We promised you earlier today that we would not rest until we determined whether the price of Slim Jims had risen an astounding 170 percent “recently,” from 99 cents to $2.69, as suggested by Sarah Palin after a purchase by her husband, Todd. Indeed, had we just accepted Palin’s inflation anecdote at face value, we would be neglecting our duty as journalists. Serious, sober journalists. So we contacted ConAgra Foods, the company that owns the Slim Jim brand, and conscripted them in our noble search for The Truth. And we were not disappointed.
After much research, ConAgra spokesperson Teresa Paulsen e-mailed us a very thorough, very helpful response, one that indicates that Palin should probably come up with a different example to illustrate her frustration with rising food prices:
We admire Mr. Palin’s taste and appreciate his support. Our iconic Slim Jim Giant Sticks are priced around $1.30. Mr. Palin might have been reaching for one of our Slim Jim Monster Sticks, which offers double the meat for $2.30, or our Slim Jim kippered Beef Steak, which typically sells for around $2.65. We haven’t raised the price significantly on any Slim Jim products (retailers set their own prices, based on our suggestion). If the Palins want to try something that brings a little extra heat, we’d invite them to try our new Slim Jim Dare sticks. We’d love to know what a seasoned Slim Jim connoisseur thinks.
We bet it was the kippered beef steak. Todd Palin seems like a kippered beef steak kind of guy.
Related: Cheap Eats Consumer Price Index [NYM]
