Answers

Are prices down from last year? I'll check the latest inflation data. No, on average prices in stores are higher than a year ago, though the pace has slowed and a few categories are cheaper. Overall prices: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in September after rising 0.4 percent in Augustand over the last 12 months, the

Prices - are they actually lower than a year ago? I'll check the latest inflation and retail data to find out. No — on average, prices in stores are still higher than a year ago, not lower. Inflation has slowed, but it is still positive. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for September 2026 released October 14, 2026: Consumer prices were 3.7% higher in September than a year earlier The Con

Are prices lower than last year? I'll pull the latest inflation data to compare. No — overall store prices are higher than a year ago, though a few specific categories are lower. Overall consumer prices: The Consumer Price Index rose 3.7% from a year earlier in September 2026, after a 0.6% monthly increase. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the CPI for All Urban Consumers rose 0.6% seas

Your question on store prices vs a year ago — I'll pull the latest inflation and pricing data to compare. No - in general, store prices are not lower than a year ago, although inflation has slowed and a few categories are lower. For the U.S., which is the most recent official data: Overall consumer prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 0.6 percent seasonal

Prices a year ago — I'll pull the latest store-price data to compare. No - store prices on average are still higher than a year ago, even though the rate of inflation has slowed. United States - Overall consumer prices (CPI-U) increased 2.9 percent for the 12 months ending August 2025. Food prices increased 3.2 percent since August 2024. The food-at-home index, which measures prices for foo

Prices - I'll pull recent inflation data to compare today's store prices versus a year ago. No - prices in stores overall are not lower than a year ago, though the month-to-month change in September was flat to slightly down for groceries. In the United States - the most recent data available: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 3.7 percent before seasonal adjust

Are store prices down from a year ago? I'll check the latest inflation data. No, - in general prices in stores are higher, not lower, than a year ago. What has come down is the rate of inflation, not price levels. A fall in inflation does not necessarily mean lower prices - it means prices are rising more slowly. U.S. official data: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in

Unions' impact is hotly debated — I'll pull the latest evidence on wages, growth, and jobs to weigh both sides. Labor unions have both benefits and costs for workers and the economy. Research generally finds clear benefits for members, broader but more mixed effects for the economy as a whole: 1. Benefits for Workers Higher pay and better benefits: Multiple studies find a union wage premium.

Prices - are they actually down since last year? I'll check the latest inflation data to compare. No - store prices on average are higher than a year ago, though the rate of increase has slowed sharply from the 2022 peak. Overall prices: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 3.0 percent for the 12 months ending September 2025, after rising 2.9 percent over the 12 mo

Are prices lower than last year? I'll pull fresh inflation data to check. No — on average, prices in stores are still higher than a year ago, even though the rate of increase has slowed compared to 2022-2023 peaks. Inflation measures how quickly prices are increasing. It does not necessarily mean prices are going back down. US national average - overall prices According to the U.S. Bureau of

Your question about store prices vs. a year ago — I'll check the latest inflation data to see what's up or down. No, overall store prices are not lower than a year ago - they are still higher, but the rate of increase has slowed. A few specific items / categories are lower. In the U.S., the most recent Consumer Price Index report: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increa

Checking whether store prices are down from last year — pulling latest inflation data now. No. Prices in stores are not lower than a year ago on average — they are higher, but the rate of increase has slowed. Overall consumer prices: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in September, after rising 0.4 percent in August. Ove

Checking if store prices are down from a year ago — pulling the latest inflation and price data. No — prices in stores are still higher than a year ago overall, although the rate of increase has cooled. In the U.S.: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted in August. Annual inflation rose to 3% in September from 2.9% in

Checking current price trends — I'll compare today's store prices to a year ago. No - prices in stores are generally still higher than a year ago, although the rate of increase has slowed and a few specific categories are slightly cheaper. US - Overall inflation still positive The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 3.4 percent year-over-year in August 2026, and inc

Prices a year ago — I'll pull fresh inflation data to compare today's store prices. No - on average, prices in stores are higher than a year ago, though the rate of increase has slowed and some items / chains are cheaper. Overall inflation: The Consumer Price Index increased 0.4% in August 2026 and 3.4% from a year earlier. BLS table for August 2026 shows: All items 3.4% Food 2.7%

