As shoppers head to buy burgers and dogs for the July 4th holiday, costs are less of a concern than they were a year ago.
According to an annual American Farm Bureau Federation survey, the average cost for an Independence Day cookout is $70.92 for 10 guests. That’s down 30 cents from 2024’s record-high cost.
As state and federal agencies continue to focus on bringing down consumer costs and lowering inflation, New York shoppers on average find themselves spending nearly 20% less on July 4th barbeques than the rest of the country.
Market 32 manager Jeremy Olszewski says that tracks.
“I haven’t heard much about it, but yeah we try to focus on the essentials for the holidays. Hamburgers, hot dogs, grilling items, things of that nature—ice, coolers,” said Olszewski.
The grocery chain on the east side of Saratoga Springs is busy for a late Wednesday morning.
Tammy Burek has been a mail carrier in the city for 12 years. She’s one of many shoppers with a car full of grill-ready foods.
“OK, so, I understand that grocery shopping is absolutely excruciating because the prices are always so high. Inflation is an absolute joke. But I’m trying to catch some sales and to see what they have and then I’m going to go compare it to another store if I can’t find it,” said Burek.
According to the New York Farm Bureau, a 10-person July 4th cookout costs $5.89 a person.
While grocery bills remain a consumer focus even as prices have fallen off their record highs, Bureau Director of Communications Amanda Powers says local farmers don’t take in higher profits when costs rise.
“No matter how high the prices may get, what happens to farmers remains the same: they profit about 15 cents per dollar at the store. So, I know people are looking for a source of blame, I’m not saying people are out there blaming farmers, but farmers are definitely not the ones making prices go up in the grocery store. They have a razor-thin profit margin no matter what the economy looks like, and right now it’s especially challenging,” said Powers.
A federal Consumer Price Index report found a 2.2% increase spending on food compared to a year ago.
“I just bought some chicken and was surprised by how expensive it was. It was over $10 for three nice chicken breasts,” said Smith-Holmes.
Shopper Libby Smith-Holmes says she has bigger concerns than rising prices.
“It’s more the availability than the price, really. Sometimes they’re out of the yoghurt I like. In some cases, it’s supply chain but I don’t know I assume they’re being more selective in what they stock because they know what sells and what doesn’t. And it might not be what I’m looking for,” said Smith-Holmes.
Todd Kilmer has similar concerns.
“The most concerning? I guess it would be fresh vegetables and things like that, the access to that. And like I said it’s a little bit lesser amount and smaller amounts. If they have it at all—I was looking for red leaf lettuce and they had four heads and they were very small,” said Kilmer.
Powers says the recent extreme heat and consistent rain in New York contribute to how well grocery stores can stock their shelves.
“So, you know, you have flooded fields, then you have excessive heat. And that effects everything from the health of the animals to being able to plant crops, being able to harvest crops, getting those crops to the store. There are so many factors involved. And then, of course, there are labor factors involved. We’re short on labor here in New York and across the country on farms. So, when you have fewer laborers doing the work it means, you know, it’s harder to get these goods to the store. It’s harder all around for the consumers and the farmers,” said Powers.
Powers says even with prices remaining high across the country and in New York, there are some things consumers can do to protect their wallets.
“Clip coupons, download the store apps and store the coupons there. There’s way you can save money. Compare prices, that’s a big one. Different stores run different specials. So, you might find one thing at one store and then go to another. It’s still going to hurt this year on your pocket but I hope we can all have fun on the 4th,” said Powers.
