Why the Hell Don’t Prices Ever Go Down?
So here’s the scam: they increase prices the second there’s a “supply chain hiccup.” They do the same for a “geopolitical event.” (Translation: any excuse they can find.) But when things calm down? Do they give you a break? Hell no. They just pocket the difference and call it “the new normal.”
1. Deflation Terrifies the Suits
Deflation would mean prices falling, and that’s basically the bogeyman for Wall Street and the Fed. Why? Because if people think stuff will be cheaper tomorrow, they stop spending today. That’s bad for corporate profits, so the system is set up to fight deflation like it’s the Black Death. If they have to torch the dollar or throw a trillion in fake money at the banks, they will.
2. Sticky Prices, My A**
Economists love the term “sticky prices.” Translation: once something goes up, it sticks. Rent doesn’t drop. Wages don’t drop, except they do — through layoffs. McDonald’s isn’t suddenly cutting the price of a Big Mac just because beef is cheaper this quarter. They’ll just give you a thinner patty and call it “innovation.”
3. The Fed’s Inflatable Playpen
The Fed’s official job is “stable prices.” In practice? They freak out if inflation gets too low. Seriously. In 2008, when prices almost went negative, the Fed panicked. They started dumping money into the system like a frat boy funneling beer. They’d rather keep inflation at 4–5% than risk deflation for one hot second.
4. The Globalization Hangover
For decades, cheap imports from China kept prices “manageable.” But once that dam broke (wars, tariffs, pandemics), prices spiked — and surprise! Nobody lowered them back down. Why would they? Consumers are already trained to pay it.
5. Corporate Greedflation
Let’s be blunt: companies f***ing love inflation. They slap a “fuel surcharge” on your bill, then keep it even when oil prices drop. They raise the price of toilet paper, then shrink the rolls again six months later. You’re paying more for less, and they’re laughing all the way to the quarterly earnings call.
Bottom Line: You’re Screwed Either Way
Prices in America are basically a ratchet — up, up, up, and then maybe “less up” next year. But down? Forget it. Your boss isn’t giving you a raise to cover the difference. Meanwhile, Walmart is sure as hell charging you more for the same pack of eggs. That’s the joke: inflation’s a one-way street, and you’re the one lying in the road.