Source is media but prices have spiked sharply lately:
Inflation is surging and people are hopping mad
November 13, 2021 7:00 AM ET
Scott Horsley
Some consumers are wondering why President Biden is not doing more to counter surging prices across the economy.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Bernice Rink didn't need to see this week's eye-popping inflation report to know that prices are getting painfully high. She can see it every time she goes to the supermarket.
"Oh my God," says Rink, "you can hardly buy groceries."
Prices of everyday items have surged during the pandemic, thanks to a toxic combination of staffing shortages and supply chain woes. The rising prices are souring the national mood and taking a political toll on President Biden.
Grocery prices in October were 5.4% higher than a year ago, according to the latest consumer price index. Overall inflation was 6.2%, the highest annual figure in more than three decades.
High inflation poses a particular challenge for people on fixed incomes like Rink, a retiree in Washington, D.C. She relies on Social Security, and her monthly benefit of $1,578 doesn't stretch as far as it used to.
"You have chicken, which is the cheapest thing you can buy — $11," Rink says in exasperation. "Not a family pack, mind you. A regular pack. Everything has increased."
According to the government's tally, chicken prices in October were 8.8% higher than a year ago. Beef and pork prices have climbed even more.
Energy prices are among the biggest drivers of inflation. Rink is paying almost 50% more for gasoline now than she did a year ago, and 28% more for the natural gas that she uses to heat her house.
"It's supposed to be a really cold winter," she says. "Do I keep a roof over my head? Or do I pay to stay warm?"
npr.org/2021/11/13/1055315389/inflation-president-biden-groceries-gas-food-energy-prices
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