Egg prices have skyrocketed due to overall rising inflation and other issues. 

One of the nation’s leading discount stores, Dollar Tree, has recently decided to pull eggs off their store shelves due to rising prices. 

For low-income families who depend on dollar stores to feed their families, this is another blow to affordability.

What’s happening 

Egg prices rose a whopping 55.4% in February from one year prior. Not only are eggs more expensive, but they are increasingly more challenging to come by.

Just in time for the Passover and Easter holidays when eggs are used for decorations, recipes, and egg hunts, consumers will find it more difficult to source eggs from discount store shelves.

Dollar Tree, which operates about 8,000 locations across the U.S. and Canada, announced that it would no longer sell eggs due to high egg prices and the staffing challenges in keeping up with ever-changing prices.

As I’ve written about, Dollar Tree raised its prices on most items from $1 to $1.25 after inflation took off and remained high. The store also sells items for $3 and $5.

Dollar Tree used to sell cartons of eight or six eggs for $1, but no longer. “Our primary price point at Dollar Tree is $1.25. The cost of eggs is currently very high,” according to company spokesperson Randy Guiler. 

Egg prices shot up to a record high earlier this year due to a global outbreak of the avian flu and high production costs. However, back in April of 2022, the inflation rate on eggs doubled from 11.2% to 22.6%.

Rising costs on eggs were only part of the reason that Dollar Tree pulled eggs off shelves. Store operations may have been another factor. According to David D’Arezzo, a former executive at Dollar General which is a competing discount retailer to Dollar Tree, discount stores utilize a lean staffing model. So, constantly changing price tags every week on eggs due to wild swings in the market place extra strain on store operations.

While headline inflation has fallen for a number of months in a row, grocery prices have trended upward and inflation on specific items like eggs has accelerated.

Wealthy families and elites can afford to pay anything to ensure they have sunny-side-up eggs each day, but low-wage workers and retirees on a fixed budget have few affordable options for groceries. As shortages and discontinued items plague discount stores, those with the least means will have the fewest options to feed their families.

Bottom Line

Bird flu and supply shocks aside, inflation is largely due to excessive, reckless Washington spending two years ago. The left triggered inflation not seen in generations because they wanted to flood the economy with cash that most households did not need. They claimed that inflation was “temporary” or “transitory.” Two years later, Americans are suffering as their paychecks and retirement benefits buy them less and less.