Setting the Thanksgiving Table Across the Land : Consumers: How much you pay depends on where you live and shop. On average, a holiday meal for 10 will cost $28.39.
Let’s talk turkey for a moment, shall we?
Some folks are doing a little belt-tightening when it comes to shopping for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner. Others have plenty of room to spare.
With the inflation rate holding steady nationwide, the cost of this year’s holiday feast depends simply on where you live and where you shop.
“It’s such a regional business; so a lot of the time what’s happening in New York has nothing to do with what’s happening in California,” said Edward Comeau, a senior vice president who follows the supermarket industry for Lehman Brothers in New York. “Turkey prices are different in every market.”
In its annual Thanksgiving survey of retail prices, the American Farm Bureau Federation said Tuesday that the nationwide average for a turkey was 79 cents a pound this year, but it noted some shoppers in Florida paid $1.39 a pound while others in Arizona were charged only 29 cents per pound.
“Prices as low as 19 cents per pound have been seen in some parts of the country,” according to the survey, which was recently conducted by 73 volunteer shoppers in 27 states.
The federation said the average cost of this year’s traditional Thanksgiving dinner for 10 will be $28.39, or around $2.84 a person, up $1.34 from last year but 44 cents below four years ago. A 16-pound turkey cost on average $12.01, 95 cents more than last year.
Other menu ingredients that had higher prices, according to the federation, included: a 14-ounce package of cubed stuffing, $2.26, up 2 cents; three pounds of sweet potatoes, $1.62, up 11 cents; a 12-ounce package of rolls, $1.09, up 16 cents; 12-ounce package of frozen peas, $1.01, up 5 cents; and a 12-ounce package of fresh cranberries, $1.82, up 4 cents.
The holiday menu also included a relish dish, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and milk and coffee.
While prices may vary, almost all supermarkets strategically sell their turkeys below cost--on average 30 cents per pound, according to Comeau.
“Supermarket chains have freezers full of turkeys that they have to get rid of,” he said, describing retail sales as healthy so far. “They have to make sure they have a competitive price on turkeys to get people in their stores. This is the biggest week of the year for them.
“They make it up on everything else they sell.”
Cans of vegetables, for instance, may have a 10% to 12% markup while some perishable items may be priced as much as 40% to 50% above the wholesale cost, Comeau said.
While Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping season for supermarket chains, the holiday isn’t quite as important for farmers, largely because agriculture has become such a diversified business, said Rick Bush, a spokesman for the farm federation.
“It used to be a critical holiday for cranberry growers, for example. Back in the ‘50s it made all the difference for them,” he said.
But the cranberry’s spread into mainstream drinks has made Thanksgiving a much less significant sales event. Likewise with turkey growers, whose diversification into foods ranging from deli sandwich fare to turkey burgers and hot dogs has eased the pressure for high sales of the birds at Thanksgiving.
“For farmers, Thanksgiving is profitable in general because the demand helps get the prices up,” Bush said. “But it’s also the best value around. Feeding 10 people for $28 is a pretty good deal.”
Now We’re Talking Turkey
Turkey trivia, as compiled by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Turkey Federation, trade groups.
* President Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.
* The National Turkey Federation has sent one live and two stuffed turkeys to the White House each year since 1948.
* Benjamin Franklin lobbied for the turkey to be named the national bird. When the bald eagle was chosen instead, Franklin complained “the turkey is a much more respectable bird and a true native of America.”
* Neil Armstrong’s first meal on the moon was turkey in foil.
* Only tom turkeys gobble. Hens make a clicking noise.
* Of the estimated 300 million U.S. turkeys raised this year, 45 million will be eaten at Thanksgiving, 22 million at Christmas and 19 million at Easter.
* Turkey sandwiches account for 44% of all turkey consumption.
* Mature turkeys have approximately 3,500 feathers.
* You can freeze a turkey for a year and it won’t lose flavor.
