and orange juice demand as Americans reach for a growing variety of alternatives in the beverage aisle, including those with less sugar.”
A Business Insider story added that “OJ has never been so expensive, with prices nearly tripling since the US recorded its first coronavirus case.”
The article, focused on orange juice futures as a well-performing investment vehicle, added, “Orange juice futures’ rapid rise has been driven by two factors that even the Federal Reserve can’t control: disease and hurricanes.”
@keysofawesome groceries price is way too high in america #groceries #food #cost #inflation #usa #economy #talk ♬ original sound – keysofawesome✅
And a more recent Washington Post article from February explored the continued high prices of groceries despite some recent inflation relief in other sectors. That article observed, “Grocery prices have jumped by 25 percent over the past four years, outpacing overall inflation of 19 percent during the same period. And while prices of appliances, smartphones and a smattering of other goods have declined, groceries got slightly more expensive last year, with particularly sharp jumps for beef, sugar and juice, among other items.”
But why? The article goes on to note, “Grocery prices remain elevated due to a mixture of labor shortages tied to the pandemic, ongoing supply chain disruptions, droughts, avian flu and other factors far beyond the administration’s control. Robust consumer demand has also fueled a shift to more expensive groceries, and consolidation in the industry gives large chains the ability to keep prices high.”
While only a few commenters have come to the video so far, one expressed concern for a particular population of shoppers.
“Ramen is too expensive to eat, what are college students doing? Anyone check on them? Are they still alive?”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @keysofawesome via TikTok direct message for more information.
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