The Square Peg

For health reasons, I am striving to have a gluten-free diet. I spent 1/5 of my two-week grocery budget on specialty GF items at Kroger earlier this week, pulled out my Gluten-free for Dummies book, and have been shopping online for recipes and grocery items that are GF.
I was just browsing the Gluten-Free Mall's website and 1-2-3 Gluten-free brownie mix is NINE DOLLARS--and that's the "sale" price; the regular price is $11.25. And the 1-2-3 GF corn bread mix (southern style)? $7.34...down from $9.18.
I'm fixing to yell; cover your eyes real quick.

ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME? WHY ARE GF ITEMS SO EXPENSIVE?!?!

I had to let that out.

Can somebody just explain that to me? I have a real problem with price gouging (to be fair, I guess everybody does...except the gougers). At that rate, the brownie mix should feed a swarm of hungry teenage boys. But it doesn't. I thought one of the brands of GF brownie mix at Kroger was unreasonable at the $6 price, so I didn't buy it (I have a real problem with unreasonable-ness, too). I understand it's a specialty item but come on.

The bottom line?

Dear 1-2-3- Gluten-free prices: Customer service FAIL. Despite the fact that you're gluten-free.