Not much to report

Last week's ad cycle was too boring to discuss.  This week's isn't any better.  Watching the grocery ads lately has been a great cure for insomnia.  If those ads don't put you to sleep, nothing will!

The only thing worth mentioning at Freddie this week is the orange juice store coupon.  It calc's to $2.50 a gallon for real decent orange juice and there's a limit of 4 gallons (8 @ 64 oz.).

Today's Albertson's ad has bone-in chicken breast for 99 cents and a Tillamook store coupon to buy two pounds of cheese for $6.  It includes that great white cheddar cheese that's been aged 100 days.  Great stuff.  Otherwise, avoid Albertson's.  That store's prices are ridiculous.  I was in there yesterday to pick up six pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts fresh from the Butcher Block.  My out the door price including tax was well under $12.  While walking to and from the Butcher Block I saw enough ridiculously high prices to make me feel like fainting. 

Here's just one example: a summer staple...canned pork and beans. As we all know, canned pork and beans is an American classic almost right up there with SPAM.  Well, Van De Camps's is the undisputed King of Pork N Beans.  We will generally eat at least one can each summer just to keep the tradition alive.  We do, however, drain away all the sugary sauce and then rinse the beans to get rid of as much high fructose corn syrup as possible.

OK, Albertson's had the beans on an end cap, happily featuring them on sale for $1.19 a small can.  The regular price at Albertson's is $1.39 a can so the store was cheerfully letting you know that you were saving a whopping 20 cents a can!  Whoop-dee-doo!  Meanwhile, over at WINCO, all day long (24/7) every day, the SAME can of beans is 50 cents.  Now the 50 cent price is not a sale price at WINCO, it's what WINCO charges for the beans.  OK, do the math.  ALbertson's is charging well more than double for the beans and trying to convince you that you are getting a deal to boot by saving 20 cents from their regular price.  That's just so typical of the "new" Albertsons.  Amazing.

As usual, I sauntered over to the bacon section and ferreted out 15 pounds of bacon that was well past code.  They can't sell it when it's past code so they simply throw it away.  This bacon was priced at $6 a pound.  I wonder how many inattentive shoppers simply reached down and picked up a package without looking to see the code date. A store should get fined by the Grocery Police for foisting such slop on their customers.

I can't see anything this week at Smith's to write home about.  Opps, yes I can!  I just took a closer look at the ad and the same Tillamook two-pound bricks priced at $6 at Albertson's are available (without a coupon) over at Smith's for a mere FOUR BUCKS.  That means Albertson's is charging 50% more than Smiths for the identical item.  Geeze--it just never stops with Albertson's.

Other than the Tillamook, there's nothing at Smith's worth mentioning.

Perhaps the only food shopping news that's worth discussing is the new produce selection available each Saturday morning at the new Farmers Market located at Snake River Landing.  Go to the far south (downstream) end of the market and look for a big white truck from Twin Falls.  If last Saturday is an indicator, we can predict you will be amazed at their prices and quality.

WINCO has some really good deli meats on sale for $4 a pound.  Very high quality and very tasty!

Well, that's about it for awhile.  Have a great day and Many Cheers, jp