- Some bodegas in New York City have started selling eggs in smaller quantities as prices have shot up to new record highs due to the mass culling of hens from bird flu. That’s similar to the sale of “loose” cigarettes after prices for packs jumped when local governments began imposing steep sales taxes to curb demand.
The shocking rise in egg prices has prompted some stores in New York City to start selling them in smaller amounts, mimicking the sale of individual cigarettes.
Earlier this month, bodegas began selling eggs in groups of three for $3 after customers balked at buying a dozen of them for about $12, according to local media reports.
The JJN Deli Grocery in the Bronx is also selling bundles of three for $3 while offering a dozen for a discount.
“Over here we selling for $10.99, the large one, and the medium will cost about $9.99. But it’s still expensive,” deli employee David Evangelista told CBS News.
When reached by Fortune, the deli didn’t immediately provide a comment.
The tactic is similar to the sale of individual, or “loose,” cigarettes, which have seen prices soar over the years as local governments imposed steep taxes to curb demand and improve public health.
New York City also established a minimum price of $13 per pack, though taxes push the amount that consumers pay to nearly $20.
The nationwide average for egg prices isn’t as high as in New York, but Americans are still reeling from sticker shock.
Data from the most recent consumer price index show that prices for a dozen grade A eggs jumped 15% in the month of January alone to $4.95, shattering the previous record of $4.82 from two years ago and keeping overall inflation sticky.
Over the past year, egg prices have shot up 53% and have more than doubled from a low reached in August 2023.
That’s due to the ongoing bird flu outbreak, which has forced millions of egg-laying hens to be slaughtered to limit the disease’s spread.
The Agriculture Department has said more than 23 million birds, including turkeys and chickens, were culled last month, and nearly 158 million have been slaughtered since the outbreak began hitting US farms in 2022.
The spike in prices recently caused the Waffle House to impose a 50-cent surcharge for every egg sold, rather than hike prices across all its menu items.
Meanwhile, top grocery chains are limiting the amount of eggs customers can buy after incidents of panic-buying at stores like Costco were additionally fueled by tariff fears.
