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Retail Sales Suffer Biggest Drop In More Than A Year As Iran War Casts Shadow Over Economy

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Americans sharply pulled back on retail spending in July even as inflation remained elevated, raising fresh questions about whether the U.S. economy is weakening beneath the surface of the Iran war’s supply-driven price shock.

Retail sales fell 0.6% in July from the previous month, the Commerce Department reported Friday, marking the largest monthly decline since May 2025 and missing economists’ expectations for a modest increase. The Federal Reserve acknowledged that the conflict in the Middle East produced supply shocks, particularly in energy, contributing to elevated inflation.

The central bank simultaneously warned that household consumption had been growing only modestly.

For American households, the problem is more straightforward: they face higher prices while the economy shows signs of weakening demand. The result is less purchasing power and fewer opportunities to absorb another round of higher costs.

The headline figure is nominal, meaning it is not adjusted for inflation. Consumer prices increased another 0.1% in July, according to government data, meaning the underlying volume of goods purchased fell by more than the headline retail figure suggests. A rough adjustment for consumer-price growth would put the July decline in real terms at around 0.7%, though the precise figure depends on the deflator used for retail sales. (Read more from “Retail Sales Suffer Biggest Drop In More Than A Year As Iran War Casts Shadow Over Economy” HERE)

Food Prices up 33% as US Battles Highest Grocery Price Spike in 50 Years — with No Relief in Sight

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Food prices in the US have shot up by 33% over the last seven years, the biggest jump in grocery prices in half a century — with no relief in sight.

While rampant inflation was to blame for the biggest surge during the pandemic, prices have continued to soar since, with ground beef best demonstrating the out-of-control market as it hit $6.82 a pound in June, a 79% increase from 2019, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The fact that prices have remained stubbornly high for years means that they are not something Americans can simply weather through, but a new normal for shoppers, said Scott D. Martin, a partner at the Kingsview Wealth Management firm.

“While inflation has cooled from its peak, grocery prices have not returned to where consumers remember them,” Martin told The Post.

“Food prices have effectively reset to a permanently higher level after years of supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, transportation costs, and broad inflationary pressures,” he added.

The new normal was clearly laid out in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ records over the last 14 years. (Read more from “Food Prices up 33% as US Battles Highest Grocery Price Spike in 50 Years — with No Relief in Sight” HERE)

The Middle Class Can’t Keep Up With Persistent Inflation Forever

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It seems unlikely that one issue — indeed, one chart — could define the politics of the last several years and even the last decade. Yet the pattern seems clear.

A recent Wall Street Journal article explained how the middle class feels increasingly squeezed by post-pandemic price hikes. Quotes from families seeking the light at the end of the tunnel show how American households feel stuck in an ever-growing vise by prices rising faster than their incomes can keep up.

A fascinating graphic in the article, taken from University of Michigan consumer survey data polling the middle class, shows how families’ perception of their personal financial situation has deteriorated:

Photo credit: Wall Street Journal

The trendlines in the graphic show the strength of the economy in President Trump’s first term, when majorities said they felt better off personally, and only about 15-20 percent of households felt worse off in the years before the pandemic. They explain why Trump won his victory over Kamala Harris last fall; roughly two times as many people felt worse off than better off after four years of “Bidenflation.” And they also provide a clear reason for Republicans’ electoral losses this November, because the middle class’s mood has changed little since the 2024 election.

So how can conservatives respond? Trying to claim inflation doesn’t exist won’t cut it because people see price increases with their own eyes. I see it every week when I go to the grocery store: A pack of raisins previously priced at $2.99 now goes for $3.29 (a 10 percent bump); the toilet paper that was $5.99 now retails for $7.29 (a 22 percent jump); the package of bratwursts that used to cost $3.50 now goes for $5.00 (a 43 percent increase). I consider myself luckier than most, having paid off my mortgage years ago, but the weekly shop still feels painful. (Read more from “The Middle Class Can’t Keep Up With Persistent Inflation Forever” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Trump Touts Affordability While Inflation Rages Across America on Everything From Food to Furniture to Cars

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With a social media post that said “STOP LYIN” about there being an affordability crisis, President Trump claims he’s whipped inflation.

But consumers are still feeling the squeeze.

