How have prices changed in a year? NPR checked 114 items at Walmart

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/14/nx-s1-5638908/walmart-prices-inflation-affordability-shrinkflation

61•srameshc•1h ago

Comments

kenjackson•54m ago

It's disappointing, but not surprising, that people thought the president would make any really impact on inflation. That said, with global conditions improving it looks like we could've actually seen a drastically larger reduction in inflation if not for the tariffs. The goals of the tariffs seem so misaligned with what the country needs - again not surprising that we're doing something the opposite of what we need - and again also not surprising that his supporters don't seem to care.

foobarian•52m ago

It tickles me pink that people essentially want communism. (Not the theoretical communism but the not-really-communism that a bunch of Eastern bloc countries implemented in the 20th century)

kenjackson•33m ago

How did you get that from my post? Not wanting consumer tariffs when inflation has been high is pro-communism?

dsr_•30m ago

Ask more widely. People want reasonable services from their government, and tighter regulation of markets, with elimination of profit-taking middlemen.

They want democratic socialism.

Meanwhile, the right wing has been telling them that public libraries and public schools and everything good except profit -- is communism.

bigyabai•30m ago

So... socialism?

People don't "essentially want communism" by advocating for socialist policy. Serious economists will tell you that it is impossible to transition America's free market into a planned economy. We're capitalist through thick and thin.

MarcelOlsz•6m ago

I love when people with 0 capital think they are capitalists. The greatest con pulled on the working class.

jrussino•52m ago

Thanks to NPR for this important reporting; it sucks that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is shutting down after losing all of its funding.

This "basked of goods" approach to understanding price inflation seems outdated to me. 114 items! It seems to me like there must be organizations out there with tons and tons of price and consumer spending data for thousands and thousands of items, right? It should be possible to get much more comprehensive measurement of price changes over time vs and approach taken like this one (or the CPI, for that matter).

bpt3•32m ago

1. It sounds like you're just describing a larger "basket of goods"? That data is available, but also valuable, and I'm not sure why the basket of goods tracked by the CPI or NPR would be inadequate.

2. This specific exercise is designed to be relatable to individuals (in general, and specifically ones such as the people interviewed in the article who claimed that their grocery bill went up about 50%, which is implausible to put it politely) so that they can understand the actual level of inflation rather than the one they imagined in their head.

darth_avocado•31m ago

I’ve had a gripe with “basket of goods” approach. Does a household really care that much if the game of clue is 10% cheaper in 2025?

There needs to be an index that reflects what people really need and the closest I’ve found is the ALICE index: https://www.unitedforalice.org/essentials-index

tclancy•5m ago

The Economist tried to solve this in the past with https://www.economist.com/interactive/big-mac-index (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac_Index for non-subscribers)

linuxftw•48m ago

Wages and energy have not increased. Tariffs on food are basically non existent for most items.

It's 100% purely supply side pricing, propped up by government spending and credit (which is largely backstopped by the government as well).

I listened to a podcast recently that some 'homeowners' have not made a mortgage payment in years, have no ability to pay, but here are essentially unlimited 'no doc' mortgage modifications available since the Corona time period.

tomjakubowski•35m ago

> listened to a podcast recently that some 'homeowners' have not made a mortgage payment in years, have no ability to pay,

How? Somebody is holding the bag here on the mortgage - a bank, probably. And they are fine with not receiving payments? Or is somebody else making payments on the homeowner's behalf?

quietsegfault•27m ago

Mortgage foreclosure is a legal process that takes a very long time and is very expensive.

groby_b•20m ago

Banks are perfectly well equipped to foreclose on you. Ask anybody who was around in 2008.

You don't usually skate by on years of non-payments, so I'd sticker the original claim with [citation needed]

mbrameld•17m ago

It doesn't take years, and it's less expensive than writing off the mortgage.

linuxftw•20m ago

So, the basic process is 1) Borrow stops making payments. 2) Borrow goes into forbearance for 12 months just prior to foreclosure start. 3) Forbearance ends, borrower cannot make current. 4) FHA steps in to do loan modification. Essentially, they roll the forebeared balance into the loan, payoff the existing mortgage, and issue a new FHA-backed loan, without any income or payment ability qualifications. 5) Repeat the process again.

