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    HomeBusinessThanksgiving-feast inflation shifts shoppers to chicken

    Thanksgiving-feast inflation shifts shoppers to chicken

    Inflation is forcing peckish Big Apple shoppers to wing it on Thanksgiving, with some telling The Post they’ll be gobbling chicken because turkey is just too expensive.

    “I’m going to buy cooked chicken that they usually have on sale for $5 or $7,” sighed Osvaldo Baez, 62, who is on a fixed income and has always celebrated Thanksgiving with turkey.

    At Key Food in the East Village, where The Post found Baez shopping, a 16-pound Butterball was running $1.99 a pound — after spending an extra $75 on groceries. 

    “All these companies are making money, billions and billions and billions, and they’re still inflating the prices on all items,” he squawked. “And the government’s allowing it — they’re fully aware.”

    A holiday spread of 12 items serving 10 people is estimated to run a whopping $64.05 this year, a 20-percent spike from $53.31 just last year, according to the annual American Farm Bureau Federation survey.

    Baez said that he’ll be serving rotisserie chicken at his Thanksgiving feast instead of expensive turkey.
    Helayne Seidman for NY Post

    Frozen turkeys included in the survey cost $1.81 per pound in mid-to-late October, a 21 percent jump from last year, in part due to a smaller flock this year and more expensive feed costs.

    Among other price surges: cubed stuffing costs $3.88 for a 14-ounce box vs. $2.29 last year, while a pack of two pie shells shot up 77 cents to $3.68.

    Fed-up shoppers said the Biden administration’s profligate spending was to blame for their sudden case of fiscal agita.

    Many Thanksgiving staples have skyrocketed in price since last year.
    Many Thanksgiving staples have skyrocketed in price since last year.
    A woman bagging potatoes in a grocery store.
    The cost of the Thanksgiving meal jumped 20 percent this year, according to a survey.
    Helayne Seidman for NY Post

    “We spent too much money as a government, which is the problem,” griped Jim Bitros, 74. “There’s no such thing as free money and you have to find out at some point.”

    “Who’s in the administration now?” a 62-year-old bookkeeper seethed rhetorically, adding that eggs cost $10. “It wasn’t like that before.”

    “I’m disgusted,” she added. “I can’t save anything. I can’t save a little bit that I used to go on vacation.” 

    The president last month said that he’s trying to help families deal with the fact that Thanksgiving “costs a lot” of money at an event announcing efforts to curb banking “junk fees.” 

    Denise Perez in a grocery store
    Shoppers say they are having sticker shock over prices for Thanksgiving groceries.
    Helayne Seidman for NY Post

    Those families are now getting a bad case of supermarket sticker shock.

    “I’ve been hearing about it, but now I’m seeing it with my own eyes,” cried Denise Perez, 47, who was appalled to see roast pork running $1.49 a pound, 50 percent more than its usual price, alongside higher-priced turkey and vegetables.

    “General inflation slashing the purchasing power of consumers is a significant factor contributing to the increase in average cost of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner,” said AFBF Chief Economist Roger Cryan, who additionally linked the sky-high costs to supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine.

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