Shame on you White Hen

While walking through Printer's Row this afternoon, I stopped in White Hen Pantry for a half gallon of 2% milk. which was priced at $3.59 per half gallon. I usually buy it at 7/11 for $2.59. For a moment, I consideded lecturing the cashier, but decided not to. Then I wanted to tell the two college kids, arms full of cookies, chips, juice and whatever else they were having for dinner what a rip off the place was, but stopped myself before beginning my tirade. Even though he's been gone now for seven years, I could almost hear my dad telling me "Ronnie, don't ever buy anything from a convenience store, they're highway robbery."

Instead, I walked an extra block past my apartment building to the 7/11 for a half gallon of $2.59 milk.

Not that I don't sometimes spend money extravagently. Recent dinners at Trotter's, Les Nomades and Daniel in NYC, an occasional shirt, really good olive oil, once in a while some really nice dry aged steaks. I tip well when I go out and send my shirts out rather than iron. My biggest splurge this past year was the CSO almost every other week.

But I refuse to pay their price for milk.

Have to confess that we have been paying $1.69-2.19 / gallon for a couple of years ago ever since Meijer's has come into the market. Before then, we had to deal with the large chains or go to Eurofresh for milk.

Since we use a pint or quart a week, we freeze the portion that we are not going to use for later use. I was very skeptical but the wife is a daughter of a dairy farmer and assured me that they did it all the time. It does not change the quality of the milk and it beats throwing sour milk away.

Evil Ronnie wrote:Instead, I walked an extra block past my apartment building to the 7/11 for a half gallon of $2.59 milk.

Not that I don't sometimes spend money extravagently. Recent dinners at Trotter's, Les Nomades and Daniel in NYC, an occasional shirt, really good olive oil, once in a while some really nice dry aged steaks. I tip well when I go out and send my shirts out rather than iron. My biggest splurge this past year was the CSO almost every other week.

But I refuse to pay their price for milk.

It sounds like your issue is value rather than willingness or ability to pay. And I sure hear you there. I apply that standard to restaurants as well, expecting double the value if I am paying double the price.

Hi Evil Ronnie,

I know that Printers Row White Hen all too well, and it never occurred to me that the 7/11 up in the Fisher Building would be so much cheaper. Thanks for the tip.

In the spirit of confession seen in the recent threads on Jimmy Johns, Olive Garden, etc. I will say that I have on a couple occasions purchased some cold cuts at White Hen. Asking for "one-third of a pound" perplexes the servers: the ones I have dealt with don't know what that corresponds to on the scale's digital display. (One tried to give me .75 lb.) It makes me feel sad about our school systems.

Milk prices hit us pretty hard: Our family of 4 goes through about 5 gallons a week (actually less since Mrs. F went on Curves' version of low-carb), and jumping from about $1.79 at the local mini-mart/liquor store to $2.99 is quite a shock to the wallet.

And even for a couple of months after that, Walgreens was running regular sales of $1.99 one week, $0.99 per half gallon the next week, then a week of rest.

Gotta be some way to blame the current administration