# Over $10 Commercial



## allie (Jul 21, 2006)

Has anyone else seen that KFC commercial with the kids running around the grocery store trying to find the ingredients to make their fried chicken while the mom is with the cart using a calculator to tally the costs? She says it's over $10 so they're going to KFC, then it goes to a picture of a 7 piece bucket of chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and says you can't make that at home for less then their price of $9 ninety something. 

That commercial just bugs me to death. No, I don't know their spice/herb mixture but can certainly make fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy at home for less money than their deal.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Yeah but you get eight pieces of chicken from a whole chicken. Giblet gravy is awesome, better than KFC gravy.


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

So they're serving amputee chicken?
No wonder it is less expensive.


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## amazingrace (Jul 28, 2006)

How gullible do they imagine the public to be? Is there a KFC mentality that would actually believe it's cheaper than making your own? It's insulting.

Now, if you had to purchase _all_ the ingredients _every_ single time...certainly it would be more costly than getting KFC. However, once you spring for the 11 (secret?---who cares, really...can't we all make our own blend?) spices, you have them for the next several dozen times you hanker for fried chicken. (you might even have most of the spices already).


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## allie (Jul 21, 2006)

kuan, if you do it right, you can even have a 9 piece....my kids love when I do a wishbone! lol

Amazinggrace, that's what I was telling Les when we saw that commercial. Yes, the initial time if you have absolutely nothing in your pantry, you will spend more but you're not going to use 5 lbs of flour, all the spices, etc.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

What do you guys think makes up those 11 herbs and spices anyway?

Salt, pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder... what else?


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

11 Secret Herbs and Spices( Kfc Copycat) Recipe | Recipezaar


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

I still think it's tough to do...possible yes...but tough. The oil and flour cost more than you think (even breaking down price per use) 

So 1 chicken of normal size. 1.59 lb. at my supermarket...4lb chicken is about average right?

6.36

potatoes...ok say you need 2 to make mashed potatoes. potatoes are .60cents a lb. say you just need 1lb. 

6.96

you're already at 7$ and haven't even gotten to the butter for mashed potatoes.....breakstones is .24cents an once. you're going to need at least 2 oz right?

7.44

oil. to fry up 7 pieces of chicken, how much oil do you think? 1 cup?

a NORMAL bottle of canola oil (for folks who dont buy by bulk) is actually on sale this week, .23cents an ounce x8 1.84

we are at 9.28

however, let's say we were smart, and bought bulk (price substantially decreases to ~.8cents) .64 cents total....

we are at 8.08

we need flour, and spices. Spices, we can leave out, as calculating it would be pretty tough, but flour we can give it a shot. 
at my supermarket its about .46 cents a lb on sale....there are VERY roughly (and i'm sure someone will come in and piss all over my post, haha) 3.5 cups off flour in a lb. and you need say 1.5 cups. its about 19cents...i think 

8.27 

an egg? on average its .10-.12 cents an oz and 1 large egg is what...~2oz? lets say .22cents. 

8.27+22 8.49

now, depending on if you want to use milk, crisco shortening (like some of the copy cat recipes) you'll blow the 10$ 

I also think my "oil" calculation is off too and there is no way you're cooking fried chicken with 1 cup. 


now....we also forgot the biscuits......and gravy (sure we already have the ingredients, but break them down per serving like I did above). you are going to need at least 1tbs of butter for the gravy......

for the biscuits...you'll likely need butter, another egg. your pretty easily over 10$...

sure...you can do it, if you bulk buy a lot....butcher your own chicken...and shop around.... but, it wont be easy to come in under 10$

I'd be curious to see (not for arguments sake, but just because I spent 30 minutes figuring it out above) a breakdown, breaking it down, realistically, under 10$. I used prices from shoprite.com my local supermarket.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

I would agree with the first few posts... 9 times out of 10. But in this case I would say that KFC is right.

Let's just say I have all 11 herbs and spices in my pantry, oil, butter, potatoes, milk, chicken stock for gravy etc.....

I bought a chicken the other day (a 2lb beautiful organic chicken) for $16!!!!!! And it wasn't even cut up!!! And that's even cheaper than the chicken I find at Whole Foods.

Will I go to KFC for their chicken? Probably not as I would rather make my own healthier version but even I can't make a good fried chicken meal for less than $10, especially if I want to buy organic meat, produce, and dairy.


