dog bones

[DrPizza]

I've never been quite able to figure this out.

Dog bones - $1.99 a pound at the grocery store in the meat department.

But, human food: boneless, skinless chicken breast: $1.88 per pound.)
Pork sirloin chops: $1.88 per pound.
pork sirloin roast: 1.98 per pound
frozen turkey breast: 1.38 per pound
chicken legs: 1.18 per pound
pick of the chix (cut up chicken - split breast, legs, thighs in the package: $1.58 per pound

Even ground beef (the 73% stuff) is only $2.28 per pound


Why the hell are dog bones so expensive? You'd think they'd be garbage or something that they'd sell dirt cheap (i.e. like suet.) Or, is it just at my local store?
( http://www.giantfoodmart.com/circular/clickable.jsp?pageID=52111#circ )

 

[coldmeat]

Who supplies dog bones? Dog farms?

 

[DrPizza]

The grocery store has their own butcher department where they cut their own meat - the bones, presumably, would be scraps. They grind the ground beef on premises; my grocery store isn't one of those chains that buys its ground beef from those gigantic plants that grind 100,000 pounds in each batch.

Oh, I see what you're saying; I'm not sure if you're being obtuse, or what. Generally, they're cow leg bones, cut to various lengths. They're *for* dogs. Not from dogs.

 

[Jeff7]

Probably because that's what they can charge, and people will pay it.


Just like how people can still pay 10 cents per text message, for up to 140 7-bit-bytes of data. 0.0714 cents per byte. 0.0102 cents per bit. Joseph F's 6GB/month thing (at the usual 8 bits per byte) would cost $876,523.94.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Those are way cheaper than the ones they sell in the dog food isles if you really want to complain about something. Those smoked bones are ridiculously priced like $5+ a bone. My local store sells "soup bones" which I'm sure mostly end up as dog bones for 79 cents a pounds.

 

[edro]

I first was wondering what type of Vietnamese grocery stores you go to... then I realized you meant bones FOR dogs...

Are the bones processed in any way? Bleached, cleaned, etc? Are they stripped then coated with a "gravy" type coating? Are they just raw and dehydrated?

There has to be some type of post processing that would increase the cost.
Or... they just charge more because they know dog owners spare no expense for their pets.

 

[Wyndru]

pet tax

 

[WelshBloke]

Because cows are expensive and they only have 4 legs?

 

[alkemyst]

chicken wings used to be free.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Marrow bones are often used for making soups/gravies so are sold not only as dog bones. They used to be around .99 here but I can still get them for $1.25/lb.

 

[brandonb]

I've noticed the same thing.

Canned dog food is the same way. You can pay $1.99 for a normal sized can of dog food, or you can buy 5/$5.00 Chunky Soup which is the same thing.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

As was said, because they can.

Also, because they have to select bones that aren't too small or fragile (so the dogs can't break them and/or swallow bits and pieces) and because they presumably process them a bit (smoking them or drying them, or at least stripping out most of the meat/marrow for other uses, which they wouldn't have to do with a soup bone) there's actually more processing cost associated with the "dog bones" than with some other things.

Dogs will gnaw on the same bone for a really long time, though. It's probably not a bad deal. Fill the hollow bone with peanut butter and enjoy the show.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I've noticed the same thing.

Canned dog food is the same way. You can pay $1.99 for a normal sized can of dog food, or you can buy 5/$5.00 Chunky Soup which is the same thing.

It's not the same thing, nutritionally speaking.

 

[SunnyD]

@ last check, marrow bones were about $0.79/lb last time we bought some. OP is doing it wrong.

Otherwise, price is what it is because it's a low demand item, therefore the shelf space, prep and packing time, along with the waste incurred dictates a price that people are willing to pay.

 

[basslover1]

I've never been quite able to figure this out.

Dog bones - $1.99 a pound at the grocery store in the meat department.

But, human food: boneless, skinless chicken breast: $1.88 per pound.)
Pork sirloin chops: $1.88 per pound.
pork sirloin roast: 1.98 per pound
frozen turkey breast: 1.38 per pound
chicken legs: 1.18 per pound
pick of the chix (cut up chicken - split breast, legs, thighs in the package: $1.58 per pound

Even ground beef (the 73% stuff) is only $2.28 per pound


Why the hell are dog bones so expensive? You'd think they'd be garbage or something that they'd sell dirt cheap (i.e. like suet.) Or, is it just at my local store?
( http://www.giantfoodmart.com/circular/clickable.jsp?pageID=52111#circ )

While beef bones are usually sold because the meat industry tries to not waste anything, compare the price to other beef products and youll find them to be pretty cheap. And the 73% ground beef is cheap because thats a lot of fat, you're paying for filler in essence.

 

[Jeff7]

Because cows are expensive and they only have 4 legs?

Centicows.

Genetic engineers, get on that.

Then we'll also need an udder for each pair of legs behind the first ones, a massive mutant-ant-like head to allow for increased food intake, and a lower body temperature to reduce wasted metabolism. (Cold enough, and we can directly get soft-serve ice cream in the winter.)

Might as well give them good meaty wings too, and of course an in-born urge to be eaten once fully-grown and delicious.



Damn, my mind seems to have wandered off again. Carry on.

 

[JTsyo]

Centicows.

Genetic engineers, get on that.

Then we'll also need an udder for each pair of legs behind the first ones, a massive mutant-ant-like head to allow for increased food intake, and a lower body temperature to reduce wasted metabolism. (Cold enough, and we can directly get soft-serve ice cream in the winter.)

Might as well give them good meaty wings too, and of course an in-born urge to be eaten once fully-grown and delicious.



Damn, my mind seems to have wandered off again. Carry on.

Reminds me of Homer's dream with the pig that comes and lays there so Homer can grab some bacon.

 

[DrPizza]

I first was wondering what type of Vietnamese grocery stores you go to... then I realized you meant bones FOR dogs...

Are the bones processed in any way? Bleached, cleaned, etc? Are they stripped then coated with a "gravy" type coating? Are they just raw and dehydrated?

There has to be some type of post processing that would increase the cost.
Or... they just charge more because they know dog owners spare no expense for their pets.

Nope, no processing. Looks like someone cut just about all the meat off the outside as possible (and tossed into the hamburg). There's still little bits of meat on them. Not smoked or cooked in any manner.

 

[Perknose]

Nope, no processing. Looks like someone cut just about all the meat off the outside as possible (and tossed into the hamburg). There's still little bits of meat on them. Not smoked or cooked in any manner.

I always wondered about this price disparity as well and simply concluded that they did that to prey on yuppie pet owners.

When my Great Dane was alive, more than once butchers came out of their stores to offer me huge bones for free! :awe:

 

[maziwanka]

prob just supply and demand. i feel this is like the cost of diesel v. gasoline