Worst supermarket ripoff? Sugary beverages.

Empty calories, all totally unnecessary. "Energy drinks" are often the most expensive rip-off, but equally useless include Sunny-D, sugared sodas, sugared canned coffee drinks, fruit punch, sugared teas, juice drinks with almost no real juice, and those little individual boxes of sugared beverages.

Supermarkets make a fortune in profits off these drinks... and water is free!

Also fine: making coffee/tea at home, occasional 100% fruit juice (not the kind made of mostly cheap grape juice), tomato juice/V-8, nonfat milk, and occasional sugarfree diet (e.g. with Splenda) sodas and teas.

Want to see your grocery bill go down? Drink more water or home-brewed caffeinated beverages.

ttmadison - agree with the exception of splenda-sweetened beverages - I recently made the switch to stevia, which I buy in liquid form, just add 2 or 3 drops to your tea or coffee to sweeten it. The small jar of stevia (you'll find it next to the splenda in the market) looks expensive but lasts so long that i is really a bargain. And it doesn't have the negative health effects that many attribute to splenda and other artificial sweeteners.

And I also buy flavored seltzer water - no additives, sugar, artificial sweeteners - great alternative to soda. Buy the store brand for the best bargain.

Actually, one of the biggest rip-offs at any grocery store is the Kroger Plus Card. First, they artificially inflate their "regular" prices to try to force you to use your card to get the "discount," so they can track each and everything you buy. (Buying tampons, condoms, or even herpes medications? They'll have all this on record, attached to your name, address, phone number, etc. See how this might not set well with folks?) Then, to make matters worse, their "discounted" prices tend to be higher than the regular, everyday prices at grocery stores like Wal-Mart Super Center, who doesn't track every single thing you buy with your personally identifiable information.

One of the biggest scams in retail of all time.

Brandon - is "refuge" anything like "refuse"? I DO love malapropisms. Like, my neighbor hired a gynecologist to draw up her family tree.

Ah so, and why stop at 7 rip-offs?

Last fall, for an example, my local grocer was selling apples that had been trucked 3,000 miles, for $3.00 a pound. How many apples are in a pound? That is not a trick question. Nothing special about them except that they were half rotten. Why, when there are so many apples within a 200 mile radius.

Local foods, that's the idea. Eat indigenous foods.

Grow your own, better yet. Just a few plants and a great savings.

Plant that apple tree, before you know it the neighborhood kids will be stealing you blind and they will think they are getting away with something.

The other day, one cucumber for a buck, what the ___

Beef no longer has any flavor, they have bred the fat out because they want to be sure my heart keeps beating.

Amazing that the government and Mrs. Obama with her "Move-On" feels the need to educate folks on how to eat.

I suppose so, when I see that the vegetables and fruits are always expensive and the chips and cookies are always on sale.

The latest scam that I have caught both retail grocers as well as plenty of other retail stores doing is posting one price and then charging a higher price at checkout, hoping that the customer isn't paying enough attention. The incidence of this happening has gone from rarely to just about every time that I shop. It would pay many people to carefully check advertised store prices versus what is charged at checkout, and especially watch-out for tags that have a non bar-code discount sticker applied, which does not scan the discount. I am having to make a return trip to JC Penney today over a couple of items where the 50% discount sticker was not applied at checkout, for a total of $18 each.

Brandon - is it really necessary to turn every discussion into a political comment? So mature!

Mr cool, where in the hell do you live that apples are $3.00/lb??? The most I've ever seen is apples @ $1.69/lb and that was out of season around Easter. Apples are in season around September/October here (SW Ontario, Canada) and are usually $0.99/lb.

edgar - You got that right. The difference between a genealogist and a gynecologist is one looks up the family tree and the other looks up the family bush.

The most expensive grocery store apples in Los Angeles usually cost around $1.99/pound but because CA is an agricultural state, I buy my fruits and vegetables at the 99 cents store. No kidding. The farmers bring their non-perfect produce here and HUGE savings. 3 heads of romaine lettuce (dark green and everything) is 99 cents.

Never pay retail.

The number of apples in a pound ranges. If they are large apples, about 2; medium size apples, about 3.

Rhodes

I could care less if the grocery store knows that I buy tampons.

I want the buyers to know what I buy so that the buyers can buy my item at the best possible price. The store buyers use the buying statistics to make deals with suppliers.

I URGE EVERYONE TO USE SHOPPERS CARDS.

I am not surprised that the Party of No and Baggers give free passes to the Corporations that produce this refuge.

Heck of a job, Baggers and Party of No.

