Peapod.com PriceWatch – Oct 2008

See the update at the bottom – I switched to Foodmaster, a local Boston chain of supermarkets.

Peapod.com carries a large range of foods and goods in their internet delivery of Stop & Shop inventory at an average 8-15% markup.  It’s an invaluable service to a housebound retiree like me.  *However*, I can no longer use the phrase “creeping upwards” in referring to price “adjustments.”  I’m seeing some items move upward by leaps and bounds. 

I only notice price increases on my favorites in my shopping list.  And the same for you, I assume.  So if we share our notes on price increases, we can get a better appreciation for which percentage of them are small, and which are breathtakingly extravagant. 

My two cases in point as of Jan 18th, 2008:

Haagen-Dazs premium ice cream pints had been $2.69 all 2007 until Dec when they had a Sale at $3 each, then set the price to $3.69 the following week.  My last order this week was at $3.99 and this week the Sale price is $3.50.

Stouffers frozen Macaroni and cheese 12 oz. had been $2 or $2.19 with sale prices of $1 or 1.10 in 2007 until Oct or Nov, when the sale price was increased to $2.  (All of the other Stouffers items were $2.99 or so, so $2 was also their Sale price.)  Now the other Stouffers items are $3.50 and the 12-oz Mac is $3.

[update Feb 25 - the last Peapod Stouffer's sale had *both* the 20 oz AND the 12 oz Macaroni and Cheese priced at U$2.00!]

On the other hand,

Frozen shrimp, tail-on, 2-lb bag used to be $24.95 in 2006 with a sale price of $21.50, and I bought none since Shaw’s price was $18.95.   In 2007 Peapod reduced the Sale price to $18.95 and I bought from them.  Uh-oh, checking this item reveals the present price is a Sale at $20.98 – another jump!

Tell me your Peapod price increases and I’ll figure the % increase on my examples, so we can see how widespread this hefty jump pattern is …

Update – In April 2008, a local chain, Johnnie’s Foodmaster, started offing the same service; I haven’t used Peapod since.  Lower prices, slightly bigger set of sugar & sweets items.