Azz if these big organisations were interested in the price of cucumbers, Dachs would not be able to buy this refreshing gourd for half the price it is in the UK.
These are UK supermarkets fixing prices across all the big players at a micro level. These days they probably have an AI package.
The other side of the coin is Brexit. We no longer seem to be able to source the low prices of EU produce. How much of the 89p is now a tariff?
So yes the big players are the big players, but the price of cucumbers is down to a) supply chain fluctuations and b) some sort of price fixing cartel developing as a result of tech developments and it’s anti-competitive at a micro level.
I like my cucumbers pickle in sweet vinegar with lots of dill added.
They say fermented foods are good, but they don’t agree with me. Definitely tasty in a sandwich though. It’s probably a cheaper way to eat cucumbers these days.
Try to keep as cool as a …
No doubt, Annie, this is a very unfortunate situation that you’re faced with. As upsetting as this is for you (“No cucumber salad today”, if I may plagiarise the Herman’s Hermits ) it would be interesting to know if other produce was affected by some kind of price fixing and if the same phenomenon can be seen in other regions and sectors of the economy, too? In other words, how generalisable is the key assertion that we’re seeing the end of competition at a micro level as a result of a massive intervention by the big players and what would be the implications of that? Is it really conceivable that one of the key features and main pillars of our economic system might get lost?
As you seem to imply, the cucumber case is likely to have been arranged at the meso level by the supermarket chains themselves rather than by the big players. A case in point would be cartel-like price agreements by petrol stations as we see them over here quite often.
The skin is said to be rich in nutrients, for that reason I only buy the organic ones, £1.09 in Lidl.
But because you shouldn’t put them in the fridge they only taste good for 3-4 days in the fruit bowl.
So finally I have been able to justify buying two cucumbers - not only were these reduced from the oligopoly blanket price of 89p to only 11p each, but I bought two well over a week ago and they are still totally fresh thanks to whatever coating Asda apply and the packaging. Hopefully the benefits of the fresh veg offset any toxic load!
What hacks me right off is our local Tesco have stopped selling half cucumbers. A whole one is too much and half of it goes off and ends up getting put in the bin.
I read that cucumbers are something that you should always eat Organic. The Lidl organic cucumbers at £1.09 are good value I think.
They definitely taste fantastic home grown, but I refuse to pay over the odds for what is literally a glass of water.
I like the ‘baby’ cucumbers, strictly speaking not babies but a different variety.
yes those taste really nice
Are baby ones also known as gherkin cucumbers? I like them pickled but aways feel a wally when eating one.
Ice and a slice!
A decent gin with a slice of cucumber… sublime.
You mean lemon, surely
sounds very posh
It really does work
As d00d suggested lemon (or lime) is my first choice but ice and a slice of cucumber makes for a refreshing change.