On Friday, the Labor Department announced that prices rose 2.9% since January 2025. With certain goods and services costing more, some believe they are now too high to buy.
On Friday, the Labor Department announced that prices rose 2.9% since January 2025. With certain goods and services costing more, some believe they are now too high to buy.
WTOP heard from shoppers in Centreville, Virginia, on which items they’ve crossed off their shopping list.
Walking to her car along with her daughter from a supermarket was Lucia.
The avid reader said even though she, “loves to read anything that is printed,” she has given up buying magazines and books.
“It’s just so expensive,” Lucia said.
A couple of rows over in the parking lot from Lucia was Adrian.
While opening the door to his SUV, Adrian said the prices of new cars have gone up so much that he’ll be keeping his Chevy Trailblazer, “for a long time.”
Coming out of a pet store in the same shopping center was Diana.
“I don’t buy red meat much anymore,” Diana said.
The breaking point for Diana was when she saw the cost of two small steaks at the grocery store was $35.
“I put them down and walked away,” Diana said.
One of the employees of a restaurant in the shopping center, Angelica, stopped to tell WTOP one of the activities that she no longer is willing to pay for.
“I don’t buy concert tickets anymore. It’s just too expensive,” Angelica said. She added that it’s, “$300 for a decent seat and there’s crazy fees added on top of that.”
Angelica is also not happy about cost of concessions at the music venues and the musicians’ merchandise.
It’s not only products or activities that people are giving up, but also services.
Andrea said getting her nails done has had to take a back seat now that the price of a manicures and pedicures can cost $200.
While another shopper in the parking lot, Tracey, agreed with Andrea that the price of a mani-pedi is getting out of control and added that another item is getting expensive is “getting your eyebrows waxed.”
“That’s like $15,” Tracey exclaimed, but said that she still gets them done.
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