[Sca-cooks] Comparison shopping

[jenne at fiedlerfamily.net]

> Jadwiga, what boggles me is not so much advance *shopping*, where you
> actually acquire the stuff, as advance pricing.  Sooo say I go all over the
> place to find the best price on chicken, 6 weeks ahead of the event.  But I
> don't buy it, I make a note  of it.  Then closer to the event I go and buy
> it :-)

Well, as a professional, you have a good idea of what things will cost.
Nowadays, I only have to do advance pricing for items I don't already have
in my spreadsheets (or haven't cooked at that time of year). For the
dayboard I did in March 2 years ago, I did a lot of running around to get
the best prices, because I wasn't sure where the best prices would be at
that time of year.

> Sometimes though, the cheapest price is not the best deal.  I've been known
> to purchase something at a slightly more expensive place because it was
> more convenient, whether they delivered, or it would save me a 40 mile
> drive to go to shop A instead of shop B, or something like that...  You
> have to look at cost as much more than the actual price of the actual
> ingredient.

*snort* You're talking to a woman who hated the thought of paying $2.99
vs. $2.25 for cheese that she bribed her mother (who lives 2 hours away)
to meet her in Reading (halfway between my house and hers) with 20 lbs of
cheese. :)

I will pay more for certain things-- like quality, or if I have to get it
the morning of the event, or something. I also habitually forget to charge
the event for herbs and spices because I probably have whatever it is in
my cupboard. :)

-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa   jenne at fiedlerfamily.net
"Words can be your friend or your enemy, depending on who's
throwing the book, so watch your language." Stoppard