You've got to look long and hard for a silver lining as the economy sinks further into the abyss, but at least the price of things like mozzarella, flour and gas are all way down. So why are New Yorkers still paying as much as three bucks for a cheese slice?
The sign behind the counter at Sal's on Court St. in Brooklyn says: "Due to increase in price of floor (stet) and cheese and all other items," according to the Daily News.
But that's no longer true. Gas is back under $3 a gallon, flour is down 50% over the past nine months and mozzarella is down 15 percent. There must be a better reason.
"Our rent goes up every year - customers aren't aware of that," Vinny Vincenz owner Vinny Camporeale told the New York Daily News. Incredibly, Camporeale says he's "seriously thinking" about raising his prices for a third time this year.
Fear not, though, you can still find a slice on the cheap. At 99-Cent Fresh Pizza near Grand Central Terminal, $2.75 will get you two slices and a soda.
Other joints in town are charging three times as much, but manager Abu Naser thinks it's a mistake.
"They are hurting the customers," he said.
