Gothamist: Most Retail Milk Prices are Udderly Illegal

fyrikaos

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:26:48 -0500

petebfd - you apparently don't have children. we go thru almost a gallon of milk in this house A DAY!! The fats in the milk are extremely important to my child's brain development - therefore I HAVE to pay these prices... but if you'd like to send me $40 a week to pay for my kids health and development, I'll think twice about complaining about why this 'nonsense' isn't being policed.

pk4l

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:08:10 -0500

I'm station in Georgia, and half-gallon is $2.99 in Walmart --" Whenever I go back home in the city, It's 3.75 for half-gallon in the Village. =\

dadoc

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:48:02 -0500

It takes some digging, but you can fing the law, Section 396-rr in the Misc section of the Laws of New York.: "3. No person shall sell or offer for sale fluid milk for an amount which represents an unconscionably excessive price." The Commish defines "excessive". Rather than a media show to exhibit how much Quinn cares (BS), maybe she could contact the NYC Dept Consumer Affairs who would should contact the "commish" & help resolve the issue for NYCers. Never happen, of course, but right now I'm trying to translate the relevant statutes into Korean, Spanish, Urdu, Farsi & Hindi so I can buy milk at a "conscionably non-excessive" price.

snessnyc

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:04:12 -0500

I love the compassion that is consistently displayed in these comments. Milk prices are regulated because milk is considered essential to the proper nutrition and good health of infants and children. The regulated prices are meant to ensure that low income families can afford milk.

mocanlagunas

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:56:43 -0500

A lot of things I buy are cheaper at Whole Foods than at the CTown near my apt... AND my subway stop is closer also...

JMH

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:30:51 -0500

I'm pretty sure that's what Whole Foods charges; actually obeying state regulations explains why they're cheaper than other places, I was confused by that.

dbc

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:08:32 -0500

@VanessaNYC: The threshold price is 200% of the farm price for milk; different prices are set for the NYC metro area and upstate. Retailers can charge more if they can demonstrate that their expenses are higher. The manager at Food Market is an idiot; "I'm allowed to charge whatever I want."--um, no. You are selling a regulated item. I have the same feelings for taxi drivers that complained about the credit cards/TVs/GPS systems in cabs--quit complaining, or don't work in a regulated profession. The D'Ag a block from me charges $5.29 for a gallon of milk, while the Walgreens just two blocks further is $3.99.

eyekantspel

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:04:48 -0500

This is Christine Quinn's attempt to further distance herself from the City Council slushfund scandal.

JenChungsBra

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:56:32 -0500

I forget exactly, but Fairways' pretty close to $2 for a half gallon. The crappy little supermarket near where I work sells quarts of whole milk for 99 cents.

Snoopy

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:14:27 -0500

I find low-end organic milk just as good tasting. Shouldn't we be looking at chalk and water combo's as a good substitute for that cow originated beverage? How about cow's grazing in Central Park to eliminate the high price of delivering the stuff to the city?

mrguy

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:07:12 -0500

what about the more high-end organic milks? can they charge more?

petebfd

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:06:41 -0500

waste of time and money to be policing this nonsense.

jamesdamian

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:06:03 -0500

I am assuming that this is for non-organic milk, because all the organic half gallons I have seen are 4.50 and up.

meowster

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:03:21 -0500

umm i don't think i have seen a half gallon of milk for $2 in nyc for like 8 years. crack down on deli's who price gauge milk please!

VanessaNYC

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:58:24 -0500

I found the explanation on the NY City Council website. Fair enough. "The law requires the AGMKT to set a monthly threshold for the price of milk for two regions of the state – Upstate New York and the Metropolitan New York area to ensure that retailers are not charging consumers substantially more than what is paid to farmers."

TKaisen

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:57:39 -0500

Downtown Gristede's is charging $4.97. Get on that NYPD. That said, this law should probably be illegal.

JacqueMehoff

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:57:07 -0500

show me where they sell milk for 2.01 a half gal?

VanessaNYC

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:54:04 -0500

I'm confused. Are milk producers subsidized by the government? Can stores make a profit selling at the legal price limit? I'm all about inexpensive milk, but I don't understand the how they determine the price limit. If the free market isn't determining the price of milk, how does the government determine the price and ensure that the producers and store owners are making a fair profit? I read the Post article but there was no explanation.

HowBoutDemCowboys

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:41:49 -0500

Puns are divine, and cow puns are bovine.

SikBug

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:39:33 -0500

Word! I love milk and I hate paying 4 bucks for a half gallon.