Brandon, I must of missed something I don't recall reading anything about any political parties in this article. FYI Brandon Democrats own businesses too and they are also out to save a buck on their taxes.

Karen,

You also encourage everyone to destroy the gay community. You're not exactly the best source of sound (or even sane) advice. ;-)

The food industry is selling to it's clients what they want to buy. Educate yourself to buy health products and you wont' have a problem, but don't blame the food industry for selling you something....they didn't hold a gun to your head to make you buy it.

Shop on the outside of the store, make recipes, and don't buy frozen or boxed dinners.

That one line is more useful than the article.

Don't have time to cook? Make time cancer magnet.

L.J. Well said,

You're not exactly the best source of sound (or even sane) advice. ;-)

Thanks, thinker! I'll remember that one.

Okay, she didn't REALLY do it, but I can imagine it happening because she goes to the choiropractor! I think the doctor and his staff must sing while they're working on her.

Agreed. Apparently the author has never heard of a 'cob'.

Agreed! One of the worst pieces of pseudojournalism I have gagged through in a long time. Obviously the writer has no clue about a number of food groups, but the remarks on beef really annoyed me. Having been in the food industry as a salesperson, broker, and manufaturer's rep, I know that about 60% of what is said here is total dreck. And FYI, Author, some people eat organic to support small American farmers instead of wastelands of genetically altered fruit and vegetable farms in good ol' Mexico (South America, Thailand, anywhere else other than our country, pick a spot). The only niche a small farmer in this country can still fill is the hole in the Organics market. The whole article was stupid and insulting to anyone's intelligence (other than the author's and editor's apparently.)

@Sonata's Adela --

Just be aware that many of the small organic farms and organic food manufacturers have been bought by big corporations. Cascadian Farm, for example, is owned by General Mills. Terra Chips is owned by Heinz. This applies to fresh produce, as well as packaged products. So you might want to really investigate your local farmer's market and understand exactly who it is you're purchasing from. Good luck. The more we all buy organic, the more big biz gets into the game to suck up all those juicy profits. Sigh.

Worst comparison ever! Funyuns to corn, REALLY? Um, I eat Funyuns because they taste like Funyuns, not reminiscent of corn! How about comparing it to Buglers or Sunchips? I'm guessing the article was written during lunch break right before deadline. . .

PD is correct.

Plus, the majority of organic produce sold in the United States, especially organic produce sold at Walmart, comes from China.

Well, living on the east side of Atlanta, I'm fortunate to have several local green markets with actual local food, not to mention a large farmer's market with US-grown organics.

I laughed at that too. 135 grams of caffeine would be over a quarter pound! Nutso. There about 135 mg (or 0.135 g) of caffeine in that beverage.

Dickman - perhaps you meant "They're" rather than "There". I'm not defending the writer of the article. It was basically useless and a waste of time. However, people make mistakes, often out of ignorance.

There are... they're is the contraction for they are, which would make little sense in the context of the original sentence. Making a mistake while typing on a message board is a bit different than publishing an article on a professional website at any rate.

Wow, scales67. It never amazes me that someone has to correct someone else's grammar. You need to realize that sometimes people make mistakes and sometimes it's just that people may not have aced English in high school. I do think that it can make a comment appear a little less intelligent, but there is not need to berate someone for it. This is a comment forum, not an English exam. What I think is even funnier is that you tried to correct him and YOU WERE WRONG!

Rdmetalgeek is right. The author should do some research before writing about medical issues. There are a pantheon of problems being associated with gluten. Celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis, a devstating skin rash, have been will understood but underdiagnosed for years. Some physicians dealing with patients with autism and schyizophrenia have recommended removing gluten from the diet for years. Only recently, with feasible bood tests are more issues becomming more clear. Gluten free food is often expensive, but some of us have to pay the price because for some unfathomable reason, most modern factory food has to have just a little bit of wheat gluten or flour added. I have no idea how many people who don't need to are using gluten free food. Many non-diabetics use sugar free items without being sneered at. If the author should just walk by that part of the store and be glad he can eat "normal" food.

Celiac disease is roughly 10x more prevalent than MS; twice as prevalent as lupus; 30+ % more prevalent than rheumatoid arthritis. Are the editors at Men'sHealth going to sneer (good word) at them?

I do not have celiac disease. I do have a cluster of autoimmune issues. I would never have suspected gluten intolerance had not my neighbor been diagnosed with celiac. She nagged at me enough I finally gave in and began a food / wellness diary.

I discovered that, among other things, gluten makes me crazy if I ingest enough. It always tears up my gut, causes problems with my ears and sinuses, and creates a craving for more gluten.

