[Pocketdoor]

He told you their costs went up... He was probably thinking about overhead costs going up too. I agree with you that they are raising prices just because they know they can. Construction labor is doing the same thing.
This inflation and us getting used to it, is what I think the whole great reset is all about. The government is trying to inflate some breathing room in all its debts... Tax revenue increases along with everything thing else.

[woodbutcher1963]

His operating costs are definitely up. Heating the store is more expensive because of the fuel costs.
His hourly wage he is paying his employees is up.
His electricity bill is up because Eversource doubled the KHW cost(form $.11 to $.22/KHW) this last fall.
He owns the strip mall his store is in.
I am sure too that his real estate taxes are either the same or up from the a year ago. So, all of those fixed costs mean he has to raise his retail prices to maintain his profit margin.