Shoppers make last minute dash for food

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Shoppers made a last-minute sweep through the supermarket on Thanksgiving to get the final ingredients for a home-cooked meal.

The parking lots were packed as customers pushed carts loaded with food. Bob Bonetsky was among them, getting last-minute groceries.

"We have to get stuffing, mushrooms, breakfast sausage, marshmallows for the sweet potatoes. Oh my God, it's crazy! This year we went all out," he said.

While some stores are offering deep discounts on the main course meal - turkey - some shoppers are getting to the cash register and realizing they're paying more for their meal this year than they did last.

Deborah Velaode said, "I spent double this year."

Candice Morales said, "[I spent] maybe about $250 more."

Some items - like onions, eggs, sugar, flour and butter - are up about 8 cents this year. The price of dinner rolls went up about 3 cents.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner will cost about $50 for a party of ten, with turkey and all the sides to go along with it. Deputy Chief Economist John Anderson says turkey prices are up three percent, with the average price of a turkey around $22.

"Turkey competes with chicken and pork and beef and other products. Turkey production itself is actually a little higher this year, so it's not an issue of turkey not being available, it's just that meat prices overall have gone up," Anderson explained.

But Bonetsky says there are ways to save money around the holidays.

"A lot of people do the coupons online now," he said. "But I didn't do that that...[laughs]. I wish I would have!"

Well, there's always next year.