I word of caution : Maria Speck, the Grain Gourmet, has suggested ancient grains -- barley, farro, kamu, spelt, quinoa, millet, etc -- could be okay for celiacs and those with gluten intolerance. It's not so. I bought a loaf of Ancient Grain Bread (Rich Food Corp.) hoping I could tolerate the ingredients. Two days later I'm still struggling with the effects.

jkatze - Maria Speck listed two gluten containing grains in that list - both barley and spelt contain gluten.

If you are looking for a good gluten free bread try Udi's brand. And if you are craving pasta try quinoa pasta. They have been (metaphorical) lifesavers for me since I developed a gluten intolerance. It's NOT celiac according to the bloodwork, but my allergist said it is very clear I've become sensitive in some way to it. Oh, and when going gluten-free I LOST weight while eating more fat and sugar to compensate for not eating all the things I was used to - so the gluten was definitely at least a part of the reason why I had gained weight in the few years before going gluten free.

Absolutely correct, unfortunately junk food and other types of manufactured foods are cheaper and easier to prepare than actual meats, poultry and produce.

Not to mention, that high fuel costs directly effect the cost of agriculture and the fishing industry.

Sirloin comes from the loin. Round comes from the round. They're two different parts of the cow.

Edmundo you should do research the round primal cut starts were the back leg bone joins the hip and includes the rest of the leg down to the heel the top round is the part of the round at the top were it joins the Loin primal cut which subdivides into the sirloin and short loin which starts where the round ends and stops at the second to last rib. source of my info The Professional Chef which is one of the CIA'S (culinary institute of america) Textbooks which i recomend for home cooks who would like to become a home chef (no im not a shill for the cia i never attended) hope this enlightened at least one person.

Actually, sugar is far better for you than the chemistry set you are guzzling with 5 hr energy.

Actually, everything found in 5 hour energy is found in the human body and in common foods in the form of amino acids.

Seriously Robin? Sugar is better than B-Vitamins and amino acids? Are you serious?

The body contains all sorts of toxins naturally, but is designed to rid itself of the excesses. Hey, but were all addicted to something. Before you ask- Mahjong Titans.

I'm not one to buy into hype products at all. I always do my research into ingredients of food and supplement products. 5 hour energy works for me better than coffee and without the jitters as advertised, plain and simple. Doen't stain your teeth like coffee either. If you buy the 6 packs they are much cheaper.

5 hour energy is completely safe. I usually just drink half the bottle (1 oz.) and that's enough to keep me going all morning!

Robin - "chemistry set"? Here is a breakdown of every ingredient: Vitamins B3, B6, B9 and B12 - all water-soluble vitamins; Taurine, which is an amino acid (protein); Glucuronolactone, a non-toxic (actually a "de-toxicant") which occurs naturally in connective tissue and in most plants; Malic acid is found in green apples and other sour/tart foods; Tyrosine is another amino acid (protein); Caffeine; Citicoline which is a vital nutrient in proper brain function (found in soy lecithin and many other foods); and Phenylalnine is another amino acid... this is the one ingredient that has any potential to harm, but only if you have a certain known genetic disorder, "Phenylketonuria". People with PKU unable to process this amino acid.

They should pay me some kind of royalty for this!

Basically, it's caffeine, a bunch of B-vitamins, a bunch of amino acids (protein), a choline precursor which is vital to brain function, and common sour/tart food flavoring, and glucuronolactone which is a natural de-toxicant.

So yes Robin, it is a "chemistry set" in the sense that everything is chemistry. But nothing toxic or harmful as you imply (unless you have a rare genetic condition know a PKU and cannot metabolize the amino acid Phenylalanine, in which case you have bigger dietary issues to be concerned about!)

Yeah, that was extremely silly.

Ok, I'm admitting that I am totally ignorant on this subject; living in Canada we don't have half of the junk food that you guys have down there in the states. My question is, what in the hell is a funyun?

Candie - do you guys up in Canada also not have Google? If not, then I guess you have no way of doing a search for "Funyun".

Funyuns are puffed corn shaped like onion rings and flavored with artificial onion flavorings and salt. I personally think that they taste terrible, but they really aren't any worse for you than other chips.

Yeah. I think Funyuns are terrible. Wise brand Onion (flavored) Rings are a million times better!

Funyums are awesome, but I rarely buy them. Everything in moderation.

On the rare occasion I want Funyums, AN EAR OF CORN AIN'T GONNA HACK IT!

Great, now I'm hungry for Funyums.