Are store prices down from last year? I'll pull the latest price data to check. In general, no - prices in stores are still higher than a year ago, inflation has just slowed. Overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) is still rising year-over-year, not falling: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 2.9 percent for the 12 months ending August 2025 Prices for all items l

Are prices down from last year? I'll pull the latest store and inflation data to check. No - in aggregate, store prices are higher than a year ago, not lower. Inflation has slowed from the 2022 peak but remains positive, meaning prices are still rising year-over-year. Overall consumer prices: The annual inflation rate in the US steadied at 3.4% in August 2026, the same as in July. On a monthl

Prices - I'll check if stores are cheaper than a year ago. No - in general prices in stores are higher than a year ago, not lower - although inflation has moderated from peak rates and a few specific categories are cheaper. The U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures prices for goods and services including groceries, rose 3% from last year in September 2026 , the fastest annual pace sin

I'll search recent evidence on how unions affect workers and the broader economy. Labor unions have mixed but generally positive effects for workers, and more debated effects for the overall economy. Research points to clear trade-offs: 1. Effects for Workers - Generally Positive Most economic research finds unions raise compensation and working conditions for members, with spillover effects f

Are store prices lower than last year? I'll pull the latest inflation figures to check. No — overall, prices in stores are still higher than a year ago, not lower. Inflation has slowed from the peak in 2022, but prices continue to rise year-over-year. Overall consumer prices (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers): In August 2026, the Consumer Price Index rose 3.4 percent over the last

Are store prices down from last year? I'll check the latest inflation and retail data. No, overall prices in stores are not lower than a year ago - they are still higher, though the rate of increase has slowed for some categories. Headline inflation is still positive year-over-year: All items CPI rose 3.4% over the last 12 months in August 2026 In August, the Consumer Price Index rose 0.

Are store prices down from last year? I'll pull the latest inflation data to check. No — overall, prices in stores are higher than a year ago, not lower. National inflation remains positive year-over-year: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index increased 3.4% in August from year-ago levels Over the 12 months ended July 2026, the Consumer Price Index for All Urba

Looking up whether store prices are down from a year ago — I'll check the latest inflation data. No, in the US average store prices are not lower than a year ago - the rate of increase has slowed but prices are still higher year-over-year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index increased 3.4% in August from year-ago levels Official release: The all items index i

Prices vs a year ago? I'll pull the latest inflation data to compare. No — overall store prices are higher than a year ago, though the rate of increase has slowed and some specific items are cheaper. Overall inflation: In August, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 0.4 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted That al

Looking up whether store prices have fallen since last year — I'll pull the latest inflation and retail data. No - in aggregate prices in stores are higher than a year ago, not lower. Inflation has cooled somewhat from 2022-2023 peaks but year-over-year change remains positive. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers rose 0.4 percent seasonally adjusted in August and rose 3.4 percent o

Are store prices down from last year? I'll pull the latest inflation data. No — store prices are not lower than a year ago overall , prices are still higher year-over-year, though the rate of increase has slowed. Overall consumer prices (CPI-U) were up year-over-year: +3.4% since Aug 2025 +2.9% for the 12 months ending August 2025 +2.4% from February 2025 to February 2026 Food / g

I'll check whether store prices have fallen versus last year. No, prices in stores are generally higher than a year ago, not lower. Inflation is still positive year-over-year, though the rate has moderated. Most recent official data is August 2026, released September 11, 2026: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in Augus

Are prices down from last year? I'll check current inflation data to compare. No - in general, prices in stores are higher than a year ago, although the rate of increase has slowed. As of the latest data available September 13, 2026: Overall consumer prices are higher year-over-year. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 3.4 percent before seasonal adjustment over

Are prices down from last year? I'll pull the latest year-over-year inflation and store price data to compare. No — on average, prices in stores are still higher than a year ago, but inflation - the rate of price increase - has slowed. Latest official data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Over the 12 months ended July 2026, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 3.