Asia Edition
Shoppers were in good spirits this week as they found deals that were scary good. Retailers promoted costumes, decorations, candy, and of course pumpkins and apple cider. Fall favorites like pomegranates, cranberries, grapes, and butternut, acorn, and spaghetti squash were showcased. Baking supplies were featured as the holiday season approaches.
Total ad numbers this week were 301,507, about the same as last week's 301,907. Ad numbers this week were 11% lower than for the same week last year. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 163,749 (54% of all ads), onions and potatoes 23,594 (8%), vegetables 110,206 (37%), herbs 1,400, ornamentals 2,558, and hemp 1,974. The number of ads for organic produce was 42,735, 14% of total ads.
The following are the prices of major advertised items (3,000 plus stores) this week, compared to the same week last year. Significant increases in price for fruit this week included apple juice at 25%, white seedless grapes at 22%, Honeycrisp apples at 15%, and Bartlett pears at 10%. There were no significant decreases.
There were no significant changes in price for onions and potatoes. Significant increases in vegetable prices this week included only zucchini at 12%. Significant decreases included on-the-vine tomatoes at 23% and asparagus at 20%.
