“Goes In With $100, Comes Out With A Bag Of Chips”: Folks Online Are Surprised To See How Expensive Groceries Are In Rural Parts Of Alaska
For those who have always been fascinated by traveling and especially by places that are hard to get to, TikTok user @emilyinalaska_ shares what it is like to live in Alaska. The woman uploads videos that show the beautiful Alaskan nature as well as what one can do while traveling. Besides sharing breathtaking views, huge amounts of snow, and romantic sunsets, the TikToker also explains some of the things that “just make sense” in Alaska.
More Info: TikTok
Emily is a woman who lives in Alaska and loves to share some bits and pieces of what it is like to live in this state
Image credits: emilyinalaska_
One of her videos uploaded back in November received nearly 3M views. The TikTok was made in one of the shops located in a rural part of Alaska. The woman was filming various food products and showing their prices. People were soon surprised to see how expensive groceries are in Alaska: milk there costs $18, cheese—nearly $25, and these are only a few examples of how high the food prices appear to be in Alaska.
One of her videos that caught people’s attention showed grocery prices in a shop located in rural Alaska
Image credits: emilyinalaska_
Image credits: emilyinalaska_
The woman explained that since it is harder to bring products into these areas, the prices of food there are much higher
Image credits: emilyinalaska_
Image credits: emilyinalaska_
In her video, Emily showed prices of various foods, explaining why this is an issue in rural places
Image credits: emilyinalaska_
This video caught a lot of people’s attention as people were curious to know how much residents in Alaska must earn to be able to buy food. The woman then uploaded a follow-up video showing a McDonald’s work ad that stated that its hourly wage is $12.50. This caused an even bigger debate on how people afford things in this place.
Some people were curious to find out how much residents then should earn to be able to afford simple groceries
Image credits: emilyinalaska_
After this topic started to gain a lot of attraction, Emily decided to make another video in a shop located in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. Here the prices were much more lower in comparison to what was offered in rural parts of Alaska. The woman noted: “If you can travel to Anchorage or Fairbanks, prices are much more reasonable.”
Emily did a follow-up video where she explained that the best way out of this situation is to go to bigger cities where prices are lower
Image credits: emilyinalaska_
Image credits: emilyinalaska_
Image credits: emilyinalaska_
The reason why groceries cost so much in these non-urban areas is that it is harder to bring them to these places. In the video, the woman mentions that it takes planes and barges to provide these products to rural areas. Despite being able to explain this difference, it surely seems to be a hassle for the residents who live there.
What do you think about this? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
You can watch the full video down below!
@emilyinalaska_$18 for milk 🥴 ##alaskatok ##ruralalaska ##fyp ##ASOSChaoticToCalm ##groceryprices♬ Buttercup – Jack Stauber
Users of TikTok were quite surprised to see such prices, trying to understand how people are able to afford to buy food
Some were already familiar with this situation in Alaska and shared their experiences
50Kviews
Share on Facebook
The same can be said for virtually any island. The economies of scale can't be used to lower costs when a very small amount of goods need to travel by a very expensive method.
A lot of these costs also are connected to the Jones Act of 1915. Since products have to get from the main parts of the US to Alaska without going through Canada (because of customs and import laws), ships that carry supplies between one part of the US and another have to go through crazy regulations that add on a lot to the cost. And supplies by plane are more expensive as well. Then top it off with the trucking costs to rural Alaska, and it adds on more. Its why half the state lives in the Anchorage area. And in Rural Alaska, the oil fields pay very well (70K a year right of of HS, and over 100K after 5 years experience) so for many of those workers they can live with their earnings.
Reminds me of the article about how bad grocery prices are in Nunavut...
The same can be said for virtually any island. The economies of scale can't be used to lower costs when a very small amount of goods need to travel by a very expensive method.
A lot of these costs also are connected to the Jones Act of 1915. Since products have to get from the main parts of the US to Alaska without going through Canada (because of customs and import laws), ships that carry supplies between one part of the US and another have to go through crazy regulations that add on a lot to the cost. And supplies by plane are more expensive as well. Then top it off with the trucking costs to rural Alaska, and it adds on more. Its why half the state lives in the Anchorage area. And in Rural Alaska, the oil fields pay very well (70K a year right of of HS, and over 100K after 5 years experience) so for many of those workers they can live with their earnings.
Reminds me of the article about how bad grocery prices are in Nunavut...
88
25