Independence Day means cookouts for many Americans. Though the 4th falling on a Wednesday may cut down on travel, it has the opposite effect on party purchases.
Businesses say a mid-week 4th turns a weekend celebration into a 10 day celebration, with two weekends of shoppers looking to stock up for parties.
It's good for business, but what about shoppers? What's a cookout for the 4th really going to run you this year?
"In some cases they're actually lower than last year," said Rick Zeef with Meijer. "Some are slightly higher, but they're almost dead even this year because, really, in the retail business for any grocery store, if you're not aggressive with the prices on hot dogs and hamburgers and buns and watermelon, you're not going to sell them. So, you have to be aggressive with those."
That's exactly what Indiana Farm Bureau volunteers found out in an informal survey of food prices. Prices are only up a little over a dollar from last year. 1.33 to be exact. That's for cookout food that'll feed 10 people, including potato salad, ground beef, hot dogs, baked beans, condiments, American cheese, hot dog and hamburger buns, soda and chips.
Here's the breakdown of costs over the past few years:
|
Summer Cookout
|
May
2009
|
June
2010
|
June
2011
|
June
2012
|
|
Potato salad (3 lbs., prepared)
|
$5.61
|
$4.77
|
$5.02
|
$5.22
|
|
Ground round (2 lbs.)
|
$5.98
|
$6.22
|
$6.80
|
$7.10
|
|
Hot dogs (10-pack)
|
$2.80
|
$2.10
|
$2.42
|
$2.72
|
|
Baked beans (28-ounce can)
|
$1.94
|
$1.98
|
$2.10
|
$2.04
|
|
Mustard (8 oz.)
|
$1.42
|
$1.28
|
$1.34
|
$1.28
|
|
Ketchup (24 oz.)
|
$1.62
|
$1.50
|
$1.28
|
$1.39
|
|
American cheese (16 slices)
|
$2.88
|
$2.66
|
$2.62
|
$2.55
|
|
Hamburger buns (8-count bag)
|
$1.49
|
$1.28
|
$1.35
|
$1.60
|
|
Hot dog buns (8-count bag)
|
$1.44
|
$1.30
|
$1.38
|
$1.58
|
|
Soda (two 2-liter bottles)
|
$1.50
|
$1.30
|
$1.38
|
$1.48
|
|
Potato chips (two 11-oz. bags)
|
$6.54
|
$5.16
|
$5.38
|
$5.44
|
|
Total
|
$33.21
|
$29.55
|
$31.07
|
$32.40
|
