I pay $1.59/gallon for milk at Kroger. Not that long ago they charged $1.19/gal.
It’s by far the cheapest place in town to get it. I think it’s ~$3 at most other supermarkets. I’m surprised that Kroger never advertises it.
As far as I know, there are still huge tariffs charged to American dairy products exported to Canada. If the USMCA ever gets passed, I think (not sure) that Canada will lower those tariffs considerably...which means my price will likely go up...at least for a while.
Milk was always a loss leader before. Women shopped at the place where milk was the cheapest even if other items cost more. Now, because family size is smaller, and the prevalence of dairy allergies, women don’t buy as much milk. So they don’t care as much about milk prices. So stores are letting the price of milk go back where it belongs. Milk is cheap. You get 16 1/2 pint glasses or cereal bowls in every gallon. If its $3 a gallon, you are paying under 19 cents a glass.
The reality is that milk shipping and refrigeration is costly. Milk is very heavy. And it requires dark cool shipping at every stage of delivery. Unlike sodas that can sit on a normal truck and be stacked on a regular store shelf, milk goes bad with just a little bit of sunlight.