That's a hard pass for me.
For years, the only meat I consume has been chicken and, I hope to give that up, but, as I've been lazy about cooking in recent months, my go-to has been store-bought rotisserie chickens.
Since shopping in my part of Elgin is limited--God forbid we should have a Trader Joe's or Mariano's--my marketing is done at our local Jewel, or at Fresh Market for sale produce and other items.
In the past, I purchased rotisserie chickens for an easy, protein-rich meal, at Jewel. They're priced at $7.99 which seems pretty reasonable for a main dish you can slap on the table in minutes.
Then I saw that Fresh Market carried the cooked birds, as well and I preferred those over Jewel's. Even better, they went for $7 bucks a piece and, if buying two, the second chicken is only $5. You can't go wrong there, right? I mean, leftovers!
But that was then. Yesterday, I bounced in and proceeded to put three rotisserie chickens in my cart with the thought of having plenty left over for a main dish salad or soup. Plus, my hubby enjoys a hearty chicken sandwich the next day.
I went to the self-checkout and was floored to discover that the rotisserie chickens were coming up $10! I asked one of the staff members if that was a mistake and she said that the manager made the decision to raise the price of the birds and it wasn't a glitch, as I'd thought.
A three-dollar increase? That's like a kick in the butt to anyone who's struggling financially during these ridiculously challenging times and wants to feed their family an affordable, nutritious meal.
"Fresh Market, what are you thinking and how can you justify such a price hike? For what it's worth, you've lost a customer."
Like that will change anything.
© Sherry McGuinn, 2023. All Rights Reserved.
Sherry McGuinn is a slightly twisted, longtime Chicago-area writer and award-winning screenwriter. She is currently pitching her newest screenplay, “The Month We Fell Apart,” a drama with dark, comedic overtones inspired by a true story, as well as “DEAD TIRED,” a female-driven, erotic thriller.
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