[barbecue_sauce]

Not to mention suppliers and retailers increasing profit margins surreptitiously under the guise of "inflation".

[sicp-enjoyer]

That's just how inflation works. The supply side is always trying to charge the highest price they can, when they can do it successfully that means people have more dollars or more demand to throw at those items.

In a non-inflationary period increasing prices will be met with less demand.