A two pound bag of frozen hash browns is four bucks; three bucks for Kroger brand. That's about 30-40 cents a serving without the hassle of processing them or cleaning up the mess. And when I fry them they are as good as or superior to using fresh potatoes.
Some food is better fresh and some food isn't worth the bother.
Oh, I agree 100%, it’s just my scam-o-meter pegs when I look at the markup. A 5 or 10 lb bag a spuds is so cheap.