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

Mapiva, 

The problem is that some folks with argue "KFC is FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR from organic and uses the CHEAPEST ingredients available"


and...I agree.


but even me...using the CHEAPEST ingredients available...couldn't do that meal for under 10$, unless I bought in non-rational super-bulk. (say...if I had my own chicken farm, or a huge freezer (which would cost more in electric i'm guessing haha) 

again, would i rather spend 20$ on my own fried chicken? sure. but thats a question that everyone on a chef/cooking board is of course going to say! haha. we wont even argue that, but 10$ to create that meal.....very hard (i'm even saying no way possible until someone else comes up with another calculation)


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## allie (Jul 21, 2006)

I buy supermarket meats because I really haven't found a reputable market in my area with good meat. I can get a Purdue chicken on sale for .99 per pound. That's whole and I cut it into 9 pieces myself. I prefer a 3 lb or so chicken because smaller chickens seem to fry better. 

10 pounds of russet potatoes can be bought for $2.79....use about 2 lbs and have leftovers for potato pancakes

48 oz of Canola oil for $2.99.....use about half and strain it through doubled cheesecloth later so it can be reused.
Flour for $2.29 per 5 lb bag.......maybe 3 1/2 cups
Plain ole iodized salt for .33 (not what I normally use)
Tones peppercorns for 1.99
butter 2.29 per pound
milk has been on sale for 2.50 per gallon for several months now

I don't use an egg or milk batter for chicken.......that's not what my family prefers after several trials. Gravy doesn't take much other than a little flour (I know the food police won't like it but I use the flour left from dusting the chicken), chicken drippings, hot water, salt, and pepper so minimal expense there. Biscuits are really inexpensive to make and I'd make 12, not the 4 like KFC offers.

So yeah, I'm sure I can do it for less. I had it roughly figured at $8 but that doesn't take into account that the oil will be reused after I strain it and the miniscule amounts of salt, pepper, baking powder, etc.


I don't have the budget or the option of shopping more expensive stores. The only thing available in my area is Kroger owned stores, Super Walmart, Target, SavALot, Meijer, and Aldi. Then there are a few private owned ShopRite or SuperValu stores..........very expensive for the same items I can get at any of the other stores listed. I don't even know where a Whole Foods store is and would have to drive over 45 miles to get to a Trader Joes.


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

you get things pretty cheap.

1.59 for a purdue chicken (on sale) 
Whoops!

cheapest butter, I could find was 3.49 a lb.

I'm paying MORE than double for the cheapest russet potatoes too. 
(2.99 for 5lb)

canola oil, a whole dollar more than you. (3.99)
Whoops!

love to get milk for 250. try 4.50 for cheapie store brand. 
Whoops!

Allie, respectfully, your prices seem way higher than mine, perhaps due to where I'm located, but I'm even shopping no-frills at the cheapest supermarket within 20 miles, I don't know. very hard to believe (not that I don't, but it's surprising) that food prices are on average ~35-40% more

and let's just say my town, isn't....the richest around.  the parking lot consists mainly of taxi-cabs and they have a special few checkout lines just for food stamps.

(sorry tried to post links, to the prices from my store but couldn't)


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

The area one lives in will account for some price differences, but not that much. 

I never considered myself a food snob but I guess I buy high-end items quite a bit, right down to the salt I use. It's inconceivable for me to buy purdue chicken these days after comparing flavor and nutrition to organic. Plus when I was in college our dorm was near a Purdue processing plant and the smell that permeated was too much to bare. I always imagined that's what KFC uses, or even worse.


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## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

Mapiva

!HOLY XXXX! where is your "local" market?

/q
I bought a chicken the other day (a 2lb beautiful organic chicken) for $16!!!!!! And it wasn't even cut up!!!
/uq

we live on the fringe of (real, not tourist) Amish country - see the sign:
Fresh eggs
No Sunday sales

Amish don't do "organic" or "free range" - they hold certain concepts that are understood and need no explanation. non-organic and not free range ain't in their vocab.

so. stopped in for some eggs.
inside, sign said: fresh chicken $3 each

dumb me: is that fryer or roaster?
answer: did you want small or large?

dumb me: large please.
answer: wait a minute . . . 

at some short time later raised a ruckus in the what I presume is the hen house whenceforth came a young maiden with (dead headless) chicken in hand and question: "do you want me to pluck it?"

it was a nice big chicken - prolly 4 lb - for three dollar - henceforthwith you can figger my "say whot?" reaction to a two pound $16 piece of poultry . . .


