Inflation Blows Into Idaho Like a Whirlwind

A Facebook acquaintance from the east coast claims he sees no inflation when grocery shopping.  I don’t know where he shops and I don’t know his politics.  He doesn’t post about the latter.  I dropped by a few stores here in southern Idaho over the weekend and begged to differ.

In Some Places the Cost is Almost Double

First, distilled water has returned to the shelves after a long absence.  Many people who sleep with CPAP masks fill the reservoirs of their devices with distilled water.  A year ago, I often found it at a discount of 80 cents a gallon.  Otherwise, one dollar appeared as the usual price. I saw it at WinCo for $1.08 Saturday morning, but also at a much higher price at Smith’s.

Some Deli Items are up for a Whole Buck

Walking into Albertsons. I took a look at some deli items.  Some of the oversized submarine sandwiches are going for just under $7.00.  A few months ago I saw them for under $6.00.  On a personal note, $6.99 isn’t a bad price compared to sandwich shops and the large subs at the store are of high quality.

The price for a can of soup is up.  I bought some cans with the Kroger label to save money.  Progresso is another favorite but look at the cost per can.  Not that long ago, I was buying Progresso soups for well under two dollars per unit.

I spoke with a man delivering bread at one store and asked him about the pinch he’s feeling when fueling up.  He admitted it was painful and we’re clearly now seeing it passed along to shoppers.

Last week, Biden's White House warned things would get worse before they got better.

Remember, inflation has the same impact as a tax increase.  Raise taxes and then economic activity cools.  The economy loses heat and we often see a recession.