Can Mac & Cheese be THAT good?
Don’t get us wrong, we love the Starfish Gourmet store at Marketplace, but every now and then you run across an eye-popping pricetag.
Take this box of Beecher’s World’s Best frozen macaroni & cheese, from Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Seattle. It’s priced at $22.49 for a 20 ounce box that serves 2-4. Crazy? It may be a bargain!
On the Beecher’s Handmade Cheese Website, you’ll pay $36 to have it shipped to your house. ($15 plus $21 for shipping.) That means, unless you live in Seattle, you can actually SAVE 35 percent on what must be the world’s most overpriced Mac & Cheese. Does it sell?
“It sells very well!” exclaimed one Starfish Gourmet employee. “I don’t know if people who buy it actually look at the price, but a lot of families put it in their basket.”
There’s nothing like an overpriced bargain. But, maybe it’s Mac & Cheese nirvana. (Our budget didn’t allow for taste testing.)
After feeling smug for getting such a deal, you can go across the hall to regular Starfish and pay $9.09 for a $3 bag of Terra Kettles Sea Salt potato chips. NOW you’ve been taken.
But the finer things in life come at a price. Especially on St. John.
November 30th, 2010 00:57
I think I would much rather take my $22.50 and go to a local restaurant…one could have a feast at the Tourist Trap for $22.50.
November 30th, 2010 01:10
…or, you can just make it yourself:
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=f1edd7695b1c7110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default
November 30th, 2010 01:37
My Mom made the “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese, but she lacked the vision or need to market it. Having tried Beecher’s too, I’d say Mom’s wins hands down.
November 30th, 2010 03:19
ha! I work not even a block from Beecher’s in Seattle. It is good, but you could certainly make it at home, on your own with good store purchased cheese, for less money and more leftovers. I am cracking up at that price, and I have lived on St. John for a lot of years. Laziness exemplified (unless you are on a quick lunch break in Seattle where it is much cheaper…and yummy).
November 30th, 2010 07:20
Oprah just gave away some of that Mac and Cheese as one of her favorite things. I think it is around $10 here in CT
November 30th, 2010 07:33
I thought this post was going to be about Oprah some how. Must be that she is driving up the price! Damn her!
What are your favorite things?
November 30th, 2010 07:35
Unlike other sectors of commerce in the islands, grocery retailers simply cannot justify these ridiculous markups…..not with a straight face at least. You know how many boxes of that mac and cheeese you can fit nto a refridgerated 40 foot container?…alot.
And hey to the grocery kingpins in the VI,spare me the counter about rotten produce received, fuel costs and high import duties, it doesn’t come close to justifying a $20 box of processed wheat and cheese product. I’m not hating on ya. It’s free market economics and I’m OK with that. I’m just saying….and you know it’s true.
November 30th, 2010 07:56
Prices on the rock are always higher than the mainland (except for rum, thank you Lord) but pricing like this appears to be a case of taking advantage of people’s desires to an extreme. I just hope that their frozen food freeser doesn’t fail because no insurance is going to cover that sort of retail price loss. I can’t afford to grocery shop there, but it makes me not even want to walk in the door. Sorry, that’s just me.
November 30th, 2010 07:57
It is one of Oprah’s favorites…surprised they even had any on the shelf!!
November 30th, 2010 10:53
I got suckered by those Terra Chips a couple of years ago–hard lesson learned to always look at the price tag before putting food in my cart at Starfish!
November 30th, 2010 11:20
i learned along time ago, if you want it shut up and pay the price. not like we have alot of price comparative shopping here. have you tried to shop around for gas? oh ya, never mind we only have ONE station.
December 1st, 2010 07:24
I just looked up the price online here at my local grocery store. I was way off, $19.49, so that price is not all that bad at all!
December 5th, 2010 16:52
C’monnn…. it’s Mac & Cheese. Even at my favorite restaurant with, with truly the best Mac & Cheese, it still only costs $16.00 and it’s served to you hot and ready to eat!