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Letter: Burnaby grocery stores call it inflation. I call it gouging

Should stores cut back on profits to offer consumers cheaper prices?
grocery
Burnaby grocery stores are charging more for food. Photo: Metro Creative Connection

Editor:

I read an article in the NOW about how grocery store profits are going up a lot while inflation also went up by 7% - the highest number since 2009, according to Stats Can.

This has made grocery shopping an exercise in futility. I am on a fixed income and constantly have to make difficult decisions about what to buy because I only have so much money to work with.

Sometimes I have to sacrifice essentials just to stretch my budget that little bit further. I’ve even stopped by certain medications because I’m having trouble affording food. That’s how bad things are.

Thankfully, I don’t drive so I don’t have to worry about affording gas. But my transit fares have gone up.

I understand that our local grocery stores are seeing prices rise from their suppliers, but I also think there is a lot of gouging going on. Maybe these big companies can just cut back on their profits to pass along some savings to their customers. We all feel trapped by these high prices because there aren’t any alternatives. I feel ganged up on.

Kelly Choi, Burnaby