Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Prices a year ago versus today — I'll pull the latest inflation and grocery trends for you.

No, overall prices in stores are not lower than a year ago — they are higher, although some specific items are cheaper.

> Prices overall were 3.4% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
> Headline inflation: prices rose 0.6% in September and 3.7% over the past 12 months, up from 3.4% in August

> Overall, grocery prices dropped 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis last month, leaving them 1.8% higher than a year earlier, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released on Thursday showed
> On a seasonally adjusted basis, grocery prices declined 0.1% last month and remained 1.8% above where they stood twelve months prior

That annual grocery increase of 1.8% was described as well below the overall inflation rate of 3.7%, making grocery prices a bright spot, but still an increase — not a decrease.

Other measures also show increases:
> In September, prices for everyday goods are up 2.1% versus a year ago
> The cost of food purchased from stores rose 1.7 per cent in September compared with a year earlier (Canada)

What is cheaper:

Some categories did fall year-over-year, hiding behind the average:

> Used cars and trucks were 2.3% cheaper, furniture and bedding 0.8% cheaper, televisions 1.0% cheaper and smartphones 12.2% cheaper
> Meat prices, for instance, dipped 0.9% in September, putting them 1.3% higher than a year earlier
> bacon, which costs 3.3% less than it did a year ago
> Egg prices plummeted more than 20% over the year ending in September
> Butter prices plunged 10.3% last month compared to a year earlier, while prices for ice cream, milk and cheese each fell more than 2% over that period

Because of continued inflation, some retailers are advertising price cuts to offset it. For example Aldi said:

> more than a third of its products are now cheaper than a year ago , 881 products cost less than they did in October 2025

But that is a retailer-specific promotion — not the economy-wide price level. Across all stores, the average basket costs more than it did a year ago.