Shoppers load up on menu must-haves for Fourth of July celebrations
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – If you plan on cooking for a big crowd for the Fourth of July, you may already know that the grocery stores are packed.
It’s almost the Fourth of July and folks are stopping by their local grocery stores getting what they need for the holiday.
Employees at stores like Food Giant and Sunflower have seen a steady stream of customers coming in their doors since the weekend and it hasn’t slowed down yet.
Assistant store manager at Sunflower Greg Smart said people are looking for specific items before the Fourth.
“The customers have been coming in and just buying stuff like chicken, barbeque sauce we’ve been seeing a lot of people coming in,” said Smart.
Over at Food Giant store manager Dan Price said people are basically getting the same items. He said the store is well-stocked this year.
“We have several days worth of festivities for everyone this year we’ve had a better volume of merchandise than we have the last couple of years because of COVID, we have struggled with staffing issues but as a whole, it’s been a good weekend,” said Price.
According to American Farm Bureau Federation data, a Fourth of July picnic for 10 people was nearly $70 last year.
This year, the grocery bill is lower for people like Jimmy Williams. Williams paid just over $40 dollars for his cart.
According to wellsfargo.com sirloin steak remains a big-ticket item at $10.75 per pound, which is up 2.9% from a year ago.
The current average for ground beef is $5.36 per pound, up less than 1% from a year ago.
While chicken breasts are currently selling at $4.24 per pound, almost 2% lower than a year ago.
“Mostly you come in and get something and you look and find something else you need you know you get more than what you came to get and when the price is right you might as well get it today instead of waiting until tomorrow because it might be more, every dollar you save counts,” said Williams.
Williams said he tries to save money on groceries with his garden but blazing temperatures pushed him to the stores to get everything he needs.
“I grow a lot of my stuff but the weather it’s been good and it hasn’t been good you know like now it’s gotten hot and now your stuff is getting ready to produce and harvest but it’s so hot on it you lose a lot of stuff,” said Williams.
Store managers said it’s not too late for people to buy what they need for cookouts and picnics. Both stores don’t close until 9 p.m. Monday night and will be open before 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.
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