So, the government is making everyone whole.

zeroonetwothree•47m ago

> swai fish fillets from Vietnam (up 34%)

Swai is perhaps the worst possible fish to buy (low nutritional value, bad for environment, contains toxins) so (a) it's unfortunate they picked this fish and (b) it's good it's more expensive since perhaps people will buy less of it.

instagib•12m ago

Thanks for the journey of researching seafoods to enjoy or avoid.

An additional note is all meats/organisms have similar cholesterol levels if you’re concerned with that. A one month vegetable only diet with very seldom seafood/eggs drops my overall score 50 points. 60 points if kept up for 2-3 months.

Best Fish Choices (High Omega-3s & Low Mercury) *

Fatty Fish: Salmon, Herring, Sardines, Anchovies, Mackerel (Atlantic), Trout (Rainbow). *

Lean Fish: Cod, Tilapia (check sourcing), Flounder, Sole (great lean protein).

* Shellfish (Low Mercury): Shrimp, Crab, Mussels. Worst Fish Choices (High Mercury & Other Concerns)

* High Mercury: Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel,Marlin, Tilefish (especially from the Gulf of Mexico).

* Contamination Concerns: Imported Tilapia, Imported Catfish (Basa/Swai), Farmed Salmon (check sourcing/farming practices).

Quick Guide: Best vs. Worst * Eat More: Salmon, Sardines, Cod, Shrimp, Herring.

* Eat Wild caught salmon

* Atlantic mackerel is good

* Pacific sardines one of the highest omega-3 fatty acid sources, includes vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and selenium.

* Albacore tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)

* Sablefish/black cod (from Alaska and Canadian Pacific)

* Eat Less/Avoid: Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, Tilefish.

* * Consider: Tilapia is lean but low in Omega-3s; opt for American-farmed if possible

* Beluga sturgeon - caviar great but going extinct. Blue sturgeon more sustainable

* Chilean sea bass high mercury

* eels tend to readily absorb and store harmful chemicals and contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and flame retardants

* Imported basa/swai/tra/striped catfish * Grouper often mislabeled

https://www.seafoodwatch.org/recommendations/download-consum...

https://draxe.com/nutrition/fish-you-should-never-eat/

dsr_•34m ago

The article text cites a comment about ice cream becoming unaffordable.

The numbers show reduced prices for milk and butter (e.g. cream), and sugar remaining constant.

Thus: ice cream is being priced too high.

jandrese•29m ago

Maybe the milk and butter were local while the ice cream was imported and hit with tariffs?

quietsegfault•28m ago

First, I think you're probably right that ice cream is priced too high compared to its inputs.

But maybe there are other factors? What about energy? One would assume that ice cream has a higher energy requirement than other "treat" style products? Are there specific tariff impacts on ice cream manufacturing equipment?

fwip•14m ago

Could be. But also, ice cream manufacturers buy their ingredients more cheaply than consumers do. It is very possible that the cost of milk/butter/sugar at Walmart reflect Walmart deciding to lower their profit margins on these items, even if the cost to Walmart has increased.

Or - Walmart is a big enough supplier that they have stable contracts with manufacturers, and are able to purchase their ingredients for the same cost as always, while Turkey Hill et al is competing over what's left. (Like Apple, buying up TSMC runs.)

lm28469•9m ago

If you try it at home you'll realise combining milk, butter and sugar in a bowl doesn't create ice cream. And when you figure out how to create ice cream you'll realise moving said ice cream to a place where you can sell it requires extra steps too

infecto•7m ago

Labor costs have risen. There are other inputs than a handful of raw materials.

binary132•6m ago

it may be that the costs of labor, distribution, and manufacture (for various reasons) have been increased

smallerize•18m ago

At least Walmart is likely to honor the price on the shelf. Dollar stores often just change prices without updating the shelf, so you don't know what you're going to pay until you get to the register. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/03/customers-pa...

thegreatpeter•8m ago

would be interesting to reveal the holding company behind each brand and what impact they had on products