The Y2Ker I know in L.A. County that had checked prices in L.A. County after seeing the prices shooting up at Staters, just called me, she was at Ralphs in Pasadena, CA. In those few days the hyperinflation started. The spices being the most showy example are in total acute hyperinflation.

If you're in Pasadena, CA go look.

Different chain, different county...it's coming your way dears.

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 29, 1999

Answers

Nothing new here in Birmingham; I paid 98 cents/can for Spam and $2.37/lb for coffee yesterday at Walmart. But then I should remember the old adage that trends do start in California. Guess I'll be on the lookout.

Paula, did you wear your Christmas earrings this time?

-- impala (impala@wild.com), November 29, 1999.

Paula, I hope it stays there for awhile.......

-- mushroom (mushroom_bs_too_long@yahoo.com), November 29, 1999.

Paula, You need to get over the spice thing. You've been working on this all day. We believe you, but it's just spices, not rice and beans. Spices are hardly concidered high on the list of items people would make a "run" on. Drink some hot mulled cider and get over it.

-- P.A. (adkins@webbernet.net), November 29, 1999.

Paula,

Baby corn on sale today at Albertson's in central CA, I kid you not! Fancy Mezzeta brand in jars, & others in cans.

Spices are often on sale 'til Thanksgiving, then some take a jump for December cook-a-thons.

Hang in there. {Still no earrings today? Maybe better cover for the weekends there.}

A side note: a friend who traveled through the former eastern bloc countries a few years ago told me it wasn't such a matter that there was no money to spend, as much as there was nothing to spend it on.

-- flora (***@__._), November 29, 1999.

Paula --

Don't take this the wrong way, but I have it on good authority from managmenet at Stater's, that L.A. area prices on baby corn, spices, and vanilla have been skyrocketing due to this one woman who goes around to all their locations and purchases every last unit of these items. Sound familiar??

Q.v., Winnie the Pooh, "Wherein Pooh and Piglet hunt the Heffalump". In other words, I think you may be tracking your own buying patterns!! :)

Squirrel Hunter >"<

-- SH (squirrel@huntr.com), November 29, 1999.

Paula, things are status quo in Northern California. I am not that close of a comparison shopper, and tend to use the local Safeway for loyalty card specials. (Yes, I am well aware they can track my buying habits--have at it).

Waiting for all of this to pop can be hard. I can tell from your posts that the anxiety tends to ebb and flow. I think all of us have the same issues. Just do the best you can to provide for yourself, pets and loved ones. Given where you live in the inland empire, please make sure you have water.I think that is your biggest risk in Southern California.

We are all going to remember this time, but it will pass. Take care

-- Nancy (wellsnl@hotmail.com), November 29, 1999.

If I might add the historical perspective, it should be noted that hyperinflation is a misnomer in this case. Inflationary spiral? Perhaps. More likely opportunistic price gouging on a local scale by merchants riding a wave of demand for a few specific items.

Actual hyperinflation is what they experienced in the Wiemar Republic of Germany in the late 20's and before 1933. In the truest sense, it means the wages you earned that morning are virtually worthless by that evening. During that time, factory workers were sometimes paid in cash 2-3 times a day so they could make quick purchases without losing too much buying power. Eventually, it degraded into a barter condition where workers tried to market/barter the goods they produced in exchange for necessities like food and energy (coal). This condition destroyed the economy as well as the lives of the poor and middle class and damaged the wealthy to a great degree. It lead to the birth of the "rentenmark"...a new currency that was literally based upon a mortgage of sorts on the entire German nation. This crisis also helped fuel the fires of unrest and anger that culminated in Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP coming to power in 1933.

So, you see it is fair to complain about higher prices if you so desire, but please understand the reality of the economic terms you use. Thanks!

Regards,

Irving

PS: Perhaps I should point out for the prevention of ugly debates that I am not Jewish or German. Wasn't there-didn't do that. My comments are based strictly on historical accuracy.

-- Irving (irvingf@myremarq.com), November 29, 1999.

Coyote! Coyote! (not quite a Wolf! Wolf!) ;)

With warmest regards Paula, may I respectfully suggest that you hold off on these posts until you see an upwards surge in the kind of foodstuffs that Joe Sixpack would think to buy? I doubt if that many people have read Lucifer's Hammer. I do think that one day you will be right. And I'd like you still have some credibility then.

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), November 30, 1999.

Lucifer's Hammer is a great book, read it years ago.

-- Dan G (earth_changes@hotmail.com), November 30, 1999.

With so many important issues to discuss in these last days, I would like to ask Paula to ration her posts to one a day on hyperinflation. And, Paula, I can understand you and everybody else who GIs to be in real emotional distress at this time...I have felt some of that lately. But somehow I think that you are extremely distraught and perhaps need to sit down calmly with someone else who GIs and ask them to help you to sort things out and to calm down. Half a dozen or more people have recently suggested that you do some relaxing things to divert you from your increasingly hysterical-sounding thinking and posting. Instead of roaming the stores, why not take a walk out in nature, deep breathe, and reflect upon what is good around you while we still can do that freely?

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), November 30, 1999.