I’ve never seen a sandwich store sell sandwiches (talking normal sized sandwich not whatever small bite size they sell as “regular size” with shrinkflation) for less than 12-15 bucks in big cities.
A comparable, frankly better looking, sandwich at Whole Foods in Columbus Circle is $7.99.
https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/product/whole-foods-market-...
7-11 is the worst offender I've seen. Cheap sandwiches or salads for $8+. $3+ for a 20oz soda. No prices listed on anything. Or if they are it's only when you buy two or more.
Profiteering plain and simple.
In a further note, profit has got to be one of the most misunderstood things in economics. Every endeavor of human commerce has to involve profit for at least one party, otherwise the transaction would not occur at all. If you can put together a sandwich for $1 in ingredients and, say, $4 in your time and labor, why would you sell it for less than $5 plus some profit? At exactly $5 you may as well not engage in this business at all, since you've effectively gained nothing.
For the love of god what freakin city are you guys all Stockholm Syndromed on?
Don't be a cheapskate! head over to Zabar's Cafe and pay $29[0] for a ham and cheese sandwich! /s
[0] https://gothamist.com/news/why-does-this-ham-and-cheese-cost...
I guess it depends on how posh you want your sandwich.
You really have to try to get a Subway (the chain) sandwich that expensive. Same with a burrito from Chipotle, although that may be heretical[1].
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1. https://flowingdata.com/2017/05/02/sandwich-alignment-chart/
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/12i4fot/29_ham_and_che...
7-11 is ok in Japan or China (or say a Co-op Pronto in Switzerland). I wish we could get those in the states.
Here’s Thundercloud, a popular chain (often described as “a step up from Subway”):
https://thundercloud.com/main-menu/
I also checked Jersey Mike’s, another familiar chain, and a regular size “original Italian” is $9.95 here.
I will say that generally Texas tends to have lower prices on food than coastal metros like NYC/SF/LA, but the airport prices mentioned in the article for NYC still seem absurd.
Texas makes up for not having income tax by having big property taxes. So, you may make out on that exchange depending upon what your family situation is. If you're earning are closer to median, California is probably better than Texas. If you're a high earner, Texas is probably better because California is biting you via income tax.
However, if you're coming to Texas, make damn sure your healthcare situation is sorted out. California is good about healthcare--the exchanges are decent and you can by healthcare retail for the price advertised on the exchange. This shocked me at one point as it meant that a friend could completely bypass the exchanges for healthcare and just buy it. Yeah, you wouldn't get reimbursement like the exchanges, but you could just whip out a credit card and purchase it retail.
Texas, on the other hand, is terrible at healthcare. The Republicans have sabotaged most things from the Federal government. Most of the hospital chains are mediocre and below, and many publicly available health plans are ferociously bad.
Property taxes are proportionately higher than in California but lower on an absolute basis for a similar property due to the large difference in purchase prices.
No state income taxes means most people with decent incomes will come out ahead in Texas.
What the sister comment says about healthcare in Texas is true, unfortunately. Most healthcare providers are private equity backed and treat healthcare as an assembly line. It is difficult to find providers who prioritize quality care over checking boxes.
As for publicly available plans I don’t have personal experience, but I don’t doubt the sister comment’s claims. Best have a good job with a quality healthcare plan.