Bulk Down

I just saw a news report that said an “average” family of four wastes $24 worth of food every week.  The report showed a club store pack of baby spinach literally melted away in the clamshell.  I hate to admit it, but that could have come out of my refrigerator.

We shop for and demand the finest, freshest produce and then let it rot in our homes because we bought too much – whether at the club store, farmer’s market or the traditional supermarket.  The sales and marketing teams have made ever increasing retail pack sizes in order to drive up the ring per transaction. Smart on their part, but nowhere near a value for the customer.

My wife’s sister has lived in Italy for 26 years.  She shops every day for the main meal.  She buys what she needs and wastes almost nothing.  A supermarket trip is a monthly event for the dry goods and staple items. This is an interesting way to live.

I doubt that most Americans would take the time necessary to shop daily.  We shop infrequently, therefore buying bulk quantities of perishable items and eating copious amounts of processed foods. The unit cost at purchase time is low, but the total cost to us is much, much higher.