Price of Tuna?

MrsHayes wrote: "Caroline's Ad idea is to reduce the price of tuna by $.50 a can. What kind of tuna were they selling? I only pay $.99 NOW for Chicken of the Sea White Albacore. ??? I know my mom wasn't paying that much in 1983."

That's Economics for you. This movie was meant to entertain, not to teach economics. Very little of this movie was meant to make sense, economically.

First off, it isn't the tuna company that sets the price of the product, it's the store, based on the profit margin the store wants to gain, base on the cost of the product. So, even if a tuna exec wanted to decrease the price of tuna all around, the store could still keep on "price gouging" if it wants. So, the whole concept of Carolyn's commercial doesn't make sense, economically, but it would be nice if that's what were done, and it is feasible, however unlikely, so it's an entertaining concept.

In the early 80's, there was no distinction made for "white albacore" tuna. Tuna was tuna, and it was supposedly all just the same, the only difference being brandnames. "Ask any mermaid you happen to see, 'What's the best tuna?': 'Chicken of the Sea.'" and "Sorry, Charlie, Starkist doesn't want tuna with 'good taste', Starkist only selects tuna that tastes good." But, nowadays, we know that isn't quite true. Chicken of the Sea isn't just the best tuna (white albacore), but just about any tuna that gets caught and cooked. Same with Starkist. But, most people don't understand Economics that well.

When "generic" brands came out in the late 70's and early 80's, it was simply a way for the same big brand names to make a buck off of lower-quality product without tarnishing their reputations. Before then, they sold as much of the lower-quality tuna scraps to petfood companies, and garbage the rest.

Similarly, the same big brand names would recognize higher quality product, and, instead of giving people the idea that they were being ripped off because not all "Starkist" tuna tasted like or held together the same, it would be marketed under a different brand name, and would of course put a higher price on the product.

When I started doing a lot of the shopping for my family about then, I remember getting only Starkist or Chicken of the Sea, until the Generics came out, which have evolved into the "store brands" of today, because they were less expensive, and when you mix it up with Miracle Whip for Tuna Sandwiches, it all tastes the same to a teenager. But, I rember there being several brands, and some of those brands would be priced a few dollars for the same sized tins. And I can see where people would want the better-tasting, chunkier tunas, for better looking salads. I don't ever remember springing for those.. but I'd be willing to bet that those were what we'd call white albacore today.

So, it's feasible that some obscure brandname would drop its own prices by fifty cents per can.. just not likely because, economically, it doesn't make sense.

There's a store in my neighborhood where you can get 2 cans for a dollar.

I don't know what kind of tuna it was, it probably was not revealed, but what brightfamouscucumber wrote is true, in that Starkist and Charley of the Sea were the big tunas in the 1970s and 1980s. I was a very big tuna eater myself into the 1990s, as I loved to just pop open the can on these brands (and we always had them). I didn't eat tuna much later in the 1990s, and now never will again (below), but her idea was also unrealistic marketing wise, as he said. But I do remember Ron Richardson saying to her on her first day of work when she wondered if she was qualified to present a tuna ad, "have you ever eaten a can of tuna fish?" She said yes, and he then said she was qualified. I'm not sure if that is all it takes to be a sucessful marketer, and work for a big marketing/advertising firm, which is what Ron Richardson was and had (he was saying if you had ever used any product you were qualified to market and advertise it). I'm saying this now because, and I just explained on the thirtysomething board with Michael and Elliot's career, that I had in the late 1980s planned to be a marketer, but then realized I was definitely not qualified for this career (but were a few others). I have used a variety of products, so if what he said here was true I would be as good as anyone in this career, but I do know that is not really true (it takes abilities to be a sucessful marketer, and a college degree in marketing probably helps as well). But Caroline did make a good transformation from longtime housewife to marketer, though I don't know how realistic that really was (and if you'll recall she also became the victim of sexual harrasment by him later in the movie (which I'm sure is very realistic).

"I happen to be a vegetarian". Lex, from Jurrasic Park

Perhaps they werent talking about the 6oz cans. Tuna does come in larger sizes.

Checked an online newspaper archive and found that many of the top brands of tuna in 1983 were going for 69 cents a can and that was when it was on sale. This was mostly in the northeast of the U.S.

He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?

They were referring to the BIG cans of tuna, not the small cans.

[deleted]