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

You people cummon now, you cannot compare organic chicken to KFC chicken! Just use Costco chicken at $0.79 a pound. A 3lb fryer comes to like $2.40.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Sorry, mixed up my chicken with my boneless lamb.

The chicken was actually 3lbs. But still, a 3lb chicken for 16bucks is still very expensive.


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## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

......$16/chicken

pretty much anything labeled "organic" is more expensive - but I'd agree that chicken is a bit on the overpriced side.

truth be told, when I asked for a chicken, I wasn't precisely 'aware' of their policy on "fresh" - perhaps that showed and prompted the "shall I pluck?" question - our neighbors kept chickens and I've seen that process up close and personal - but I was in grade school - I'm sure I would have more feathers on me than the chicken had I tried it <g>

oddly, I just discovered packages of "organic" shallots "tucked away" at the market. down the aisle where the onion products are stocked they have two cute shallots in a net bag hanging from a hook at $1.89 - this boxed package as at least five times as much by weight - couple big ones couple smaller ones couple mediums - seven in all - for $2.35

go figger. I've got to ask the manager why it is so well hidden . . .


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## allie (Jul 21, 2006)

The prices I put are the prices from my receipts. I shop Kroger-owned (Scotts) stores for the sale products.....mostly meat and some produce. From Aldi or SavALot, I can get the 10 pounds of russet potatoes for $2.79 or 2.99 (depending on which town I go to..13 or 18 miles away from home) every week.....that's regular price. I'll admit that Walmart or Kroger have 10 lbs of russets for $4.99 or more. Store brand butter (pound) is always $2.19 at Aldi and this week is $2.29 at Kroger. I just bought 2 Purdue chickens for $3.78 and $3.91 today on sale for .99 per pound. The Kroger brand chickens were on sale at the same price. At Walmart, I pick up whatever items I didn't get at the other stores. 

I shop very carefully so I can feed my family. Even at the decent prices I get, I still spend over $80-150 every week. If I bought a $16 dollar chicken, my kids would go hungry. Before I walk into a grocery store, I have a menu planned based around sales adn a list of any other items I need. If I find in-store, manager's specials and change my menu there on the spot. If I find a lot of really good in-store specials, then I buy extra and FoodSaver it for the freezer when I get home. I have to be a smart shopper. That's why it irritates me to hear so many people say it's cheaper to eat out. No, in reality, it's not if you're willing to put a little effort into it. This morning, I left home at 8:45, drove 18 miles to the store, did my shopping at Scotts, Aldi, and Walmart, ran by the post office to mail a letter, and picked up a part from the car dealership. I didn't get home until after 12:30. It does take time but because all of the stores are close together, I don't waste a lot of time driving across town and I only make one trip a week. If I forget something, then I work around it until my next shopping trip.

Just a little truth about the local "free range, organic" poultry farm near us. This is a small family owned farm. Les drives by it every day. The chickens have little huts out in a field and are allowed to come and go as they please. One morning, he went by and saw a dead chicken laying in the field. That afternoon, he came by on his way home and the other chickens were over there pecking at it. After 14 hours or so, it was still in the same place. Does that make "free range, organic" any better than any place else? How about this, you go in and buy meat from their market and get home only to find it's spoiled? This has happened to several people I know. I've also gotten meat that was past it's prime there and that's why I refuse to go back. They've now closed their meat market after maybe being open for 9 months. Goes to show that going to the local, private guy doesn't always yield the best product.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

How can it possibly irritate you how someone else chooses to spend their money? We all have to be smart shoppers and I do my fair share of scoping out bargains etc. But I don't lament the money I spend on a good wholesome dinner made from the finest ingredients I can purchase. I spend time developing relationships with my butcher, my produce market owner, my deli person, and so on just to feel confident that they are giving me a good product. I'm the kind of cook that will walk to the market every day to get what I need for that night's evening just to ensure I have the freshest product available. I have a weekly plan as well but it's based around our nutritional needs and great if there's a special but I'm buying spinach either way. I'm also not going to buy fresh dill on Monday if I don't need it until Sunday.

