Aluminum imports - for foil, cans and other products - have faced a roller coaster of tariffs.Īnd what about the original reason for our visit to this Georgia Walmart: Did lingering impacts of Donald Trump's trade war with China add to price increases? Severe droughts caused the worst oat harvest in North America in over a century. Wood and wood pulp for paper products were affected by big pandemic demand and the war in Ukraine. Supply-chain woes show up in many aisles. Newell, maker of Paper Mate, said its audits show retail prices increased about 9% compared to pre-pandemic levels, "priced to cover inflationary costs that we received from raw material suppliers." The cost of a Paper Mate mechanical pencil, for example, likely soared because we compared a December price tag to the back-to-school season in August. Still, inflation is clearly visible in the store. Walmart puts particular focus on keeping prices as stable as possible and uses its scale to press suppliers for the lowest-priced deals. Starting in February, the company plans new hikes, citing higher costs incurred from transportation, raw materials and swings in currency exchange rates.ĭove maker Unilever and Walmart did not respond to NPR's inquiries. In fact, Procter & Gamble will soon raise prices again. The company said it "takes a holistic view of pricing" that accounts for "many factors such as costs, the value of our brands, and local marketplace dynamics." Procter & Gamble, which makes Tide, told NPR that retailers get the final say on what size package to offer and at what price. Dove soap bars shrank by a quarter of an ounce and also got pricier. The Tide jug that contained 100 ounces of liquid in 2019 now has 92 ounces, but costs more. Tide detergent and Dove soap stood out as prime shrinkflation examples in NPR's basket. NPR Since pre-pandemic, the price per ounce of Tide laundry detergent rose 17% and of Dove bar soap 35%. It's also why some experts recommend that shoppers consider the price per unit (per ounce or per item in a pack) to assess price changes, which is what NPR did for this story. It allows for higher prices to hide in plain sight - fewer chips in a bag or tissues in a box - without scaring shoppers away. Shrinkflation is "inflation's devious cousin," to cite NPR's Planet Money. (Or skip analysis to see the full NPR Shopping Cart. There, we found some items on the shelves have changed, too - and a few surprises. We returned to the same Walmart in December to see just how much prices have changed at America's most popular supermarket. Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted food and energy trade. Global supply chains became chaotic and fuel prices swung wildly. At the time, we traced how the Trump administration's trade war with China was affecting prices. That's when NPR last visited this Walmart, in Liberty County just south of Savannah. In NPR's shopping cart of several dozen items, prices went up 23% on average since mid-2019. And you may even find a relative bargain on shrimp. But not so bad if you want cabbage or Wonder bread. It's a bit painful if you're shopping for aluminum foil or eggs. economy - and the inflation that has roiled it. So, a shopping basket at a Walmart in Georgia offers a view into the U.S. Look inside your shopping cart to spot the impact of the world's ebbs and flows: It's in the wood pulp in your paper towels, the petroleum in your frozen meal container, the fruits and veggies that survived floods or droughts.
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