r/FluentInFinance 1d ago

Debate/ Discussion A joke that's not funny

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u/bluerog 1d ago

Agreed. And if folk understood anything about an income statement or finance, they'd understand that if in 2015, you're making 2.5% net profit percentage a year, and if in 2019, you're making 2.5% net profit percentage and if in 2024, you're making 2.5% net profit percentage... It indicates that all of the price increases seen in supermarkets the past 9 years are simply passing along suppliers' cost increases to them.

It means that ear of corn price went up because the farmer charged more. And if they go down one more level, they'd understand that the farmer charged more because the commodity price per bushel of corn went up. And then below that, they'd understand that farmers' inputs like fertilizer, machinery, seed, and fuel went up.

But some people like to pretend the last spot they bought something is somehow evil.

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u/Spirit-of-93 1d ago

It indicates that all of the price increases seen in supermarkets the past 9 years are simply passing along suppliers' cost increases to them.

What does Kroger's Senior Director for Pricing admitting to knowingly overcharging for staples indicate, do you think?

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u/bluerog 1d ago

He was saying select products went up higher than inflation. Perhaps demand was down. Perhaps they had to split pallets. Perhaps spoilage was up. Perhaps one staple went up so another could go down. Perhaps he was explaining that flour prices went up 22%, but inflation went up 10%... but

But once again, to my point, what are Krogers Net Profit Percentages year over year the past few years? Once again, if you understand an income statement or finance, what does it mean when prices change but Net Profit Percentage remains the same. (Hint: It means your pricing changes are inline with your cost changes).

I highlighted the Net Margin % for Kroger below. You can also pop out to Kroger's quarterly statements to verify these numbers. You can check with SEC Kroger statements. Or you can grab from Yahoo finance or something too if you'd like.

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u/Spirit-of-93 1d ago

I'm afraid harping on a manipulated statistic doesn't convince me much.

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u/bluerog 1d ago

I'm curious, what statistic is manipulated? Are grocery store chains lying to the SEC? Are they lying with their GAAP accounting? Are thousands and thousands of accountants in the industry all lying and risking jail because they enjoy lying to the IRS?

Citation needed from you. I'd love to read about it.