I am hurting like many complainers. Hurting is too strong a word– there’s no war in my backyard, I own my home– I’m complaining like many complainers.
I’m legitimately good at budget shopping, buying loss leaders, clearance sales, distressed merchandise, rebates.
With product shortages, these sales just don’t have to happen to move product, so I pay retail. Retail may be up 8% but it’s a lot more up than what I’m used to paying.
Example: I got a set of Pirelli P4 tires for $50 apiece about 18 months ago. They went up to $120 (wow) and are back down to $90. Rough, but I think they were normally $80 back then and I just “got a deal.”
In addition to what others have written, keep in mind that shrinkflation usually happens all at once. So, ice cream stays at a half gallon for a decade, and Breyers (or whoever) has decided that the price shouldn’t go above $3.99. So after a decade at $3.99/half gallon, Breyers introduces a smaller, 1.5qt container at the same $3.99 price. To the consumer it’s “25% inflation”, but in reality it’s the first change in a decade, so it only averages 2.5% over that time period.
If they raised prices with inflation it would go $3.99, then $4.11 the next year, and $4.23 the following year, etc. But since the $3.99 price point is psychologically important, they keep the price there for years until jumping it all at once (or shrinking the package sizing).
It also usually happens when there’s a period of higher inflation that puts pressure on the manufacturers or growers, so everyone usually raises their prices all at once.
That standard basket of goods doesn’t necessarily fit your own consumption. There are inflation calculators where you can adjust the basket. This is one for the EU f.ex. [https://www.euro-area-statistics.org/digital-publication/statistics-insights-inflation/bloc-4a.html](https://www.euro-area-statistics.org/digital-publication/statistics-insights-inflation/bloc-4a.html)
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