I'm still sparring store managers over published prices not matching the register price months later at two food retailers. One is a national chain, and the other is a local chain. I'm wondering what's going on. Answers are not forthcoming after the price correction, just some free shrugs.

At the big retailer, it could be a symptom of switching to online sales. My handheld soulmate whispers that 20% of all USA online sales is retail food, and is growing. Gargantuan retailers want to become behemoths in order to swallow the online market in one gulp. This is some new bad news for flavor, nutrition and quality, which are important to me for enjoying eating, moving and breathing.

Not sure what's up with the local chain, except maybe staff turnover messing with proper price updates. Cashier is already upset, angrily shouting in Spanish back at the fruit manager when I tell her the apples are actually a dollar less per pound, again. I just think the 'again' word.

Mind you, these are old price games from yesteryear that were squelched by government regulation prepandemic. But politcal times are tough. The mayor is tripping over criming, and a sport breakup, so I don't expect price gremlins to get attention.

So it's left to us. It's not too late to order a fruit tree and rustle up a massive container or two. Seriously, once you find a path to grow-ceries, you'll wonder why you bought retail food at these prices. This is my backstop, making small steps to food self-sufficiency in the concrete jungle.

I've already cut them out of fresh gingerroot and lemongrass. Indoor tomatoes are flowerng in now in January. All these plants got started with the food I bought from these retailers.

Plant the ginger root, the lemongrass, some seeds from the tomato. Try an avocado pit. You can root cabbage leaves. It's fantastic and wondrous. Try it.