EPHRATA, Pa. — Nancy Kaucher, who is retired, says she usually shops at discount grocery stores because of the unbeatable prices. However, she says that lately she’s seen those prices go slightly up.
“Everything’s more expensive. Everything you pick up [now] is a least $5 dollars or more nowadays," said Kaucher.
She says she’s barely left with anything after doing her weekly groceries.
“I get a certain amount of money a week for my groceries. I used to have a little extra, so we could go out to eat. Now [grocery shopping] just takes everything," said Kaucher.
Others say that while they have seen an increase in prices, it’s really on a smaller scale, especially when compared to national chain stores like Walmart.
“The price that grocery discounts have to raise is small. Yes, they’re going up, we know that they’re going to, but it’s so small. It makes sense for folks like us to shop here," said customer Thomas Cozzoli.
Discount grocery stores have not been exempt from high inflation either.
“There’s a lot of good prices that we have had to moderately increase but not too much," said Keith Martin, the owner of Ebenezer Groceries.
The store says they’ve been trying to keep their margins even tighter than before.
“We really want them to still be able to find those good deals in our store, so we are actually very aware of the fact that our margins need to be tight for their sake. We know a lot of people are relying on us," said Martin.
Store officials say prices for meats, canned goods, and pre-packaged food, in general, have gone up at their store.