Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Prices - I'll check if store prices are down from last year.

No - store prices overall are higher than a year ago, not lower.

•Overall consumer prices were 3.4% higher in August 2026 than they were one year earlier. That means prices are still rising overall, even though some individual categories have fallen.

•Grocery-store prices specifically:

•USDA data showed grocery-store food prices were about 2.2% higher in August 2026 than one year earlier.

•Other reporting of the August CPI: Grocery prices rose 2.2%, while dining-out costs increased 3.4% and Restaurant and other food-away-from-home prices were up approximately 3.4%.

•Food at home: +2.2% year-over-year, and Food-at-home prices were unchanged during the month but increased 2.2 percent from a year earlier

The pace slowed from July - year-over-year food-at-home inflation slowed to 2.2% in August from 2.7% last month - but did not turn negative.

•Other common store-related categories are also up year-over-year:

•The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported gasoline prices were up 27.4% over the 12 months ending in August 2026 and Gasoline prices surged 3.9% in August and were 27.4% higher than a year earlier

•fruits and vegetables were up 3.2% year over year, cereals and bakery products were up 2.6%, nonalcoholic beverages were up 3.7%

There are a few categories where prices are lower than a year ago - for example BLS data showed used-car and truck prices were 2.3% lower than one year earlier - but that is not true for groceries and overall store prices.

Why it feels higher: those increases are occurring after several years of earlier price increases. As one explainer notes: If something climbed from $3 to $4 over the past several years and then increases another 2%, slowing inflation doesn't return the price to $3. The rate of price growth slowed, while the overall price level remains elevated.

Claims that prices for groceries have "come way down" and that broad deflation has occurred have been described as false - Trump has tried for months to concoct an alternate reality in which the country has experienced broad deflation during this presidency, with prices for groceries and other items down big.

Citations (1)

1dooragnation.comLow provenance
Why Does Everything Still Cost So Much? 7 Expenses Americans Are Feeling in 2026
Backs: “No - store prices overall are higher than a year ago, not lower. Overall consumer prices were 3.4% higher in August 2026 than they were one year earlier.”