For the past 55 months, Americans have been grappling with persistently high inflation. Since March 2021, the annual price increases at the pump, in clothing stores, at car dealerships, and across grocery markets have consistently exceeded the economists’ ideal 2 percent threshold.

This persistent rise in costs has turned both consumers and workers into vigilant watchdogs, quick to point out any sudden and unexplained price hikes.

Recently, insiders from Kroger disclosed an alarming 86 percent price surge within just one week.

In October, an individual claiming to work at the grocery chain shared a post on Reddit, complete with photographic evidence, highlighting a significant price change on an 80-count box of dryer sheets.

In October, an alleged grocery staffer at the chain posted a Reddit with photo evidence of a price change on an 80-count box of dryer sheets. 

On the 8th, the box cost $4.29. A week later, the identical product jumped to $7.99. 

The $3.70 price jump baffled store employees.  

‘It’s gotta be the biggest price jump I’ve seen between a single week for a regular price that didn’t involve a sale,’ the self-described staffer wrote. 

A self-described Kroger employee spotted an 86 percent price rise in their store during an October shelf update: ‘It’s gotta be the biggest price jump I’ve seen’

Store insiders have posted pictures of weekly price changes on Reddit several times this year, revealing some products are seeing increases that far outpace the rate of inflation

Another Redditor added: ‘Even $4.39 is outrageous!’  

Kroger, the third-largest grocery chain in the US, didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment on the price increase. 

The store’s price increases come as Americans are clenching their teeth for yet another high-priced holiday season. 

Inflation, which peaked above 9 percent in the summer of 2022, is still running hot at 3 percent, according to the latest federal government reading.

Prices at the grocery store, specifically, jumped 3.1 percent in the year to September. 

But there are some glimmers of hope for holiday-season saving: Thanksgiving dinner staples, including turkey, stuffing, and cranberries, have all seen price declines, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. 

The association, which represents farmers, ranchers, and rural communities, said it expects a full plate of Thanksgiving essentials to cost $55.18 to feed 10 people, good for 5 percent less than in 2024.

That’s about $5.52 per person. 

Kroger, America’s third-largest grocery chain, has around 2,800 stores across the US, including its brand-name food marts

Retailers are also launching cost-cutting campaigns to combat higher prices.

Walmart, Target, and Aldi have all launched huge sales on essential items through the end of the year.  

But the cost-cutting campaigns have been too little, too late for many Americans who have already felt the squeeze of runaway price hikes. 

On Tuesday, the country’s benchmark consumer confidence index fell to its lowest mark since April. 

The somber mood was aided by consistent grocery price hikes and a growing amount of credit card debt. 

Recent big-name layoffs and a record-breaking government shutdown has also soured sentiment.  

‘It’s not too surprising that confidence continues to wane,’ Bret Kenwell, US investment analyst at eToro, told the Daily Mail. 

‘But we’ve seen an interesting twist over the past year, with November 2024’s consumer confidence report hitting one of its highest levels of the past few years. Now it’s at one of its lowest.’