[the48thronin]

utah idaho drivers who regularly travel there say this type product has been in stock for some time! I shopped the Winslow Az store 2 days ago and they do not stock these items there!

[Sixstrings]

Hm, quite a selection they have. How does that work out cost per calorie wise? Looks like good prices, maybe they're selling out because some folks are buying these for food now rather than stocking up.

EDIT: got my calculator out.. that dinner pack works out to 31 cents per serving.

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', 'H')m, quite a selection they have. How does that work out cost per calorie wise? Looks like good prices, maybe they're selling out because some folks are buying these for food now rather than stocking up.

EDIT: got my calculator out.. that dinner pack works out to 31 cents per serving.

[Sixstrings]

Did a google search on walmart emergency food and it brought up a bunch of doomer books walmart sells:


When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency


When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need to Survive When Disaster Strikes


Sneakier Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Calculator Into a Metal Detector, Carry a Survival Kit in a Shoestring, Make a Gas Mask with a Balloon


Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis

(link: http://www.walmart.com/ip/1866796

They also sell a four-person emergency preparedness kit (aka bugout bag):


Buy peace of mind with this four-person, three-day-supply emergency preparedness kit. Includes tools and gear, first aid supplies and food and water rations.

[Outcast_Searcher]

Good catch Six! I'll bet they make a HELL of a lot bigger profit margin selling bugout kits than selling, say, $10.97 blue jeans (like I buy).

At this rate, Walmart's profits could truly escalate if the economy goes down the tubes. I'll have to check out Walmart stock again if we continue to progress toward deflation. Too bad their option premiums are so low...

[2cher]

the end is nigh

[pup55]

Hey, whaddya know!

they've found a way to double the profit margin on Ramen Noodles. Package them as "survival food" and raise them to 31 cents a meal, versus 14 cents or whatever they are right now. I'm surprised they don't ask for payment in silver coins:...

The second big question in my mind is: How long would it take one of these typical fat walmart families to go through 200 meals? About a week, I suppose. The don't sell "restraint" in the same aisle, do they?

Still, it is a pretty interesting omen, is it not, when the wallymart sees a big enough "emergency preparedness" market to start devoting shelf space to it.

[PrestonSturges]

No doubt they check for the presences of nearby Mormon megachurch temples. Walmart would not fail to factor that in.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrestonSturges', 'N')o doubt they check for the presences of nearby Mormon megachurch temples. Walmart would not fail to factor that in.

[Cash]

The United States couldn't keep exporting its inflation forever. Now it's time to pay the money-pumping piper. More at each link.

inflation Money quote: $this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')till, inflation is "going to be serious," Wal-Mart U.S. CEO Bill Simon said during a meeting with USA TODAY's editorial board. "We're seeing cost increases starting to come through at a pretty rapid rate."

[vision-master]

Hyper-inflation on Chinajunk. I luz it!

Just ate one of those $2 double cheese burgers @ mac's - totaly rude, keep yer crapy mac's.

[Fishman]

May be part ethanol but I think far more for food cost is the price specificly for deisel fuel. Remember we burn 10 cal of deisel for each cal of food. Back to the garden, and Goodwill for cloths.

[MarkJ]

Wal-Mart has been losing customers since they've raised prices, plus eliminated many products customers used to buy.

Due to inflation, many customers opted out, traded down and now shop for sales items, loss leaders and lowest prices at numerous competitors such as Aldis, Save-A-Lot, Price Chopper, Hannaford, Dollar General, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Target, Convenience stores etc.

Some food items are still quite cheap due to brutal competition. We're still buying boneless skinless chicken breast for $1.99 per pound.

[Outcast_Searcher]

Given how corporate moguls think, I wonder if part of this isn't self serving for Walmart. (I strongly agree with the premise that their prices in general aren't such a bargain anymore).

Think about it:

1). Scare the masses about rising prices to come. The message -- buy NOW -- save for the future.

2). With dramatically rising gasoline prices, driving around gets expensive. The implication (and perhaps hidden message) -- come to Walmart and save since you get one-stop shopping.

3). Convince the masses that as Walmart raises prices (perhaps unjustifiably), that it won't PAY to drive around / shop around.

At the end of the day, I am really suspicious about the motives behind any public/political statements corporate chiefs and their PR reps make.
. . .

I saw the earlier comments about garage sales. I used to love to have friends who went to garage sales anyway look for things like shirts in my size and good condition for fifty cents or less. They'd buy them for me, I'd pay them a buck -- and I had no transportation expense or time in the venture.

Now with gasoline prices so high -- unless people work together to economize like this for garage sales, each cheap item you find might cost you MUCH more in gasoline.

[FairMaiden]

There's a FDR quote I love where he says that right before black Oct '29, his shoe shiner was trying to tell him how to "get in" on some stocks. Basically if your shoe shiner knows about it - you've missed the boat.

My mother was telling me yesterday to "stock up" bc food and staples are going through the roof in price. If my mother (who does not read a newspaper or watch TV) is telling me, then it's too late!

Here, we've already seen a huge hike in prices of food/toilet paper/etc. I'm just surprised ppl aren't complaining...it boggles my mind. Used to be a 10 cent hike in gas had everyone up in arms. I'm wondering what has changed?

[dolanbaker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')'m wondering what has changed?

[Rod_Cloutier]

Watch the Fed. If they start to raise interest rates to cool inflation, phase II of the banking crisis starts, and then the depression really begins.

The powers that be could engineer a recession to escape inflation during the first round. They won only in the sense that they lowered prices for 3 years at the expense of destablizing the economy. If they try to engineer another recession, before there has been a recovery from the first one, then they will get social revolution along with the lower prices at the till!

[Kristen]

If energy prices are on a sideways climb upwards, than an increase in cost will better prepare us for this permanent mountain. However prices have been going up forever. a can of cola use to be five cents. i just wish there was a complete, official answer. So many voices are arguing different things. Lets just have one collective truth and handle it like adults.

[americandream]

With the damage the Japanese nuclear disaster Is likely to cause the current international business model, I am, for the first time, seriously of the view that we are looking at a high risk of globalisation destroying inflation.