Looking at all the different brands in the store, you can understand why some products are more expensive than others. For example, some people are willing to pay a premium for cageless eggs than a typical alternative, even if these labels are not bound enough to be displayed first.
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However, sometimes these price contradictions don’t make much sense. For example, one shopper discovered that the same item has several different prices in the hobby lobby store, and began to question how the chain develops pricing.
Now grocery shoppers have raised questions about shredded cheese. In particular, why is it cheaper than buying a block?
Is it cheaper not to shred your own cheese?
Videos from over 270,000 viewers show Tiktok user Kyle Thomas (@the_double_t) standing in the cheese aisle at Walmart.
“Someone help me and tell me when this gets to things,” he begins. He then shows a shelf with cheese blocks. “A big value of a pound Colby Jack is $4.22? Yeah, you always have to shred your own cheese. It’s cheap, isn’t it?”
He then shows a 1 pound bag of shredded, hugely valuable Colby Jack cheese. Prices are listed at $3.78.
“I feel like I’m lying,” he says. “Growing up, my parents always said it’s always cheaper to shred their own cheese. How long has this been?”
Why are shredded cheese cheaper than blocks?
Cheese blocks are usually cheaper than shredded cheese bags, but this is not necessarily the case.
There are several potential reasons for this. First, it comes down to simple supply and demand. If shredded cheese supply is high and demand is low, stores may lower prices to promote sales.
Furthermore, economies of scale allow manufacturers to produce and sell shredded cheese at lower prices, as large-scale production and high consumer demand could lead to lower registered prices.
Additionally, the tag on this shelf states that shredded cheese is at a “rollback” price. That is, they are offered at a lower price than the average price. Once the price of the rollback ends, the cheese could return to the same listed price of $4.22.
That said, there are other cheese-specific reasons why shredded cheese can be cheaper.
for example, kitchen Notice that shredded cheese often contains caking agents like cellulose to prevent aggregation. These additives can slightly reduce the actual cheese content by weight, reducing the price of a pound bag.
@the_double_t All of this economy hasn’t been banged… When is it cheaper to buy pre-switched cheese? #for you #TruckerSlife #shopping #wivestales Welp, I didn’t expect it – Yu-Peng Chen & Hoyo-Mix
Viewers are encouraged to get blocks
In the comments section, many users advised that although shredded cheese may be cheap in advance, it is best to stick to the block.
“I still get the block. Shredded has a coating. The block melts better,” the user wrote.
“It’s not cheap, but better. There are no additives,” another added.
“Aside from the filler, I would like to see them actually measure shredded cheese from a bag I don’t trust anymore,” said a third.
Daily Dot contacted Walmart via the Media Relations Contact Form and Thomas via Instagram and Tiktok Direct messages.
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