Good story from National Public Radio (NPR) in which it looks at price increases at a single Walmart - just south of Savannah, in Georgia's Liberty County - between mid-2019 and the present.
In 2019, the story says, NPR visited the store to see "how the Trump administration's trade war with China was affecting prices … Since then, the pandemic has hit. Global supply chains became chaotic and fuel prices swung wildly. The Great Resignation pushed U.S. employers to raise long-stagnant wages. Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted food and energy trade. Cue: historic inflation.
"We returned to the same Walmart in December to see just how much prices have changed at America's most popular supermarket. There, we found some items on the shelves have changed, too — and a few surprises."
Two major conclusions - prices have, indeed, gone up in many categories, and shrinkflation (in which product sizes are reduced without prices being lowered) is real.
Another reality: "Walmart also has stopped selling some items from big-name brands — like the Stanley screwdriver — in favor of private brands that are usually more profitable. This can give a store more wiggle room to lure shoppers with lower prices, while still making its money."
But, NPR writes, there were a number of items where their prices stayed the same, or even got cheaper.
You can read the entire piece here.
