How are grocery stores and customers responding to inflation and the turkey shortage this holiday season?

• Aniya Faulcon
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Aniya Faulcon is The Spark Host/Producer for WITF. She has a passion for shining a light on unique people, experiences, and perspectives within the community.
  
  Previously she worked as the People and Social Trends Reporter/Video Anchor for LancasterOnline | LNPNews. During her time there, she created video packages, provided Facebook Live coverage at community events, and wrote data-driven stories with census data and feature stories on local leaders, non-profit organizations, events, and people with unique talents and experiences within Lancaster County.
  
  Aniya also worked at WMAR ABC 2 News as a Sales Assistant and at the AFRO American Newspapers as an Executive Assistant and Media correspondent. Aniya interned at WEAA Gospel Grace 88.9 and worked at her alma mater’s radio station, WWPJ at Point Park University, where she gained skills and a passion for radio.
  
  Aniya grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended the Baltimore School for the arts for high school with a concentration in acting. She continued to hone her skills and passion for storytelling and later graduated from Point Park University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and Broadcast Reporting. Aniya is eager to continue her journey with storytelling in her role with WITF, as she aims to shed a light on real people and real stories within Pennsylvania in a variety of mediums.

 Matt Rourke / AP Photo

Frozen turkeys are displayed at a supermarket in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021.

Airdate: November 21, 2022

Inflation is taking a toll on American wallets, particularly in grocery stores, as overall food costs are rising by about 8%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index.

In addition, for those who want to eat a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday, the American Farm Bureau Federation, says be prepared to spend more than you spent last year due to the Turkey shortage caused by the Avian flu.

Alex Baloga, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, Andrea Karns, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Karns Foods, and Dennis Curtin, Director of Public Relations for Weis Markets joined us on The Spark Monday to discuss how grocery stores and customers are responding to inflation and the turkey shortage this holiday season.

Baloga said, grocery stores have been impacted in a number of ways by inflation due to supply chain challenges, rising fuel prices, rising costs of goods, raw materials and an increase in demand for certain items.

“It’s really an industry wide challenge that’s affecting both retailers and consumers, something that has been widespread and impacting across the board in a number of areas,” Baloga said.

Karns and Curtin mentioned that their stores are doing their best to keep prices down and provide customers with rewards to combat price increases on items like turkey.

Curtin, said the turkey shortage hasn’t been an issue for Weis Markets and shelves are well stocked this holiday season; so people can have less anxiety about items being out of stock and shop when it’s suitable for their schedule.