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applegrove

(130,045 posts)
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 06:37 PM Yesterday

If Trump gets grocery corporations to lower their pricing algorithms

that is proof it is all collusion. Just monitor the prices of domestically farmed, produced groceries. If they come way down then we know. There was a collusion case prosecuted in Canada on the price of bread.

Trump Says Midterms Will Be About ‘Pricing’

HuffPost (@huffpost.com) 2025-12-27T18:31:16.876Z
31 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
If Trump gets grocery corporations to lower their pricing algorithms (Original Post) applegrove Yesterday OP
"Pricing", eh? I hope he gets egg on his face, again. marble falls Yesterday #1
People will realize dweller Yesterday #2
If Trump gets grocery corporations to lower their pricing, He is still a pedo !! stonecutter357 Yesterday #3
Canadian laws do not govern pricing in the US. n/t Ms. Toad Yesterday #4
I mentioned that as an example, not to imply we were under the same laws. applegrove Yesterday #7
your point was obvious (to me anyway) ret5hd Yesterday #8
Corporations can be held accountable - generally Ms. Toad 10 hrs ago #23
Obviously not. Who here said it does?? Disaffected 20 hrs ago #21
From the OP Ms. Toad 10 hrs ago #24
Applegrove has already explained Disaffected 10 hrs ago #25
But, "Affordability is a hoax." Bayard Yesterday #5
A lot of grocery items are low profit margin Turbineguy Yesterday #6
Back During The Grocery Shortage Days During The Pandemic - I Talked With Some Stockboys That Were Working The Shelves.. global1 Yesterday #9
Thankfully, Not Here ProfessorGAC 10 hrs ago #26
A Lot Of What You Pointed Out In Your Post Happened - But The Retailers Had Great Cover And Excuses To..... global1 8 hrs ago #29
Certainly Could Be Happening ProfessorGAC 8 hrs ago #30
How do you lower the price of coffee and other import items? Keepthesoulalive Yesterday #10
I would never sue someone NOT to lower prices. Please get lower grocery prices by any means. Melon Yesterday #11
But when they do that for Trump and the jig is up, applegrove Yesterday #12
He'll no I don't want a rebate. I right contracts for a living. I write rebates for suckers. Melon Yesterday #13
I love the 'special pricing' fraud Conjuay Yesterday #14
That's right. Melon Yesterday #15
Grocery store net profits are only around 2% MichMan 23 hrs ago #16
Walmarts margins Net in 2019 pre Covid 1.30% versus 2025 Net margin 2.85%. 119% improvements in margins Melon 23 hrs ago #17
Would you be satisfied if your retirement savings made a 2.85% annual return? MichMan 22 hrs ago #19
There model was high volume...low margin forever. Melon 22 hrs ago #20
I find it interesting that grocery stores are accused of gouging when they make 2% profit margins MichMan 13 hrs ago #22
It's not just stores. It's the manufacturers of processed foods. Melon 8 hrs ago #31
THIS NotHardly 10 hrs ago #28
As I've said before... gulliver 23 hrs ago #18
Need proof of price fixing/gouging? markodochartaigh 10 hrs ago #27

applegrove

(130,045 posts)
7. I mentioned that as an example, not to imply we were under the same laws.
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 07:04 PM
Yesterday

Corporations can be held accountable.

Ms. Toad

(38,127 posts)
23. Corporations can be held accountable - generally
Sun Dec 28, 2025, 11:20 AM
10 hrs ago

In both the United States and Canada. But the rules for what it takes to hold a corporation liable are different. Not to mention that while it may be possible to hold a corporation liable in Canada for collusion, what constitutes collusion in the US may be very different (and collusion is not, itself, a violation of US law - it is only part of an overall offense, such as a violation of antitrust laws).

Ms. Toad

(38,127 posts)
24. From the OP
Sun Dec 28, 2025, 11:21 AM
10 hrs ago
There was a collusion case prosecuted in Canada on the price of bread.


Just because it happened in Canada doesn't mean it can happen here.

Turbineguy

(39,808 posts)
6. A lot of grocery items are low profit margin
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 06:59 PM
Yesterday

plus there's a lot of competition. I don't see where he can have much influence. Except bankrupting all farmers, that would bring a temporary price drop. Until people started starving.

global1

(26,361 posts)
9. Back During The Grocery Shortage Days During The Pandemic - I Talked With Some Stockboys That Were Working The Shelves..
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 07:43 PM
Yesterday

they told me that they had plenty of product in the back room - but their superiors were telling them to make the shelves look like - they were almost picked clean. The store raised prices on the products - because they knew they could get away with raising the prices during this bogus shortage.

Most retailers during that period did the same and they made a killing in profit during that time.

You remember. When everyone was out stocking their house with goods because they thought they wouldn't have anything to eat. The run on paper goods (toilet paper, hand towels, kleenex).

Those were the hay days for those stores.

I'm sure that these retailers are taking advantage of this situation too. This time they could blame it on the tariffs - so they are pushing the top end of product pricing again.

Everytime I go to the grocery store - I'm paying more money for the same product I used to get cheaper.

Might as well pile on. Everybody is doing it.

ProfessorGAC

(75,749 posts)
26. Thankfully, Not Here
Sun Dec 28, 2025, 11:31 AM
10 hrs ago

When the stores here had empty shelves, they didn't have it.
People panic buying, delayed shipping, then the supply chain issues caused by bad production planning, JIT out of control, mismanaging of safety stock & lack of emergency price & purchase controls led to actual shortages.
And, we're a half-hour from warehouse central for the Midwest.
In the fringes of Chicagoland, the shortages were real.

global1

(26,361 posts)
29. A Lot Of What You Pointed Out In Your Post Happened - But The Retailers Had Great Cover And Excuses To.....
Sun Dec 28, 2025, 01:27 PM
8 hrs ago

raise prices on everything and they took advantage of it.

