Things that are inexplicably cheap

[ChewChewIsMySpiritAnimal]

Inspired by the thread about things that are inexplicably expensive!

My pick is bananas. You can buy a huge bunch of bananas for a few pence - I'm always shocked when i get to the till and find I've got about 22 bananas for less than a quid exaggerating but they've been imported from halfway round the world - yet the British apples next to them are twice as much.

What do you find inexplicably cheap?

Milk. How can it be cheaper than bottled water?!

Onions. How do they make a profit??

Mozzarella. It used to cost a couple of quid for a ball when I first started buying it in the mid-1990s. 25 years later and it's 40p in Aldi!

I think generally food, it’s such a small part of our outgoings considering the effort, water, packaging and transport that is involved. If you look at food costs decades ago they consumed a huge proportion of a family’s wage.

I guess for lots of things the margins are low but they sell a lot? I mean, I remember in 2008 a tin of mushy peas was about 11p. So someone planted the peas, then machinery which needs to be maintained processed and packaged them, someone drove a lorry containing them to the supermarket where they were unloaded, then someone put them on the shelves and another person beeped them on the checkout. I wonder if some of the value stuff were loss leaders or if the numbers stacked up?!

Bananas shouldn't be that cheap. Fair trade or rain forest alliance ones aren't because the growers haven't been screwed over. None of the bananas I buy from major supermarkets are that cheap.

I always buy the loose ones from the supermarket, i dont know if they're fair trade or not. I usually pay about 70-80p for a decent sized bunch.

Most veg, for the amount of effort that goes into growing, processing and profit margins of the various handlers along the way

Milk, same as above

I can see how farmers get a pittance

Crisps! 24 packs for about 2/3 quid

Surely all the effort involved is far more than a punnet of raspberries for the same price

Second hand furniture, I understand why it’s so cheap it just seems shocking to me how poorly it holds it’s value. As far as I’m concerned this is a good thing as I can only afford to buy second hand

Aldi bag of midget gems, 29p. They taste nice too.

Aren’t milk and banana loss leaders? Or is that a myth?

Smoked mackerel. I only want to buy a little bit cos only I like it but you get a big pack for £2 -£3 so its prob not worth them making a smaller pack.

Mmmmmn midget gems.

Chicken drumsticks £1.70 for 9!

Pre-covid air travel is an obvious example. It should not be possible to fly to the other side of Europe for £/€ 39.

Meat is far too cheap, particularly Intensively-reared poultry & pork. For those of us who wish to eat it, meat should be a treat, for both animal welfare and human health reasons.

Coconuts

Liver - unfortunately, DH won't touch it

petrol. There are very few liquids you can buy for £1.20 a litre.

Onions. You can get one for 10-15p!

Care workers.

Food - all food
People would rather waste money on luxuries than buy decent locally sourced food esp meat .

Greggs

Actually not inexplicable. Shit is not in short supply

I used to work in a greengrocers when I was a teenager, about 40 years ago. Back then bananas were 40p a pound, the price is still similar today, it always amazes me. Back then chickens for roasting were a luxury, I don't think the price has changed much. Yes I know about animal welfare issues etc

Bananas these days barely taste of anything. Maybe that's why they're cheap. And the texture has changed too. Seems like water or something is pumped into them to make them look big & nice but actually they are rubbish.
I'm not that old, just turned 30 but there is a big difference from when I was a child.

Sorry got carried away with the rant to think of anything cheap & good value 😂

I agree on food, somewhere along the line producers are getting screwed and it’s packed with fillers etc

I suppose its only cheap if you have plenty of money. To a pensioner on basic state pension like my mum was, she struggled and would have starved if basic things were much dearer.