The phrase "it would be cheaper to eat out" might mean different things to people. I tak other things into account such as convenience. On Thursdays when I'm swamped with and I decide to go out for sushi then I will sit down like a lady, be served, I won't have to think or prep anything, I wont' have to do dishes, worry about leftovers, or feel like I forewent nutrition for the sake of convenience.

The original question is "can you make this meal for under $10" then probably yes, if I ran around town from place to place coupons in hand and bought the cheapest items available without taking into account nutrition. Heck maybe I'd even pick up the Manager's Special chicken to make the $ limit. But would I want to? No. No. No can do, especially since the 7 pieces would not be enough for left overs for the next day and seriously, what's the point of making fried chicken if you can't eat it cold the next day.


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

i can say that sometimes, no matter what way I cut it, it's cheaper to eat out for me.

you also have to consider two working people, and time, while not a factor in the 10$ argument, it's still a factor. in this economy, some families where both parents work, don't get home until 7pm every night....they aren't heating up oil or making dough. (unless your me :crazy: )

today, we made chicken pot pies.....it cost over 20$ at the supermarket and I had the chicken and peas and a few other things. (im not making my own puff pastry) granted whatever we make will be for lunch tomorrow. 

there is NO POSSIBLE WAY to make a 7 piece fried chicken for under 10$ no matter how much I bargain hunt. no way. impossible given the markets in a 20 mile radius. close...yes...but not 10. I'd say 15 is a safer bet. 

I don't agree with it's always cheaper to make it yourself. I mean if you want pasta every night. 



I still want to see someone, with receipts, or solid evidence of what they paid for something, make a 7 piece fried chicken meal, with mashed potatoes gravy and biscuits for under 10$. picture of how much product used next to a picture of how much paid. i'm not eager to see it as a challenge, but because I think it would be awesome and give me some economic hope!


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## allie (Jul 21, 2006)

Tell you what, the next time I go shopping I'll try to remember to take my camera and take pictures of the potatoes in their bin under the price sign, the chicken in the cooler with the price, etc. Heck, I can take a pic right now of the two chickens bought for .99. Yeah, they're Perdue brand but they are fresh chickens without any additive, minimal processing, and minimal water content from said processing. If my scanner worked, I'd even scan in my receipts.

What irritates me is the people who tell me on a daily basis that they can eat out cheaper than they can cook at home. The neighbors who ran into me at the store yesterday in awe of the amount of groceries I had in my cart, who came over later trying to sell me a tv to get money to go out to eat for dinner. Ok, lets look at this realistically. They were in the grocery store already and had driven 18 miles to get there. Upon leaving that store, they were going to Walmart to get a toy for their children, just because they wanted it. Then they come over wanting to borrow money for gas, eating out, etc. I budget carefully and do not have to borrow or sell things so we can survive. With 3 kids and no jobs, eating out does not make sense! You can't tell me that two parents at home couldn't cook for less than driving 13+ miles to eat out several times a day! Then there was the stay at home mom who told me she didn't have "time to cook" but she was outside laying in the sun, swimming, and watching her kids play all day. Umm, I do things with my kids and still make time to cook. Heck, I even let my kids help. My 14 year old can bake and cook some meals on her own.

Maybe my prices are better than yours because I live in a rural area where median incomes are $42,000. Lagrange County Stats

People have to have food and I've seen more people shoppping Aldi and SavALot than ever before in the four years I've lived here.

BTW, here's the Kroger ad that ends today. Mind you, I didn't buy everything there and found several managers specials that I purchased in place of the sale items.

Kroger


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

income is probably it.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

There is an economic crisis going on out there and in general people are tightening their belts. But everybody is cutting back in their own ways. My husband and I are both materialistically simple so we don't have 5 televisions, 4 computers, iPods, stereo systems, and big cars. We've limited dining out to once a week, put a freeze on personal shopping (clothes, shoes, CD's, etc) until the holidays, and haven't been to the movies since May. We've changed all our lightbulbs, make huge efforts in cutting our utility bills, even cancelled part of our cable. I've switched to public transportation unless I have an out-of-town gig, and carry my own refillable water bottle and coffee mug everywhere I go. I've not renewed my gym membership (although I'm still shelling out for yoga classes), pluck my own eyebrows, paint my own toes, and presently going natural with my haircolor. 

