Sure, at the basic level, everyone needs food. But you can get a lot more granular about it. For example, a lot of people buy things they may not need to survive, like snacks/desserts. Or perhaps they do buy items they need, but they usually get versions that cost more (whether that be because the particular store is more expensive overall, or simply because they’re buying items that are more costly than things at the lowest end that still allow you to survive like beans and rice).

The point is, most (not ALL) people can buckle down their food spending in some way or another, and I think that’s what we’re seeing here.

I’ll take it one step further: currency was a bad idea that turned resource allocation into a number-go-up game.