Please bear in mind those strawberries, unless certified organic, are highly toxic. As the berries develop, all the herbicides and pesticides with which they are sprayed are taken into the cells of the fruit.

How good the locally grown summer fruits and vegetables are depends on the section of the country in which one lives. There is nothing that can beat the summer fruits and vegetables that are grown in the Southeast. The same produce grown locally in the North or Midwest aren't worth the time and money spent on cultivation. That applies to other seasonal fruits, as well. Florida citrus is sweeter than California citrus due to the soil.

I'll agree with you if you agree to make an exception for mustard and Tabasco from the condiment aisle.

eileen is right! I recently made a meatloaf by my grandmother's recipe, which uses barbecue sauce. I was disappointed to find that it tasted sweet, a sensation that I don't want in a meatloaf. When I checked the barbecue saucefor contents, the first ingredient listed was corn syrup. All of the brands on the shelf were the same, even the specialty brands that one assumes are better. Since then, I've started trying to make everything from scratch with the exception of mayonnaise. I can't quite bring myself to knowingly consume something that contains a raw egg. Once you start making your own salad dressings, etc., you'll never go back to the store bought varieties.

It's wise to be very careful about how food is labeled. "Cage free" can mean that the chicken has maybe a square foot of space rather than being packed into a pen so tightly that it can't move. It doesn't necessarily mean that the chicken is roaming around freely in a large open space as one would imagine. If you want truly cage free chickens, or eggs produced by cage free chickens, the label should include "humanely" grown.

Or better yet, get a couple of hens to keep in the backyard for eggs. They don't require alot of time to take care of and they like to eat bugs and weeds. Mine are especially fond of ticks and spiders.

Most urban and suburban areas have ordinances against keeping poultry.

I agree. I don't believe the caffeine is the key ingredient either, I want to say vitamin b12 is. Either way, you can get it under $2 a shot by buying a 6 pack at Walmart.

Well, people do buy chips....

Apparently some people do otherwise the chip company would be out of business.

So much ignorance and arrogance! Where to begin?

Surprising anyone is still alive in the country filled with foods loaded with gluten, whatever the Hell that is?

dmeans43 - perhaps you should learn what gluten is before ridiculing foods that contain it. Gluten is a protein composite found in wheat and related species, including barley and rye. It isn't added to food by big, bad boogieman food manufacturers. It's part of the grain. So, you are essentially saying that it's surprising anyone in this country is still alive, considering that bread is a staple in the Western diet.

(I believe you meant "agenda" rather than "ajenda". Spell-check. Nothing like those who accuse others of being dumb or "not so smart" without first looking in the mirror.)

It has been scientifically proven that there is little or no nutritional value in eating magazines. Try eating the little junk notifications that come in your utility bill. Tasty too!

But that's how I get my fiber...

David--Yes, that is a problem but here is a little hint that you might find helpful. If you feel you must eat magazines only eat the pages with ads for breads, cereals and fibrous vegetables. That way not only will you get your daily requirement for ink and paper but you might get some fiber as well. Good luck!

These are the same geniuses who think we should burn our food in cars and use coal because it is safe.

I would almost guarantee that some organic fruits, like bananas, are picked from the exact same tree as their ordinary counterparts. The marketing concept of producing two identical items with different labels and price points isn't uncommon. AMD did it for years with their Athlon chips, and diaper manufacturers will produce the same quality store brands without the Disney characters.

If I ran a farm, i'd grow it all organic and simply split between regular and organic based upon relative demand.

To buy "organic" food, for years you had to visit the "health food" store. We've had one here since the 70s, and I buy a few things there (tamari soy sauce, for one) and I have always wondered why the patrons look so TERRIBLE. If they're eating "health food" why do most of them look so sickly??

Because a lot of them go vegan which is far from a healthy lifestyle especially if done wrong. Soy in large quantities is absolutely awful for you and cutting fat out of your diet completely is just plain stupid yet many vegans will do both.

I see some of the moral issues vegans fight for and I understand their cause from that standpoint, but it is a non ideal lifestyle from a nutritional standpoint. I have seen very few healthy looking vegans if they weren't closet meat eaters. I hail from Eugene OR (land of the vegans) btw...

So we know two things: 1) she doesn't know the difference between grams and milligrams, which follows logically from, 2) she didn't pull nearly enough all-nighters in college, if she went to college, if she studied at all! Pass that sludge, if you don't mind!

Especially the part of ingesting over a LB of caffeine. Such a great article!

The quantity quoted is just over 1/4 pound, not over a pound. 1 pound is 454 grams.