Are prices lower in stores compared to a year ago?

Short answer: generally no.

•Overall U.S. consumer prices were 3.7% higher in September 2026 than in September 2025 (the latest BLS data as of October 30, 2026).[1]

•Grocery store prices (“food at home”) were 1.8% higher year over year. Within groceries, some items fell—e.g., dairy was down 0.7%—but most categories were flat-to-up.[1]

•If you mean nonfood retail goods sold in stores, that basket (“commodities less food and energy”) was up 0.7% year over year. Used cars were an exception, down 1.5%.[1]

If you tell me which stores or categories you have in mind (groceries, electronics, clothing, etc.), I can pull the exact year-over-year change for that.[1]

Citations (1)

1bls.govGovernment
Consumer Price Index News Release - 2026 M09 Results
Backs: “Overall U.S. consumer prices were 3.7% higher in September 2026 than in September 2025 (the latest BLS data as of October 30, 2026).”