Return to Press ReleasesInflation Relief and Price GougingAre you feeling inflation relief yet? Well, I'm not. At Safeway a 12-pack of Coke was a little over a buck per 12-ounce can. Even two packs with two free comes out 52 cents a can. Pepsi was about 77 cents a can sold in a 24-pack.Coke and Pepsi could be cheaper. At the sale price for four 12-packs, Coke would cost $5.55/gallon – higher than a gallon of gasoline. You don't need costly drilling rigs, pipelines, refineries, and tank trucks to produce and deliver Pepsi. You don't have the Saudis and Russians manipulating the prices. What costly ingredients are in cola to make them so expensive? Nothing much: Carbonated water, corn syrup, coloring, and caffeine. Who are the price gouging culprits? Robert Reich says PepsiCo and Coca-Cola raise prices shamelessly and needlessly by double digits because they dominate the market.* Safeway gobbled Vons, and was gobbled in turn by Albertsons, which now wants to merge with Kroger**. Reich says the same pattern is happening across the economy, but especially in groceries and meat products. President Biden is fighting back against inflation with anti-trust legislation directed against the meat industry, Amazon, and airline mergers. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) leads the effort by introducing the Price Gouging Prevention Act. They need our support. Gary Palmer Nevada City *Corporate profits are expanding while our wallets are thinning. Robert Reich, https://robertreich.substack.com/, Feb 16, 2024. **The $25B Kroger-Albertsons Merger Is Going to Fail. The F.T.C. Boosts Biden's Fight Against Inflation. Matt Stoller, DealBook Newsletter. Feb 28, 2024 [THERE IS A CHART OF RISING PROFITS THAT ACCOMPANIES THIS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO USE IT, I CAN SEND UNDER ANOTHER FORMAT.] Submitted: 03/16/24 Article By: Sierra Booster |