I was sorting out a box of old tackle this morning and found
something that I think would add interest to this discussion.
This is a Rapala CD-7 that I bought when I was working
for Albertson's. I worked at this store until 1984 so that
would have been the latest date that I would have bought it
for the marked price of $3.79. This would have been
a competitive price for that time.
I ran this price through the Bureau of Labor Statistics
calculator for inflation. The $3.79 in 1984 dollars would
buy $9.22 worth of goods in today's dollars. So a big part
of today's prices versus yesterday's prices is
inflation.
The invisible tax that everyone pays.
https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm.