Retailers, including Trader Joe’s and Kroger, began to limit egg purchases – Public Radio Boise State

The main retailers across the country have begun to limit the number of cardboard cartons of egg buyers they can buy as prices continue to rise against the background of decorated chicken supply.

In Trader Joe, customers can only buy one or two dozen per day. The restriction is in force in all places.

“We hope that these restrictions will help ensure that so many of our customers who need eggs are able to buy them when they visit the Joe merchant,” the company said.

The spokesman added, “The rule can be canceled when there is no problem with delivery.”

Croer said he did not apply a national limit, but some of his units have.

“In these divisions, the boundaries are two dozens per customer for travel,” said a spokesman. He did not specify which divisions they apply the boundaries and has not yet answered further inquiries from NPR.

What happens to the delivery of eggs?

The delivery of eggs has been shaken by an epidemic of bird flu, which has been going on since 2022. Since then, nearly 160 million birds have been affected by the commercial and back yards.

The problem has worsened in recent months. From November to December, the number of infected birds has increased by over 11 million and nearly 5 million from December to January, according to USDA.

In addition, the average price of a dozen large eggs of grade A was $ 4.95 last month, with $ 2.52 a year before, according to the Labor Statistics Bureau.The experts have said It is difficult to predict how long it will take the spread of the disease.

“I don’t think the shops are looking at being in their interest in having empty shelves. They would like to have eggs on shelves when people appear,” says David Anderson, a professor of cattle and marketing food marketing products at Texas University A&M.

The alternative would be to make egg prices even higher to keep them on the shelves, he said.

John Cranfield, a temporary dean of the Agricultural College of the University of Gulf, added that empty shelves can lead customers to shop with competitors.

Cranfield said how long the restrictions last depends on the ability of farmers to deliver eggs, which is limited. Farmers had to euthanize chickens, clean and renovate the barns to get rid of the virus and then bring fresh bird supply, he said.

“This can be anywhere between two months to four months, depending on the circumstances,” he said.

Why do consumers store goods?

It is unclear whether retailers have imposed the caps because customers have started to store eggs or whether they limit purchases to prevent storage. Merchant Joe and Croer have not yet answered further inquiries.

Ayelet Fishbach, a professor of behavioral science and marketing at the University of Chicago, said there are several reasons for people to store consumer goods.

On the one hand, even if one does not expect a shortage of a high -demand product, they know that others are likely to do so, so they are ultimately stored, which can actually cause shortages.

“The storage is contagious and not necessarily irrational,” Fishbach said.

Second, “people tend to expect to regret that they have enough food more than they regret that they have had too much,” she said.

The decision of some retailers to put restrictions on egg purchases may “probably lead to the fear of the reserve not to go without more,” said T. Betina Cornwell, a professor of marketing at Oregon University.

Anderson said he expects the behavior of the accumulation to be short -lived due to the durability of eggs, compared to a long -term phenomenon as people storing toilet paper during coronavirus pandemic.

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