We're kind of in that same situation again - but this time it's the tariffs excuse that is causing the raise in prices.

There are a lot of unscrupulous people out there and they know how to manipulate the system.

My belief is that if spending was up over this holiday - it wasn't because people bought more product.

They bought product that was marked up (using the excuse of the tariffs) and hence they spent more money.

Sorry - but that's the way I feel about this.

ProfessorGAC

(75,749 posts)
30. Certainly Could Be Happening
Sun Dec 28, 2025, 01:56 PM
8 hrs ago

Oddly enough, the one item I moaned about a couple months ago suddenly was "on sale" for only a dollar more than It used to be 4 months ago.
Old Trapper beef jerky went from $12.99 to $20.69 overnight. (8 ounce bag)
Then suddenly it's $14.29?
Sounds like a gouge that went sideways. Wasn't just our store. It was Old Trapper.
When that big price hit happened, I looked at their website. Direct from the manufacturer was $218 IF I bought a box of 12 Amazon went up 50%. Walmart;Target; Meijer....
They gouged; volume went down; they corrected.
So I have reason to believe your suspicions have some merit.

Keepthesoulalive

(2,103 posts)
10. How do you lower the price of coffee and other import items?
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:12 PM
Yesterday

If the grocery stores want to go under all they have to do is attempt to appease president dumb ass.

Melon

(999 posts)
11. I would never sue someone NOT to lower prices. Please get lower grocery prices by any means.
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:16 PM
Yesterday

applegrove

(130,045 posts)
12. But when they do that for Trump and the jig is up,
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:26 PM
Yesterday

don't you want a rebate? And a promise that they will not use algorithmic pricing to collude again? Otherwise they will just raise prices under Democratic Presidents and destroy their administrations and lower prices when a Republican President tells them to.

Melon

(999 posts)
13. He'll no I don't want a rebate. I right contracts for a living. I write rebates for suckers.
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 08:40 PM
Yesterday

I want lower prices at the point of sale. Full stop. I see where the costs are being inflated. The farmers are not benefiting from high prices. Lower the prices.

Rebates mask the price of goods. They lock in high margin, tie the consumer, and then rely on a rebate to equate back to a true market price. We use them to hide cost and pricing and bind customers. Rebates can be removed. They don’t allow supply and demand to change markets.

Conjuay

(2,875 posts)
14. I love the 'special pricing' fraud
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 09:11 PM
Yesterday

Pulled by Walgreens.
Inflate all the prices and then have special lower prices for the people who join their BS loyalty program.
I won't shop there.

Melon

(999 posts)
15. That's right.
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 10:08 PM
Yesterday

The corporations that survived forever ever at 13% margins got used to 25% margins during Covid. The corporations and the stock market got used to those earnings. Raw material margins in manufacturing and base chemicals are down to pre-COVID. The corporations are maintaining the higher margins and preventing deflation. Products close to the consumer like milk and eggs are down in price, but highly processed goods have inflated margins. Negotiate on behalf of consumers to return margins to pre covid numbers and our prices will come down without gimmicks that hurt the markets.

Melon

(999 posts)
17. Walmarts margins Net in 2019 pre Covid 1.30% versus 2025 Net margin 2.85%. 119% improvements in margins
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 10:36 PM
23 hrs ago

Did your salary go up 119% also?.

MichMan

(16,571 posts)
19. Would you be satisfied if your retirement savings made a 2.85% annual return?
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 11:57 PM
22 hrs ago

I wouldn't. I was still working in 2019 and retired in 2021. I am now dependent on SS and my IRA.

Melon

(999 posts)
20. There model was high volume...low margin forever.
Sun Dec 28, 2025, 12:02 AM
22 hrs ago

The point is margins in that sector have doubled since Covid. That is the problem. But you are ok with doubling the net margin to pay the corporations and investor returns versus lower grocery pricing. The raw material prices have dropped but the money is absorbed in the middle before the consumer, which you are ok with. You are arguing for expanded margins to the stores.

MichMan

(16,571 posts)
22. I find it interesting that grocery stores are accused of gouging when they make 2% profit margins
Sun Dec 28, 2025, 09:08 AM
13 hrs ago

Yet a company like Apple, producing 95% of their products in China, makes a 27% net profit with nary a peep.

Melon

(999 posts)
31. It's not just stores. It's the manufacturers of processed foods.
Sun Dec 28, 2025, 02:00 PM
8 hrs ago

They have enough room to the consumer that they have changed their pricing model due to Covid.
Those low numbers are net. These business are gross profit of 25% or more, which is what is commonly discussed. They are now taking margins on food like gas stations used to.

They have doubled and more the net margins since Covid. Those numbers have always been low. Many business are not profitable some years and more so fluctuating. People here are defending these publicly traded companies that they are fine with the corporations doubling their profits and driving up staple prices. It’s not going to the farmer and being taken by the Walmarts. This place is a trip.

gulliver

(13,702 posts)
18. As I've said before...
Sat Dec 27, 2025, 10:52 PM
23 hrs ago

We are living in a programocracy. We need our leaders to be really sharp when it comes to understanding IT and AI in particular. I don't know how we get leaders that can do that. We can get sincere leaders. We can get strong leaders. We can get smart leaders. But how you get leaders who thoroughly comprehend the situation we're in, I don't know.

They have no incentive to lead us. We made the job of leadership untenable. We flood the field with dimestore charisma, and photogenic people. So-called fighters. It's just a nightmare.

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