Article published November 18, 2008
Turkey costs up, but holiday birds fly off store shelves
David Routson displays an Amish turkey at the House of Meats in The Andersons Market in Sylvania.
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THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT
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By GARY T. PAKULSKI
BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
Economists predict that Christmas stockings will be a little lighter this year.
But it doesn't appear that tough times will affect all types of holiday buying.
Despite slightly higher prices, turkeys have been flying out of grocery store refrigerator cases in recent days, local stores said.
"Everybody's cutting back, but turkey's pretty cheap," explained Jack Gilley, a shopper from Toledo. "The week before Thanksgiving, you can get a turkey for five bucks."
He spoke as he entered a Kroger Co. store off Navarre Avenue in Oregon, where frozen birds were selling for 49 cents a pound and a leading brand of fresh turkey was fetching $1.79 a pound.
The fresh product is up 20 percent over last year, a spokesman for the supermarket chain acknowledged.The frozen turkey price - which requires an additional $10 purchase - is unchanged, spokesman Amy Barlow said. Promotional prices like Kroger's 49-cent turkey help keep the holiday mainstay affordable for most shoppers. Stores lose money on such sales but make up losses through the sale of pumpkin pie, cranberries, and other popular Thanksgiving selections.
Nationally, the retail price for turkey is up 8 percent to $1.19 a pound, according to an informal survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation. Along with other items, a typical Thanksgiving feast for 10 can be had for $44.61, or $2.35 more than last year.
Five-month-old turkeys await Thanksgiving at a farm in Turkey, N.C.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Food price increases were driven by escalating costs of energy and animal feed, retailers said. Those costs dropped late in the year, but the decreases are not yet reflected in retail food prices.
At the House of Meats in The Andersons Maumee store, most customers are opting for fresh Amish turkey for $1.99 a pound. "Our phone has been ringing non-stop for the last couple weeks," manager David Routson said.
The store sells frozen turkey for $1.39 but fresh turkey accounts for 90 percent of sales, he added.
"Thanksgiving is a special time and people don't seem to care what they pay for turkeys," he added.
Sautter's Food Center, Sylvania, expects to sell 2,000 birds, three quarters of them a high-end brand of "all-natural" turkeys raised outdoors "where they have plenty of room to roam in the fresh air and sunshine," promotional material from the breeder states.
At $2.69 a pound, the price is up "a bit" from last year, said Jim Sautter, store owner.
Store sales overall have increased from last year, partly because people are eating at home more.
He expects strong Thanksgiving sales. "When people think about Thanksgiving they're not going to cut corners," he said.
Also selling the high-end "free-range" turkey brand for $2.69 a pound are Walt Churchill's Market in Maumee and Bassett's Market in Perrysburg.
Churchill's will sell more than 400 of the birds. On occasions like Thanksgiving, shoppers are less concerned about price, said Walt Churchill. "People make a stretch if they can."
Bassett's store also has a frozen turkey for 49 cents a pound with an additional $10 purchase. Bob Carpenter, general manager, describes the bird as a "loss leader."
If Thanksgiving follows previous trends, turkey sales will skyrocket Thursday and continue at that pace through the eve of the holiday, Mr. Carpenter said.
Toledo resident Marcie Essing, a Kroger shopper who also works for the chain, bought a 15-pound turkey there for $7.35.
She is pleased that prices are mostly unchanged from last year.
Harry and Connie MacVay, of Toledo, will share Thanksgiving dinner with 25 family members. Participants agreed to cut back on the usual huge spread of candies, cookies and other goodies. "We decided we're not going to be as frivolous this year," Mrs. MacVay said.
Still, they won't scrimp on turkey. Plans are for two large birds, she said.
Contact Gary Pakulski at:
gpakulski@theblade.com
or 419-724-6082.
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