What's up with potato prices?

[APowers]

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but it used to be that I could get those 10lb sacks of small-ish russet baking potatoes for ~$1.99 regular price and often ~$.99 on sale (at least quarterly). But as of abooooout 2-3 years ago (ish?) they stopped going on sale for ~$.99 (mayybe as a loss leader for the thanksgiving/christmas runup), and then shortly after that, the regular price jumped up to ~$2.50, and then further to ~$3. And now, potatoes are going for a 5lb bag on sale for $1.99! I haven't noticed a jump in price for the giant size russets (still ~$.50/lb, as they've been for ages). Only the bulk bags of smaller ones.

Now, when I saw the price jump a couple years ago on the price of vanilla extract (from ~$8/pint to ~$30/pint), I researched and found about the crop failures leading to supply shortages. But I have had no such luck with potato prices. No-one on the internet seems to be talking about this. What gives?

[partgypsy]

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but it used to be that I could get those 10lb sacks of small-ish russet baking potatoes for ~$1.99 regular price and often ~$.99 on sale (at least quarterly). But as of abooooout 2-3 years ago (ish?) they stopped going on sale for ~$.99 (mayybe as a loss leader for the thanksgiving/christmas runup), and then shortly after that, the regular price jumped up to ~$2.50, and then further to ~$3. And now, potatoes are going for a 5lb bag on sale for $1.99! I haven't noticed a jump in price for the giant size russets (still ~$.50/lb, as they've been for ages). Only the bulk bags of smaller ones.

Now, when I saw the price jump a couple years ago on the price of vanilla extract (from ~$8/pint to ~$30/pint), I researched and found about the crop failures leading to supply shortages. But I have had no such luck with potato prices. No-one on the internet seems to be talking about this. What gives?

I have also noticed potato prices have gone up. Not recently, but a few years ago. The local store had bags for like 250 and now they are 3.99 or higher.

[partgypsy]

https://www.officialdata.org/Potatoes/price-inflation/2003

So nothing crazy but the price has gone up, supposedly 59% from 2003 to 2019. However historically speaking the price of potatoes today is half what it was for many time periods.
https://www.officialdata.org/Potatoes/price-inflation/2003

[slackmax]

The standard potato price around here (Pa) has been about 40 cents a pound for the last 4 years or so (or more). I can get them on sale for 30 cents a pound now and them.

All veggies are way up in the last 5 years or so. Peppers, apples, everything. Sometimes a good sale pops up, though. I saw green grapes for 49 cents a pound a day ago.   

[Omy]

Most fruits and veggies have been trending higher in the past few years. I assumed it might have something to do with our new stance on immigration in the U.S.

[HPstache]

Just picked up 10lb for $1.99, but WA is also one of the top(?) Producer of Potatoes, so maybe we havent seen the price increase yet....

[APowers]

Just picked up 10lb for $1.99, but WA is also one of the top(?) Producer of Potatoes, so maybe we havent seen the price increase yet....

Is that a regular price or a front-page-of-the-weekly-ad sale price?

[OtherJen]

I paid $1.69 for a 5-lb bag of russet potatoes last week. I wish I’d paid closer attention because I don’t know if that’s much higher than normal.

[mountain mustache]

I think potatoes are generally 89-99 cents a pound here, no matter the type. I feel like that is pretty expensive, but I live in a small town where everything is expensive. I tend to pick up a 20 pound bag at Costco if I'm ever in the city, but I feel like even those have gotten more expensive lately.  Thankfully one of our clients at work is a potato farmer, so every Fall during harvest he bring us all tons of free, fresh potatoes!

[Davnasty]

Just bought a pound of russets for 2.99 and that's about normal when they're not on sale. I wouldn't buy them at that price but I had plans that required potatoes.

It's not that I consider $0.60/lb for potatoes to be expensive but other starches like rice or grits are much cheaper per calorie and I can add more vegetables to a meal to get the same or better nutrition. I try to only buy them on sale at $0.40/lb or less.