Your Super Bowl LVII Party Can Cost You Less Than It Did Last Year

On today’s Bullseye – Walk into every supermarket across the nation this week and there is no doubt you will know what major food event is coming up this Sunday on February 12 – it’s Super Bowl time once again! And if you happen to live in Philadelphia or Kansas City – you’ll also be overwhelmed by your supermarket with all the team shirts, hats, footballs, pennants, and stickers to promote your hometown team and Super Bowl LVII. But what about the food? Philly is known for its cheesesteaks and KC it’s BBQ so expect a lot of supermarket promotions and sales for those ingredients in those cities; but for the rest of the 100+ million Americans expected to watch the game, they are looking at those food prices carefully in deciding what to serve this year at their Super Bowl party.

Super Bowl parties represent a huge sales boost for supermarkets and foodservice operators. According to SNAC, the trade group for the snack industry, we spent $616 million in 2022 on snacks alone for this Sunday game; up 10.5% over the previous year, and they expect sales to be even higher this year! Frito-Lay’s Snack-Index consumer survey a week or so ago polled 2,000 adults who reported that almost half (49%) said that running out of snacks is worse than their team losing. Seriously? 38% of us are chiming in that its their number one go to Super Bowl mainstay is Chicken Wings, which according to the Chicken Wings National Chicken Council we spend over $2 billion dollars  for this event’s favorite treat.

We asked our Facebook followers what foods or beverages they would be “doing without” this year as food prices have skyrocketed. And surprisingly, no one said they would do without their chicken wings. That’s good news for shoppers as according to the USDA’s latest data, chicken wings are actually lower in price than they were last year – by almost 15%! Want more meat on those bones? Try chicken drumsticks that are even a better deal – last year they were selling at $1.62 a lb, now you can find them at $1.04. There is little doubt that the big winner at the Super Bowl parties this year is chicken. But that’s not the case for everything that comes from a chicken!

It's no surprise to everyone that has shopped for eggs over the past year or so have seen a significant increase – up at least 60% - so it didn’t come as a shock to hear from our followers that deviled eggs, egg salad and hard-boiled eggs will be off the menu this year.

Pork is also loaded with great buys - Back ribs are down almost 50% while Country Style Boneless Ribs and Spare ribs are about the same price as last year. If your budget is unlimited (and you want to impress) Beef Filet Mignon is also down over 50% over last year's prices and ground beef that is 90% lean or more is about $1 a pound less according to USDA’s National Retail Report.

According to Wells Fargo’s Agri-Food Institute this year’s price of avocados, the main ingredient in guacamole, have dropped a whopping 20% since last year. But buyer beware, as the price of those chips adorning your Guac, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is up 22% AND chips brands have come under fire for succumbing to “shrinkflation” – putting 7-10 chips less in each bag – which means the actual price you’ll pay per ounce is even more than the 22% reported.

Wells Fargo also reports that beer is up about 11% - but analysis by the analytics firm Pattern, who tracks sales of foods on Amazon.com (which includes Whole Foods delivery) shows that if you buy canned or bottled beer on-line the price is actually down about 2% so expect shoppers to check out those on-line stores before they buy.

A January 2023 Survey by Statista reports that 27% of us plan to buy take out for the big game. That’s great news for pizza places as in 2022 an estimated 12.5 million pizzas were sold on game day according to the American Pizza Community organization. But check those prices BEFORE you place your order – flour, cheese and oils have all taken huge price increases and unless you have been storing up those delivery coupons you might be better off buying a frozen pizza in the supermarket and baking it in the oven. A quick review on Target’s online ordering and delivery portal showed their own brand, Good & Gather selling a frozen 17.5 oz Wood-fired Spinach & Goat Cheese pizza for $7.56, a Red Baron Classic Pepperoni 20.6 oz pie at $5.69 and DiGiorno’s Classic Four Cheese for $5.69 for 12.06 ounces. At Domino’s here in Santa Monica , California the price is $17.99 for a carryout hand tossed 14” large pie (8 slices) with regular cheese and no meat.

Here’s the bottom line: your shoppers want to enjoy the game, enjoy Rihanna’s half-time show and most of all these days they want to shop smart - without worrying about what it costs! What can your store do to help?