Because when supply chains got fucked up during COVID, they raised their prices for legitimate reasons, and found to their delight that people kept on buying, and In fact, because people were panic shopping, and stuck at home bored, they actually bought more.

So when things calmed down, instead of lowering prices, they continued to rise. because if they didn’t, they’d be making less profit than last quarter (which is unacceptable)

Combine that with the wage stagnation that’s been going on for decades and a housing shortage and you now have an economy where people can’t afford rent, food, or basic goods