[robertlagrant]

If the item has stayed the same and not exceeded inflation, you're doing fine. If it's stayed the same and is now lower than inflation, you're doing well. If it's a far superior item and is now lower than inflation, that is exceptional.

[2devnull]

Prices should come down. They have not. I will not pay these prices. I will go without a cellphone before I pay that sort of money to make calls, send sms and read hn. I can’t understand why people buy these phones unless they’re rich, in which case the prices could actually be significantly higher. These are sucker prices to get poor people money. “Inflation adjusted your 1000$ telephone is actually saving you money!” Pt Barnum quote.

[robertlagrant]

Isn't this confusing what you choose to do (I also won't pay that much, but that's irrelevant) with economic reality? If Ferrari halved their prices, that would be incredible, but I still wouldn't buy one.

One cause of inflation is when there's a load of money borrowed and spent by government, e.g. on pandemic response, or an overseas war (which also raises prices through, say the price of fuel) and so the basic levers of the economy are pulled by said government to make interest rates higher, which inflates currency. So the exact same good produced in the same way will be more expensive (in amount of money paid).

In that case is it not childish to say that prices just "should come down", if we can't say why they should? Isn't it a good thing when companies give you a massively better product and also beat the inflation from government?