With all the talk in the news about food prices going up, I decided to run my own little inflation test. If you follow my blog, you’ve probably guessed where this is going: a spreadsheet’s a’comin. Back in June of 2010 I compared the prices of various items at different stores. You can find those comparisons here: Walmart vs. United Supermarkets Walmart vs. Sams Walmart vs. Target vs. United Supermarkets

So, how much have costs increased since then (9 months, 11 days)? I went back to the same Walmart (on Coulter in Amarillo) to recheck the prices of the items from my June experiments.

First of all, what on earth are they doing to the Walmart on Coulter? The temporary product placements due to the renovations are confusing the heck out of me. I couldn’t have looked more like a lab rat whilst roaming the displaced aisles searching for my groceries. FYI: the toilet paper is now near the bathroom decor section. I guess that is kind of fitting. Call me overly resistant to change; but, my Great Value brand peanut butter has been one aisle after the frozen stuff for 7 years now. It is now on the coffee aisle. This is not acceptable, Walmart.

Anyhow, it took me an absurdly long time to find the items on my list…but (as usual), I digress… Back to inflation: As it turns out, most things have gone up in price. Here’s a fancy little chart showing the increases. I’m not embedding the picture here because it wasn’t readable. Sorry. Noteworthy: the cost of eggs has skyrocketed. Has there been some sort of chicken-tastrophe that I’m unaware of? My frozen waffles are up 12%. Cheese is up 20%. Also, Walmart is apparently trying to bleed us dry with the cost of crackers. 38% increase in 9 months. What’s up with that? On the bright side, the cost of generic honey has gone down 13%. PEOPLE OF AMERICA: NOW IS THE TIME TO STOCK UP ON HONEY. or not. I don’t actually follow honey prices that much. Look at the data here In summary, the cost of groceries (at least my tiny list) has gone up. This stinks; but, I’m actually more perturbed that the Walmart on Coulter has been transformed into a reorganized labyrinth of shopping Hell. The moral of the story: A.) buying generic still saves you a lot of money. B.) shop at United where the peanut butter remains where it is supposed to be.