Why prices are going up in grocery stores, and how you can save

Published: Updated:
Publix grocery aisle. Credit: WINK News

You’ve probably noticed that you are spending more to restock your pantry and refrigerator. And prices at your favorite grocery store aren’t going down anytime soon.

Inflation is what is making it harder to stay on budget, and almost everything in every store costs more this month than it did last month.

For Fort Myers resident John Shea, it’s clear the groceries he’s loading in his car just got more expensive. “They’re all going up. We notice it.”

In September, inflation rose 5.4%, meaning your groceries cost more in September 2021, than they did the same time last year.

That’s the highest rate increase in more than a decade.

FGCU economist Doctor Victor Claar said some of the cause for the sticker shock is a combination of shipping costs, truck driver shortages and supply shortages. All brought on by the pandemic. “A lot of production slowed or stopped because of the pandemic. We sort of forget that because of physical distancing and spreading people out in production facilities then those people couldn’t make as many units per week or per day as they used to.”

For months WINK News has kept track of the same 10 items at the grocery store like Honey-Nut Cheerios, Doritos, bread, and yogurt to see how these issues have burned a hole in your wallet at the same Publix, Walmart and Target stores.

Most products continue to go up in price.

Target advertised a low price of $2.99 for Nature’s Own butter bread. It’s actually more expensive now than it was last month by 10 cents.

Honey-Nut Cheerios also got more expensive at Target. It went from $2.99 in September to $3.49 on Thursday.

Yoplait Yogurt saw a slight increase at Publix. Up by 69-75 cents this month.

A bag of Doritos at Walmart was the biggest jump, going up almost a dollar from $2.50 last month to $3.48 on Thursday.

We can’t control prices going up, but Fort Myers resident John Shea said we all can control what we decide to spend our money on to make our grocery budget stretch. “Just don’t go out so much. Stay home most of the time.”

Dr. Claar recommends another way to keep costs down when you’re shopping by swapping your favorite brand to the store brand.

You can also find additional ways to save by clicking here.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.