GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — With more than a week until Thanksgiving, shoppers who haven't bought their turkey yet may experience sticker shock, as the cost of a holiday bird is up from last year.
An analysis by Purdue University expects retail turkey prices across the nation to average $2.05 per pound this November, up 25 percent from last Thanksgiving.
That increase is partly due to a resurgence in highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) and high demand.
"They sell really fast,” said Marketing Manager Anna Shefchik at Waseda Farms in De Pere. She says the store only has a few turkeys left on its shelves.
At Waseda Farms, organic whole turkeys cost $6.95 per pound and regularly sell out.
"More people are putting more of an importance on where their food comes from and the quality of it," Shefchik said.
Non-organic birds retail for less.
At University Avenue Market, frozen turkeys are still in stock and sell for $2.29 per pound.
That's just slightly above some of the cheapest options at other Green Bay grocers. Festival Foods sells frozen turkeys for as low as $2.19 per pound, Woodmans for $1.59 per pound, and Hy-Vee for $1.39 per pound.
Watch the full story by Jessica Goska here:
Tierra Irvin is preparing a Thanksgiving feast for 12 people this season and expects to spend about $200 on her grocery shopping.
“I do [the majority of the shopping,” said Irvin, who’s skipping the turkey this time around.
“This year, we’re adding oxtails,” she stated.
The price of beef is up, too, though, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Those subbing their birds for beef should expect to see about a 15 percent rise in price from last year.
To mitigate that rise in cost, shoppers might consider buying from a business that controls its supply, like Waseda Farms.
"We don't really see those influxes as much. We don't have to raise prices when beef prices go up," Shefchik said.
Last-minute shoppers could also still save on their side-dish items, particularly on potatoes, bread and fruit and vegetables, which haven't seen a big spike in price nationwide.
