Grocery stores are nothing short of modern-day temples of abundance. While roast chickens won’t magically fly into our mouths, they do spin seductively on a rotating spit in the deli section. These commercial wonderlands offer a staggering array of products that would make the legendary land of Cockaigne look positively spartan.
Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The age-old myth of Cockaigne paints a fantastical paradise that surpasses even the sweetest dreams of Eden. While paradise might boast its lush meadows and fruitful trees, Cockaigne promises a veritable feast. The delights of this mythical land are described as “rich” and plentiful, providing sustenance for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And when it comes to abundance, Cockaigne goes beyond mere descriptions: it features rivers flowing with oil, milk, honey, and wine, where the only use for water is washing up and enjoying the scenery.
The inhabitants of Cockaigne indulge in pies and pastries baked right into the walls, filled with lavish ingredients like fish and meat. Their architecture is equally mouthwatering, with buildings that boast shingles made of cake and nails fashioned from rich puddings. In a whimsical twist, when the geese are roasted, they take to the skies, calling out, “Geese, all hot, all hot!”—and miraculously land in your mouth fully prepared.
Beyond its culinary wonders, Cockaigne is adorned with gold-plated roads, glittering jewels, and fantastical birds, making it a veritable paradise that mere grocery stores cannot rival. However, this utopian vision is purely imaginative, with its inhabitants free from the constraints of scarcity, enjoying endless supplies of all they desire—whether that be “geese”, “honey”, “garlic”, or “wine”. Their thirst is quenched by honey rivers, while the pie-walled churches serve as a constant source of delight.
In our reality, however, scarcity reigns, presenting significant implications for how we approach grocery shopping. Our desires often exceed our capacity to fulfill them, leading us to make choices that carry opportunity costs. For instance, if a grocer sells a chicken for $5, that’s the price you—and any famished family—must pay to cover the grocer’s costs and bring home that coveted poultry. Grocery items may seem “expensive” because they come with a price tag, but comparing this system to an idyllic fantasy and critiquing it as inferior is a classic case of the nirvana fallacy. Price-based allocations are far superior to coercive alternatives.
In this world of grocery stores, we are fortunate to have prices that reflect immense benefits that, in fact, outweigh their costs.
Grocery prices serve as signals for farmers, producers, distributors, and retailers, guiding them to replicate the conditions we might imagine in Cockaigne. They also prompt consumers to adjust their purchasing habits. When prices rise or fall, producers react by supplying more or less, while consumers respond by buying less or more. This interplay of incentives generally ensures that grocery stores are well-stocked with a diverse range of products, particularly in market environments where property rights are respected. According to Hayek, price systems are marvels of coordination, adept at harmonizing the conflicting desires of both consumers and producers.
Moreover, markets and price signals foster entrepreneurship and innovation, a dynamic you can witness the moment you step into a grocery store. Entrepreneurs in the grocery sector seek to maximize their revenues, leading to lower prices and an influx of new ideas. Every aspect of grocery stores—from the strategic placement of apples and oranges to the enticing arrangement of fresh meats and prepared meals—reflects an entrepreneur’s effort to streamline the shopping experience and reduce transaction costs. The variety of offerings, from international aisles to snack sections, and even collaborative services with banks and optometrists, showcase the innovation that thrives in this sector.
While grocery stores may lack actual rivers of wine, they offer a plethora of wine options on their shelves. Interestingly, you might find that cooked, seasoned rotisserie chickens can be cheaper than their raw counterparts—a reality that would surely confuse our utopian ancestors. Whether this is due to economies of scale or strategies to boost sales, what remains clear is that these diverse food options—catering to every taste, including Kosher varieties—are available daily, making modern grocery stores look far more appealing than any mythical paradise.
With so many advantages that likely surpass those of Cockaigne, it’s worth considering how we often take these benefits for granted.
You may still be worried about rising food prices. An examination of global and U.S. annual food price indices reveals how the costs of staple items like cereal, milk, coffee, chicken, and wine have fluctuated over time. Except for the years 2021 to 2023, food price changes in the U.S. have generally remained stable—ranging from 0 to about 5% since 1990. In contrast, global food prices experience higher volatility. For decades, U.S. food prices have shown remarkable consistency compared to their global counterparts (note the differences in scale on the axes).
While recent food price hikes may leave many feeling beleaguered, it’s important to consider this context. Price indices aim to track the costs of identical goods over time, but they struggle to account for qualitative improvements, bundling, and innovation. For instance, while 16 oz. ribeyes might carry higher nominal prices, they are likely superior cuts of meat—fresher, leaner, and more marbled. Additionally, consumers now enjoy a wider array of choices and alternatives. Nominal prices often overlook these enhancements in overall wellbeing.
Today’s grocery stores, while resembling those of past decades, are intricate ecosystems of innovation. Discount grocery chains continue to serve lower-income shoppers, easing the burden of higher prices, while upscale stores cater to wealthier clientele and specific ethnic groups. Hence, rising prices alone do not warrant alarm, nor do they necessitate a call for utopian reconstruction.
Grocery stores stock nearly all the food items found in the land of Cockaigne, minus the fanciful elements like the flying geese—and, while jewelry isn’t commonplace, larger retailers like Walmart and Target do carry some. Nevertheless, grocery stores excel in providing an astounding variety of goods and innovations that far surpass anything a mythical utopia could offer. Their success stems from voluntary market mechanisms that align the incentives of countless farmers, producers, shippers, and grocers.
While we may not dwell in the mythical land of Cockaigne, our grocery stores offer us a far more practical and rewarding experience.
Byron “Trey” Carson is an Associate Professor of Economics and Business at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, where he teaches courses on introductory economics, money and banking, health economics, and urban economics.
