People forget that prices don't rise automatically. Businesses decide to raise prices. There isn't some magical force called inflation cuasing prices to go up. It's human decision-making all the way down.
Post COVID is a great example of this in action. They DID raise prices because they could. What keeps prices low is competition. But again, it's not automatic. Look at Arizona Ice Tea as an example. All price rises are business decisions with a person behind it.
People forget that high prices aren't paid automatically. Consumers decide to purchase things at the higher prices, it's human decision-making all the way down.
Have you ever run a business? I have and still do. I make the pricing decisions, nobody makes them for me. Have to factor in a lot and repricing is always a hard choice in either direction. It's never automatic or some mystical force.
If they could get away with raising price just because they feel like it they would do it earlier and more often.