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GPT-5Oct 10, 2026openai/gpt-5-2025-08-07
Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?
No
Short answer: generally no. On average, prices in U.S. stores are higher than a year ago.
•Overall consumer prices: up about 3.4% year over year (August 2026 vs. August 2025—the latest CPI available as of October 10, 2026).[1]
•Groceries (“food at home”): up about 2.2% year over year.[1]
•Some categories did fall (for example, dairy down ~0.3% YoY; used cars down ~2.3% YoY), but most common store categories are still higher than last year.[1]
If you tell me which types of items—or a specific store/region—you care about, I can pull the most relevant figures.
Citations (1)
- Consumer Price Index News Release - 2026 M08 Results
Backs: “August 2025—the latest CPI available as of October 10, 2026).”
statistic, official document, neutral. Claim: Some categories fell, such as dairy down ~0.3% and used cars down ~2.3%, but most store categories are higher.