Grocery Store Ripoffs

With wholesale food prices expected to increase by three to five percent this year, grocery stores will be passing this extra cost on to shoppers -- and maybe even a little extra. I'm poor, how about you?

Wouldn't it be great to know what the grocery stores are doing and avoid their traps?

According to industry insiders, here are some of the most overpriced products in grocery stores:

* Produce -- Marked up 75 percent

* Bottled Water -- Upwards to a 4,000 percent mark-up

* Meat -- Marked up 60 percent

* Cereal -- Average mark-up of 44 percent

* Canned Goods -- Regular prices reflect a 26 percent mark-up

* Batteries and Magazines -- Grocery stores love marking up stuff that ends up being a last-minute purchase. Batteries are priced with a 70 percent mark-up and magazines with a 90 percent mark-up

* Bakery -- Convenience costs money as they hit consumers with a 100 percent mark-up.