The only things that are non-negotiable for me is quality food, quality of life, and health insurance. Our body is the only thing we truly own and if we don't start thinking about the QUALITY of food going into it then "they" will continue to mess with it like they have for the past 30 years. The price of groceries is up no matter how you look at it but now is not the time to forego our diet and nutrition. I don't have children yet but we will soon and the most important thing I can teach them is how to take care of themselves. I can't imagine handing my child a piece of bread and saying "this is what's on sale, so this is what we'll eat." Not if it's wonder bread. I've often wondered why they put things on sale. Isn't it just because it's the stuff that nobody wants and they can't get rid of most of the time? Hasn't anyone noticed that the Manager's Special cubed steak has a green sheen to it? Don't the Campbell's soup cans on sale have dings and dust on them?

My heart breaks when I read about how much mileage you have to rack up on your car with these gas prices. I feel very fortunate that fresh produce, butchers, delis, and general shopping is within 5 minutes walking distance for me. Lucky for me I can afford to spend a few cents more on organic groceries since I'm burning calories instead of gas.


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## jbd (Mar 17, 2008)

I might have missed something in all this, but one thing to consider with the KFC meal is that it doesn't include beverages. If those are purchased at the store the meal is then over $10. I would be willing to bet most customers will buy the beverages when they buy the meal. KFC is not losing any money on this deal. Consider also that KFC is most likely buying their chicken on a contract basis which means they are consistently paying a low price for their products. They have economies of scale that the homemaker just won't have.


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

I live near downtown Salt Lake, there is a chain of stores that was once local, now they are part of the Kroger empire. A few years back I was looking for a certain cut of beef. The one near my house had a couple pieces, I think for 2.99 a pound. I didn't like the size or something, so figured that while doing errands that day I'd stop and see what they had at another store. I went to one up near the mountains in a fairly nice neighborhood. Same chain of store, same products, but the price for the same cut of beef at the 'upscale' store was 4.29! I took mental notes of some of the other meat prices, and they were all pretty much at least 15 percent higher than my neighborhood store, except for the specials they had in the weekly newspaper ads.

The problem with the 10 dollar KFC dinner is that you have to eat KFC chicken!

mjb.


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## mpeirson (Jan 10, 2008)

I have five living in my home. Myself, husband, two teenage boys, and my brother in law. Seven pieces of chicken just would not cut it, but for two people it seems like a good deal. I just do not think KFC tastes as good as it used to. Come to think of it, most ready made food does not. Homemade is almost always better if done right. I know when I was single it was cheaper for me to eat out if I didn't go overboard.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

It also doesn't include taste and quality.


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## rpmcmurphy (Jan 8, 2008)

bah, 

KFC isn't SUPPOSED to taste like real good fried chicken, it's supposed to taste like KFC.....just like mcdonalds hamburger, etc. 

there is a certain place for KFC....the granola crunchies can poo-poo it all day and be right, but some days (maybe that 1 time every 2 years)....KFC is the best meal of the day. 

just because it's not organic, local, made by the amish or yourself with top ingredients, doesn't mean it doesn't taste good....let me rephrase that...doesn't mean it's not going to "comort" ya. 

kinda like a twinkie.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Besides, roasted is much better because you can get the pan gravy!


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## mpeirson (Jan 10, 2008)

Hallelujah Kuan!! Yummmmm gravvyyy!!


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

For various reasons I had an urge for fried chicken tonight. Got a cut-up whole chicken, 4.27 pounds at $1.59 a pound for a total of $6.79, not including tax. Also got a pan of frozen rolls for a little over 4 bucks. Yes, normally I would make my own biscuits or cornbread from scratch, I was feeling lazy. So with sales tax on the food and the portion of spinach used, I'm up to about, oh, let's say $12.50 for the meal.

But it wasn't all eaten tonight. We'll have leftovers in a day or two, and probably a lunch. So 5 servings from $12.50 worth of stuff is $2.50 a serving. Or 10 bucks to feed a family of four. Interesting.

The entire package of chicken did not go into the frying pan, though. The back, gizzard, wing tips, rib bones and some trimmings went into the freezer for later use as stock. The liver was cooked in butter as a snack for the cook while fixing dinner. What was that worth? Actually I was planning on getting a whole chicken, the pre-cut ones don't include necks usually, more fodder for the stock pot. 

Of course, the best part is that, unlike Kentucky Fried Chicken, the stuff I made tonight tasted like, well, chicken!

mjb.


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