Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

No, overall prices in stores are not lower compared to a year ago; they are generally higher, though the increases are moderate in many categories and some specific items have declined.[1]

This is based primarily on the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for September 2026 (released mid-October 2026), which tracks prices paid by urban consumers for a broad basket of goods and services, including many store-bought items. Key year-over-year (YoY) changes include:[2]

•All items CPI: +3.7% (up from +3.4% in August; monthly rise of +0.6%, driven heavily by energy).

•Food at home (groceries): +1.8% (monthly decline of -0.1%; this is a key store category). All food (including away-from-home) was +2.5%.

•Commodities less food and energy (core goods, covering many non-food retail items like apparel, vehicles, household goods): +0.7%.

•Apparel: +3.4%.

•New vehicles: +0.6%.

•Used cars and trucks: -1.5% (one notable decline).

•Medical care commodities: -3.3%.

•Dairy and related products: -0.7% (with some meats/poultry/fish/eggs near flat or mixed at +0.3% overall for that group).

Energy prices (e.g., gasoline +34.2% YoY) have surged due to geopolitical factors (including conflict involving Iran), which indirectly pressure store prices via transportation/distribution costs (e.g., diesel), though this has not fully flowed through to groceries yet. Food-at-home inflation has cooled recently, with monthly dips in categories like dairy, meats, and some others, providing some short-term relief.[3]

Context and Nuances

•Not uniform: Individual items vary widely. Some (e.g., certain dairy, bacon, eggs in recent periods, used cars, or medical commodities) are cheaper YoY, while others (fruits/vegetables, nonalcoholic beverages, apparel, coffee in some reports) are higher. Retailers have used discounts, rollbacks, and promotions (a trend noted strongly in 2024), which can make some basket prices feel flatter or lower in practice, but official indexes reflect average paid prices.[4]

•Goods vs. overall inflation: Goods prices (store-relevant) have often risen more slowly than services (e.g., shelter +3.2%, which is a major CPI driver). Core inflation (ex-food/energy) was +2.6% YoY. Cumulative prices remain substantially higher than pre-pandemic levels (e.g., groceries up ~30%+ since ~2020 in various trackers).

•Earlier trends: In 2024, many retailers (Walmart, Target, etc.) actively cut prices on thousands of items amid cooling goods inflation/deflation in some categories, and shopper trackers (e.g., NPR Walmart baskets) sometimes showed near-flat or very low single-digit average changes with many items stable or cheaper. That moderated the pain but did not reverse the higher price level from prior years. Current data shows positive (if modest for goods) inflation again.[5]

•Other factors: Shrinkflation (smaller packages at similar prices), private-label shifts, promotions, and tariffs have influenced effective costs. Producer prices have also risen recently, partly on energy.

Prices can differ by location, store (e.g., discount vs. premium), brand, and exact timing. Official CPI is a national average. For the most current or local details, check BLS.gov CPI releases, retailer apps, or price-tracking tools. Inflation measures the rate of change; a positive rate means the price level is still rising (or higher than a year prior), even if more slowly than before.

Citations (5)

1bls.govGovernment
https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2025/consumer-price-index-2024-in-review.htm
Backs: “No, overall prices in stores are not lower compared to a year ago; they are generally higher, though the increases are moderate in many categories and some specific items have declined.”
evidence, article, points to no. Claim: Overall prices in stores are not lower than a year ago; they are generally higher, though increases are moderate and some items declined.
2bls.govGovernment
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.t01.htm
Backs: “Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for September 2026 (released mid-October 2026), which tracks prices paid by urban consumers for a broad basket of goods and services, including many store-bought items. Key year-over-year (YoY) changes include:”
statistic, data page, points to no. Claim: BLS CPI year-over-year changes: all items +3.7%, food at home +1.8%, core goods +0.7%, used cars -1.5%, and others.
3grocerytradenews.comNews and media
https://www.grocerytradenews.com/us-grocery-inflation-september-2026/
Backs: “Food-at-home inflation has cooled recently, with monthly dips in categories like dairy, meats, and some others, providing some short-term relief.”
evidence, article, neutral. Claim: Food-at-home inflation has cooled recently, with monthly dips in dairy and meats giving short-term relief, though energy costs haven't fully reached groceries.
4retailbrew.comNews and media
https://www.retailbrew.com/stories/2024/12/18/2024-was-the-year-of-discounts-price-cuts-and-more-affordable-assortments
Backs: “Retailers have used discounts, rollbacks, and promotions (a trend noted strongly in 2024), which can make some basket prices feel flatter or lower in practice, but official indexes reflect average paid prices.”
evidence, article, neutral. Claim: Retailers used discounts, rollbacks and promotions in 2024, making some basket prices feel flatter or lower, but official indexes reflect average paid prices.
5npr.orgNews and mediaquality 0.93
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5241014
Backs: “Current data shows positive (if modest for goods) inflation again.”
evidence, other, neutral. Claim: In 2024 shopper trackers like NPR's Walmart baskets showed near-flat or low single-digit changes, moderating the pain without reversing higher price levels.