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Shopping is more expensive in North Alabama, and experts say coronavirus is to blame

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Consumer Prices Rising

If you've bought groceries or gone out to eat recently, you probably noticed you're paying more.

While it may be at a slower pace than before, prices across the United States keep rising as part of the country's pandemic recovery.

People told Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é they're feeling a sense of deja vu recently. The number of coronavirus cases is spiking again, leading some people to run out and stock up on groceries, which then impacts the supply and demand. 

“We seem to be back where we were a year ago," said Ben Stockton a Huntsville resident.

"Things are happening again and I think one of the definitions of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome, and we seem to be doing the same thing over and over again.â€

Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é spoke with Stockton at Star Super Market in Huntsville. He's noticed certain items on his grocery list costing more recently.

“I think beef is one of the main things. Some of it has gone up by maybe 10 or 12 percent if you’re looking at a $3 or $4 item, a couple of cents, but you multiply it by tens of millions of people, and there is a tremendous increase, but it’s just the world we live in right now," said Stockton.

The world we live in now costs almost 5.5% more than it did in 2020. 

An Economics professor at the University of North Alabama, Pete Williams, said the pandemic putting almost everything on hold caused prices to plummet just a year ago.

“2020 was abnormally low, 2021 is going to be a bit higher because of the pandemic demand," said Williams. "People who didn’t get a vacation in 2020 are out flooding the roads and campgrounds and hotels in 2021.â€

Williams said there are many variables in predicting whether prices will continue to rise, but a major factor is if people are able to work and create the products people want.

“I suspect that they will continue going up until we can reach a plateau in this and start seeing this virus slow down, and everybody getting back to work, and then I think things will maybe stabilize," said Stockton.

Williams said some prices have already evened out the past couple of months. Some things like used cars are still higher than they've been before, but they're not getting significantly more expensive each month.

He added prices aren't that much different from 2019, you're just noticing them more from the drop-off last year.

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