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Muse Spark 1.2Oct 24, 2026meta/muse-spark-1.2-20260805
Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?
Are prices down from a year ago? I'll check the latest inflation data for you.
No — on average, store prices are still higher than a year ago, though some specific items and stores are lower.
Overall U.S. inflation:
•In September, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 0.6 percent, seasonally adjusted (SA), and rose 3.7 percent over the year, not seasonally adjusted (NSA). The same release notes the all items index increased 3.7 percent before seasonal adjustment.
Grocery / food at home:
•For selected categories, September 2026, not seasonally adjusted: Food 2.5% , Food at home 1.8%
•Food away from home 3.5%
•FMI commented BLS showed a decrease of 0.1% for food-at-home inflation in September and a 1.8% increase over the last 12 months.
•Another summary: Grocery prices fell 0.1% from August to September on a seasonally adjusted basis, but Food purchased for home consumption was 1.8% more expensive than a year earlier.
•The U.S. Department of Agriculture is predicting that grocery prices will rise approximately 1.7% in 2026
So stores are not cheaper on average year-over-year - prices are up, but the rate of increase has slowed.
Exceptions where prices are lower:
•At chain level: ALDI announced nearly one-third of ALDI's everyday in-store assortment is now priced lower than it was last year, with the addition of the lower prices, nearly one-third of the everyday in-store assortment at ALDI is priced lower than last year.
•By product: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for smartphones are 10.93% lower in 2026 versus 2025 and prices for lunchmeats are 0.34% lower in 2026 versus 2025.
•USDA notes much of the easing comes from plummeting prices for eggs and dairy products, which are actually expected to deflate this year, by 22.2% and 0.9% respectively.
International exception: In Sweden, due to previously halved food VAT, inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages amounted to minus 6.6 percent in September compared to the corresponding month last year.