Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Prices - I'll check whether store prices are lower than a year ago.

No - on average, store prices are still higher than a year ago, though the rate of increase has slowed for groceries and a few items are down.

Overall inflation:

•The Consumer Price Index rose 0.6% in September on a seasonally adjusted basis and 3.7% from a year earlier.

•That annual rate is reported as Overall CPI, annual +3.7%, up from 3.4% in August.

•Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.3% during the month and 2.6% over the year

Grocery / food-at-home prices:

•On a seasonally adjusted basis, grocery prices declined 0.1% last month and remained 1.8% above where they stood twelve months prior.

•Similarly reported as: Food-at-home prices are up 1.8 percent from a year ago - well below the broader 3.7% overall inflation rate but still higher than last year.

Month-to-month vs. year-over-year matters:

•Groceries did tick down 0.1% from August to September, after earlier increases, but the year-over-year comparison is still positive.

A few categories and stores are lower:

•Egg prices tumbled over 20% in the year through September

•Butter prices dropped 10.3% last month versus a year prior, while ice cream, milk and cheese each saw declines exceeding 2%

•Meat prices declined 0.9% in September and were 1.3% above their level from a year before

•At one chain, Nearly one-third of products on ALDI shelves every day are now priced lower than they were last year - for example Honeycrisp apples 35% lower than last year- but that is a retailer promotion, not the national average.

Energy is driving the higher overall CPI:

•Gasoline prices were 34.2% higher than in September 2025 and gasoline jumped 9.1% in September and accounted for more than half of the monthly increase in headline CPI

So in stores you will pay on average about 1.8% more for groceries and 3.7% more overall than a year ago, even though September saw a small 0.1% monthly dip in groceries and steep drops in a few items like eggs and butter.

Citations (2)

1copiafy.comNot yet classified
September 2026 CPI Rises 3.7% as Gasoline Prices Jump
Backs: “No - on average, store prices are still higher than a year ago, though the rate of increase has slowed for groceries and a few items are down. Overall inflation: The Consumer Price Index rose 0.6% in September on a seasonally adjusted basis and 3.7% from a year earlier.”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: CPI rose 0.6% in September and 3.7% from a year earlier; core CPI up 2.6% over the year; gasoline drove increase.
2indexbox.ioData and tools
Grocery Prices Fall 0.1% in September: Meat, Eggs, Dairy Cheaper - News and Statistics - IndexBox
Backs: “Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.3% during the month and 2.6% over the year. Grocery / food-at-home prices: On a seasonally adjusted basis, grocery prices declined 0.1% last month and remained 1.8% above where they stood twelve months prior.”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: Grocery prices fell 0.1% in September but remain 1.8% above a year earlier; eggs, butter, and dairy are cheaper.