Costs of Thanksgiving turkey, fixings down this year, experts say
Thanksgiving food items like canned goods can be more expensive, though
CHICAGO (WLS) -- There is good news for consumers this thanksgiving: Your turkey dinner may not be as expensive as last year.
Shoppers seem to be quite pleased with the prices.
Wednesday was the last stretch for Thanksgiving shoppers, like Alexandra Samis, hoping to get in and out of stores with what they need, without breaking the bank.
"They're (prices are) pretty good. They're better, I think, than last year," Samis said.
And she's right.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the cost of Thanksgiving dinner is cheaper than last year.
The average cost for a family of 10 is $61.17, down 4.5% compared to 2022.
Phil Lempert, editor of supermarketguru.com, explained why prices are leveling off.
"This year, Thanksgiving is a much better deal than last year. If you remember last year, turkey prices were up about 22%. This year they're down about the same amount. The reason is, we didn't have an outbreak of avian flu, which last year culled 60 million turkeys, so that's the great news," Lempert said.
Egg prices have dropped, as well.
"We saw eggs up to $7 for a dozen. Now they're at about $2.50," Lempert said.
But, Lempert said, canned goods are more expensive this year. He said consumers are better off going to the produce section.
"Those products that are in the cans are at the higher level prices than are at market now. So that's why we're seeing the big difference," he said.
Most items will be cheaper than last year, but it's still not pre-pandemic prices.
"What we've seen is labor cost going up, transportation costs going up, with all the storms and climate change, that's really caused an upturning of agriculture," Lempert said.
Samis said she's thankful for the deals she got this year.
"I love taking care of my family, and I love shopping for Thanksgiving, so it makes me thrilled. The prices are definitely going down, so it's great," she said.
Shoppers may have to stop at more than one store, as items might start selling out.
