narratives: 96

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rowid	report_date	title	narrative
96	2024-07-05	Weekly Grocery Store Specialty Crops Feature Activity	Hot Deals for a Hot Summer As expected, ad numbers were down after the big Independence Day sales week. Many retailers opted to extend their ads through July 4 in lieu of beginning a fresh ad cycle, while others released new flyers with a decreased number of ads. Nonetheless, retailers were offering sizzling deals this week. Watermelons, cantaloupes, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, strawberries, Honeycrisp apples, and avocados were just a few of the heavily advertised options for cooling off with refreshing fruit. Vegetables were also popular, especially grill-friendly items that could be prepared outside of hot kitchens such as corn, bell peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce. Many flyers contained patriotic-themed bakery, floral, and decorative items. Total ad numbers this week were 304,346, a 22% decrease from last week's total of 389,102. The total for the same week last year was 7% lower at 284,084. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 187,358 (62% of all ads), onions and potatoes 18,173 (6%), vegetables 94,971 (31%), herbs 1,029, ornamentals 369, and hemp 3,475. The number of ads for organic produce was 47,252, 16% of total ads. The following are the prices of major advertised items (3,000 plus ads) this week, compared to the same week last year. Significant increases in price for fruit this week included white peaches and yellow nectarines, both at 11%. Significant decreases included Honeycrisp apples (per lb.) at 26%, yellow peaches at 16%, plums at 15%, seedless watermelons at 14%, strawberries (1 lb.) at 13%, and black seedless grapes at 10%. Significant changes in price for potatoes and onions included only an 18% decrease for Russet potatoes (5 lb.). Significant increases in price for vegetables this week included only asparagus at 11%. Significant decreases included only on-the-vine tomatoes at 19%.