Cobb locals feel strain of food, gas cost thanks to 40-year high inflation

Shoppers and merchants across the country are experiencing the effects of rising prices as U.S. inflation hits a 40-year high, and Cobb County locals are no exception.

From produce to meat, pet food to gas, increasing prices are making a dent in consumers’ wallets.

“It (inflation) has impacted us dramatically, I would say, because it’s pretty much across the board. Prices are up,” said Steve Van Meter, store manager of the Kroger at West Marietta Crossing on Whitlock Avenue.

Grocery prices have risen 11.9% over the past year, the quickest jump since 1979, according to Bloomberg News. In addition, world events such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine war and COVID-related lockdowns in China could be contributing to rising costs for consumers.

Van Meter reported that he’s noticed changes in various departments across the store as well as in shopper’s habits as they work to adjust.

“It’s affected us a lot in the meat department,” he said. “Shopping patterns there have changed. Not as much red meat being bought. The chicken is in short supply, but it’s also got a high price attached to it as well, but there’s more chicken that seems to be selling. Seafood seems to be doing OK, but the prices have risen there. It’s really pretty much across the board, to be honest with you.”

Consistent with Van Meter’s observations, shoppers such as Stacey Doyle, who frequents Kroger, said they’ve experienced sticker shock at the meat counter.

“I’m in the food business, so I have to keep the quality up, but at the same time I’m having to be more frugal with the amounts that I purchase for work,” Doyle said. “For family, again the same. Just looking at the prices and comparing a lot more than I used to. Meat is really hit a lot. Everything in general, but definitely the meat. We’ve become more vegetarian than we used to be.”

Some shoppers have adopted strategies to combat inflation, though. Kroger shopper Maria Stiles-Manjarrez looks to buy more in bulk now.

“I plan,” she said. “I try to get the biggest thing for the best price, because you never know what the price is going to be the next day.”

Despite the consequences of inflation in grocery stores, some shoppers haven’t made major changes to their purchasing habits. Food Depot shopper Clarence Elebee said inflation hasn’t affected his spending, because he’s a creature of habit.

“We’re gonna buy what we need and when we need it,” he said. “Fortunately, I’m a saver. And, just this morning my wife mentioned, ‘You probably saw a famine coming and didn’t realize it.’ I’ve probably saved more in the past six months than the last six years.”

Elebee said he was more concerned about the rising cost of filling up his gas tank than that of groceries. Instead of driving to the Food Depot like he usually does, Elebee said he walked.

Joni Smith of Dallas said she won’t make her annual drive to the beach this year, due to the gas prices.

“I canceled two trips already, one to the beach, one to Tennessee, and I’ve been carpooling with my girlfriends every time that we do go somewhere,” she said. “And I requested to work an extra day from home.”

Even at local farmers markets, shoppers and merchants are facing the effects of inflation. Small businesses have had to make adjustments to how they purchase their products while also balancing a smaller budget, according to Dominique Ali, chief operating officer of Anisa’s Secrets, a spice store in Marietta.

Ali, who appeared at the Acworth Farmers Market Friday, said if a certain seasoning increases in cost, it can affect the price for the customer.

“So some of the decisions that we have to make, other businesses don’t, and we have to make those decisions based on the interest of our bottom line, but also at the interest of our customer if we want to retain them,” he said.

Shoppers across the board seem to be making more calculated spending decisions as they account for their higher grocery bills.

“It makes me spend less,” said Food Depot shopper Michelle Ward. “(I) make better decisions on my choices, because I can’t just splurge like I like to do sometimes. Everywhere I’ve kind of had to curtail my spending. I have five grandchildren, so I’ve had to take it easy on buying for them, too. It’s horrible on everybody right now.”

Food Depot Manager Wayne Speice said he’s forgone dining in restaurants in order to counteract the rising cost of groceries.

“We haven’t gone out as much,” he said. “We used to go out two or three times a week, now we just might go out one time a week.”

While perusing the aisles of Food Depot, Andrew Mejia said he’s seen how his dollar buys less than it used to, but he feels fortunate that he can cope with the cost — for now.

“It’s really bad … For people who are not so fortunate, I know it’s just a struggle,” he said. “(Iinflation is) going to cause a lot of problems if it doesn’t stop, if it doesn’t slow down. It’s horrible. And then, it is going to eventually affect people who do make a decent amount of money, too, because we’re going to end up getting to the space where we have to — hate to use the term, but — rob people to keep going, because it’s getting that bad. And then gas, just within the last two days, it jumped like 30 cents.”

May’s inflation record further pressures the Federal Reserve to extend an aggressive series of interest-rate hikes and adds to political problems for the White House and Democrats.

The consumer price index increased 8.6% from a year earlier, Labor Department data showed Friday. The widely followed inflation gauge rose 1% from a month earlier, topping all estimates. Shelter, food and gas were the largest contributors.

The so-called core CPI, which strips out the more volatile food and energy components, rose 0.6% from the prior month and 6% from a year ago, also above forecasts.

The figures dash any hope that inflation had already peaked and was starting to simmer down. Record gas prices, paired with unrelenting food and shelter costs, are exerting strong pressure on Americans’ cost of living, suggesting the Fed will have to pump the brakes on the economy even harder. That raises the risk of a recession, which some economists already saw as likely next year.

Two-year Treasury yields jumped, stock futures fell and the dollar rose after the report. Traders fully priced in three 50-basis-point rate hikes over the Fed’s next three policy meetings in June, July and September.

In May, prices for necessities continued to rise at double-digit paces. Energy prices climbed 34.6% from a year earlier, the most since 2005, including a nearly 49% jump in gasoline costs. Gas prices so far in June have climbed to new highs, signaling more upward pressure in coming CPI reports and therefore keeping the Fed in the hot seat.

Electricity increased 12%, the most since August 2006. Rent of primary residence climbed 5.2% from a year earlier, the most since 1987.

That likely spells further trouble for President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings have sunk to new lows ahead of midterm elections later this year. While the job market remains a bright spot, decades-high inflation is crippling confidence among the American people and largely outpacing wage gains.