Consumers are increasingly pushing back against price increases – and winning
Surging prices for groceries, internet service and other everyday expenses are prompting consumers to change behavior, from switching to store brands and discount chains to questioning whether “greedflation” and market power are driving costs beyond what inflation alone would justify. Commenters contrast official measures like CPI with personal records that suggest larger real-world price jumps, and debate how much blame lies with corporate pricing strategies versus consumer willingness to keep paying for non-essentials like restaurant meals and concert tickets. The exchange also highlights structural issues such as ISP monopolies, concentrated food supply chains, and media incentives to frame routine supply-and-demand dynamics as dramatic conflict.
Perceived vs Measured Inflation
- Several commenters say their lived experience (e.g., grocery bills up ~25–30% in two years with similar recipes/brands) feels worse than official inflation.
- Debate over methodology: criticism of using surveys with changing baskets of goods; others reply that standard measures like CPI use fixed baskets and explicitly adjust for shrinkflation.
- Some distrust official stats in general, arguing that people who constantly buy groceries have a sharper sense of price changes than “far removed” economists; others counter with examples (e.g., crime perception vs stats) showing mass perception can be wrong.
Consumer Behavior and “Pushing Back”
- Many see behavior described in the article (switching to store brands, discount chains, fewer snacks/gourmet items) as basic demand response, not “fighting back.”
- Evidence of trading down: Aldi vs nearby supermarkets; store brands gaining against big brands; examples from Germany where cheaper “bio” milk outsells pricier regional non-bio milk.
- Some note they’re actually spending more to avoid low-quality or adulterated food, e.g., better pasta or ingredients.
Greedflation, Profit Margins, and Pricing Power
- One view: “greedflation” at grocery level is overstated because large chains’ net margins remain ~2–3%, historically low-margin businesses with rising labor and other costs.
- Counterpoint: upstream food and commodity firms and big brand suppliers have raised prices and (according to cited research) increased profits; store brands with flatter margins suggest room for genuine price competition.
- Anecdotes from pricing meetings: prices raised simply because competitors did, not due to cost analysis, reinforcing view of opportunistic hikes.
- Observations of “high list price + big sale” patterns as algorithmic demand-curve exploration.
Supply, Demand, and Media Framing
- Some criticize journalists for dramatizing ordinary price elasticity (e.g., calling substitution “pushing back”) and for casting everything as a two-sided conflict.
- Others highlight that many consumers complain about high prices (steaks, concert tickets) yet buy anyway, thereby sustaining high prices.
Non-Grocery Price Pressures (ISPs, Tickets, Housing)
- ISP example: stagnant speeds, rising bills, new data caps and overage fees; limited competition and regulatory capture seen as the core issue.
- Debate whether price increases merely track CPI vs expectations that tech (bandwidth) should get cheaper and faster over time.
- Concert tickets framed as luxury goods that will naturally price out many; disagreement over whether that should be accepted.
- Housing: prices high but people still buy; some note homeownership rate is fairly stable, others emphasize more inheritance-based ownership and rising renting/homelessness.
Tools, Transparency, and Evidence
- Mention of open-source grocery price trackers to monitor inflation and shrinkflation.
- Skepticism that the linked article provides solid data beyond anecdotes.
- Complaints about ad-heavy news pages; some argue such UX issues are no longer “tangential” annoyances.