Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Short answer: mostly no.

Using the latest U.S. Consumer Price Index data, overall prices in August 2026 were 3.4% higher than in August 2025. Grocery prices (“food at home”) were 2.2% higher year over year.[1]

Some store categories did fall:

•Used cars and trucks: down about 2.3% vs. a year earlier.[1]

•Major appliances: down about 1.9% year over year.[1]

•Televisions: down about 1.0% year over year.[1]

Others rose:

•Apparel: up about 3.6% year over year.[1]

If you have specific items or a region in mind, tell me and I can pull the exact year-over-year change for those.

Citations (1)

1bls.govGovernment
Consumer Price Index News Release - 2026 M08 Results
Backs: “Grocery prices (“food at home”) were 2.2% higher year over year.”