PHOENIX — Even Arizona residents are feeling the rising costs of food and gas.
"Yeah, I've spent more on gas on my truck, and then it takes away from me paying for my rent and electricity and paying my bills," said Assid-El-Sud Abdul-Aziz. "It is what it is," he said.
Recent numbers from the Labor Department show that wholesale prices have risen more than 8% since August 2020.
Grocery stores across the country are passing down those costs to consumers.
One woman told ABC15 the rising prices are hard to deal with. "From milk to gas, it actually hits a little hard," said Janae Lugo. "Because at the end of the month you don't have that extra funds in your pocket to do things with your kids or even yourself," she added.
Some of the items being affected include meat, diapers, cereal, and vegetables. Additionally, supply chain issues and a shortage of workers are making it harder to find some items.
Hitendra Chaturvedi, a professor at Arizona State University, studies supply chain management.
He told ABC15 the shortage is affecting a lot of different industries. "Products not available at the retail store on time and the raw material that is coming in is coming in less, it's coming in late and it's coming in expensive," he said.
Chaturvedi recommends shopping locally because smaller places may not be hit as hard by supply chain issues.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration did announce a plan to help with some of the backlog at one of the nation's busiest ports. However, it's unclear how soon that could impact the economy and prices.
Chaturvedi said he thinks the higher prices will last through the end of the year.
