CHANGING up barbecue staples this Memorial Day could help consumers save some cash.
Except, the food and drinks removal might not go over too well with some family members.
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Those who prefer hot dogs would be out of luck, according to what Brad LaRock, senior vice president of marketing at Datasembly, told MarketWatch this month.
“A look at the numbers suggests a pivot to burgers instead of hot dogs will offer some relief from general price increases,” LaRock explained.
Not only that, but the expert suggested that Americans also move away from including soda in the cookouts if they want to tighten their budgets further.
“Consider scaling back on soda,” LaRock added.
Read More on Memorial Day
While the prospect of keeping it to just burgers and other drink options instead of beloved sodas like Pepsi or Coca-Cola might not be appealing to some, the numbers indicate total Memorial Day barbecue costs are up by about 3.41% since last year, according to a Datasembly study.
The study cited that the average price of hot dogs has skyrocketed by about 18.86%, and a 12-pack of soda is up by 11.8%.
Chicken thighs also went up by 3.09% and baked beans by 4.55%, respectively.
Costs for condiments like ketchup, mustard, and relish are also slightly higher than they were in 2024, with barbecue sauce staying virtually the same.
For hamburger patties, the opposite is true, as prices are down about 3.42%, and hamburger buns are also 2.89% down.
American cheese slices are also 1.23% down.
The Memorial Day barbecue cost uptick was also predicted by Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s.
Zandi also said that Fourth of July cookouts are expected to be even worse.
NOT TARIFFS
So, what’s causing the uptick?
LaRock noted that while consumers may be quick to blame President Trump’s global reciprocal tariffs, that isn’t necessarily the case.
Stores closed on Memorial Day
Since Memorial Day is a federal holiday, many Americans have the day off work.
While most grocery stores and retailers remain open, there are some exceptions
Costco is closing all stores for the whole day.
So is Natural Grocers, which has 168 stores across 20 states.
Postal services are also affected by the holiday.
All UPS locations will be closed.
FedEx will close many locations, while others will operate with reduced hours.
T.J. Maxx is also operating with different holiday hours that will vary by location.
Aldi will follow suit with “limited hours.”
Sam’s Club has announced that stores will shutter two hours earlier than normal at 6 pm for the upcoming holiday.
Target and Kroger will also have adjusted hours but will remain open.
“We’re not seeing direct evidence that the Memorial Day barbecue-item price changes are primarily tariff-related,” the expert said.
He added that costs “are more likely driven by domestic factors such as labor costs, seasonal demand, and production dynamics.”
That’s the same for Fourth of July.
INCREASE IMMINENT
However, the USDA has predicted that grocery prices will have an over increase by about 3.2% at the end of 2025.
While barbecues may not contain much savings this year for consumers, there are still several Memorial Day sales going on.
BLAQ recently launched its promotional event with discounts up to 30% on select merchandise.
Hotel Collection is also offering 70% discounts on luxury candle scents.
The same goes for Aroma360, with a similar 70% off on hotel-inspired items.
