MISSION, Kan. — With egg prices stubbornly high, the internet has offered up a host of alternatives, with crafters painting rocks and influencers dyeing everything from marshmallows to potatoes.
“Finally a use for B sized potatoes!!” one commenter wrote in response to a video posted on Facebook.
But amid the laughing emojis, LOLs and people simply posting “huh,” there has been a lot of interest from price-conscious parents as U.S. egg prices increased again last month to reach a new record high of $6.23 per dozen. Relief could be coming: There is evidence that prices are falling, and grocery stores may start offering discounts to get shoppers in the door.
But even with all that, egg prices are higher than ever. That has the idea of coloring potatoes or rocks, which first made the rounds after a 2023 spike in prices, making a resurgence.
One video that is circulating shows a grinning mom filling cupcake tins with dye. Her child then skewered marshmallows with toothpicks before gently lowering them into the dye and proudly displaying the creations on a glass platter. Another influencer created marshmallow chicks by dipping marshmallows in yellow food coloring, dabbing dots of black icing to create eyes and and then attaching orange M&Ms for a nose and feet.
Other videos feature shoppers plucking hefty bags of potatoes off the shelf, along with egg dye.
“Potatoes are about the only thing I can afford,” one grateful online commenter posted. Another boiled it down into a single-word response: “Cheaper.”
Kelly Friedl of Chicago dyes eggs for Easter with her two kids every year. But because of this year’s high prices, she came up with an alternative: foil eggs. Cut egg shapes out of cardboard, wrap them in foil, and you have shiny eggs to decorate and reuse.
“Our mom used to buy three dozen eggs,” said Friedl, 59, who leads a childcare products company called Urban Infant. “I don’t think we even ate all the eggs, but it’s the memory of doing something with your mom.”
For many families like Friedl’s, dyeing eggs isn’t so much about eating eggs. That meant having some go bad in the fridge wasn’t such a big deal when a dozen cost less than $2, as they consistently did for years, outside the 2015 bird flu outbreak and the current one. But not now.
Paas, a supplier of egg dyeing kits, said that while 94% of those who celebrate Easter will dye eggs this year, 78% of families said they would dye fewer of them than in past years due to the expense.
The craft retailer Michaels said their craft egg kits are flying off the shelves. Sales of two of the kits are up 20% compared to the same time last year, said Melissa Mills, senior vice president and general merchandising manager at Michaels.
Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, declined to comment on sales of dyeable plastic eggs and other alternatives, but said it wasn’t the first year it carried them. Among some options for shoppers: a carton of 12 plastic eggs that include four liquid dye packets and four egg-dyeing bags and Play-Doh Easter eggs.
Despite the change in tradition, Friedl’s family is looking forward to the holiday.
“We’re a super crafty family and the most valued gift in our house is a gift that someone has made you,” Friedl said. “We get together every year and do eggs, and we love it.”
Dee-Ann Durbin, Caroll Hannah and Josh Funk contributed to this report. Raza reported from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
