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GPT-5Nov 6, 2026openai/gpt-5-2025-08-07
Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?
Short answer: generally no. On average, prices are higher than a year ago.
•Overall consumer prices were up about 3.7% year over year in September 2026 (latest available; released October 14, 2026).[1]
•Grocery prices (“food at home”) were up 1.8% versus September 2025; restaurant prices (“food away from home”) were up 3.5%.[1]
Some individual items are cheaper than a year ago—for example, eggs were down about 20.6% and dairy was down 0.7%—and used cars were down 1.5%. But in the aggregate, store prices aren’t lower than last year.[1]
If you had specific categories (e.g., groceries vs. clothing/electronics), tell me and I’ll break those out.
Citations (1)
- Consumer Price Index News Release - 2026 M09 Results
Backs: “Overall consumer prices were up about 3.7% year over year in September 2026 (latest available; released October 14, 2026).”