Dollar Tree is discontinuing the sale of eggs, due to their 138% surge in prices over the past year.
The decision to stop selling eggs, which cost an average of $4.25 for a carton of a dozen grade A eggs, disrupts people’s plans for spring holidays Easter and Passover, Dollar Tree acknowledged. A year ago, eggs cost $1.79.
In the Northeast in January, a carton of eggs cost $5.27, with some regions seeing even higher prices.
Dollar Tree, a chain of 8,000 dollar stores in the U.S. and Canada with an average price point of $1.25, hopes to restock eggs in the fall, if prices come back down to historical levels, according to a spokesperson.
It isn’t just inflated feed, fuel and labor that have driven up the cost of eggs, but also a bird flu outbreak.
Consumer price index data shows that egg prices began to come down in February.
Dollar Tree, which had been known for its $1 prices, raised its prices in 2021 to $1.25 on most items due to inflation.