Target’s prices are up 5.5% nationwide this year and Walmart’s are up 5.3%, according to an analysis by DataWeave, which looked at roughly 16,000 items across each retailer’s website.

Amazon’s price hikes have averaged more than 12%, according to a report.

After seven months under Trump’s tariffs, Americans are paying more for nearly everything — from a cup of joe and plush living room sofas to children’s toys.

Inflation for food has been tamed to 3.1%, according to September’s Consumer Price Index — a far cry from the double-digit increases under President Joe Biden. (Read more from “Trump Touts Affordability While Inflation Rages Across America on Everything From Food to Furniture to Cars” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Study Reveals Americans Are Spending Shocking Amounts on McDonald’s — Especially Through Delivery Apps

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Americans are paying more than ever for fast food — especially if they’re ordering McDonald’s through delivery apps. A new nationwide study by financial technology company Self found that the cost of a typical McDonald’s order has ballooned over the past two years, with third-party apps driving prices significantly higher.

By comparing prices in the 100 largest U.S. cities across DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub, the researchers aimed to capture just how much more people are shelling out for the convenience of delivery.

The order used in the study was the same in every city:

A Big Mac Combo Meal

A Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe Large Meal

A 6-Piece Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal

A Hamburger Happy Meal

In 2025, the average cost of that order at a McDonald’s location was $36.95 — a 23.7% increase since 2023. But when the same meal was ordered through delivery apps, the average price jumped to $62.36, representing a 7.8% increase from two years ago and nearly doubling the in-store cost.

Delivery fees, service fees, local taxes, and tips were all factored into the totals, offering a real-world look at what customers are actually paying. The study even found city-by-city price differences of up to $33.88.

Among the three major platforms analyzed:

DoorDash was the priciest, averaging $63.21 — a 71.1% markup over restaurant pricing.

Uber Eats followed closely at $62.60, with a 69.4% increase.

Grubhub was the “cheapest” at $61.26, but still represented a 65.8% markup.

Though delivery prices are rising, one silver lining is that the average markup over in-store pricing has actually dropped compared to 2023. That year, the average delivery markup was a whopping 93.8%. In 2025, it has decreased to 68.6%, thanks in part to more competitive pricing and fluctuating fees.

The most cost-effective way to enjoy your McDonald’s favorites remains the old-fashioned one: picking it up in person. The study emphasized that delivery should be considered a luxury — especially when ordering multiple meals.

Inflation Numbers Showed Trump Was Right About Egg Prices And CNN Isn’t Taking It Well

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Data released Tuesday shows that egg prices dropped 12.7 percent last month — the “biggest monthly decline since 1984.” The report follows weeks of President Donald Trump telling Americans that egg prices were falling — welcome news after the cost of eggs rose for 17 out of the past 19 months, according to CNN. But the left-wing legacy outlet is scrambling to process the eggcellent news.

CNN’s David Goldman wrote Tuesday that “For months, President Donald Trump has falsely claimed that egg prices are tumbling. It wasn’t true then, but it’s true now.”

Goldman continues:

“Despite Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ far more conservative estimate that egg prices would normalize in the summer, Trump last month said, ‘as you know, the cost of eggs has come down like 93, 94% since we took office.’ Those percentage declines Trump stated are not close to accurate – but we now know that consumer egg prices were, indeed, falling sharply when Trump made those remarks (the Consumer Price Index data wasn’t out yet to confirm or deny Trump’s claims).”

CNN admits egg prices “were, indeed, falling sharply when Trump made those remarks,” but a few sentences later bizarrely still claims the “timing of his claim” was wrong.

Translation: Trump said something that turned out to be true (egg prices fell), but because we didn’t have the same data at the exact moment Trump said it, he was wrong. (Read more from “Inflation Numbers Showed Trump Was Right About Egg Prices And CNN Isn’t Taking It Well” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

This Is America’s Most Expensive Fast-Food Chain: ‘Rip-Off’

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As fast food chains hike prices around the nation, one came out on top for being the priciest of all.

A new study found that Shake Shack received the most complaints for being overpriced, followed by Five Guys, which has been slammed for their “out of control” prices.

Earlier this year, Shake Shack raised menu prices by 3%, the burger chain’s CFO Katie Fogertey said during an investor call.

The Post has reached out to Shake Shack for comment.

The study, conducted by Preply, also found that celebrity-owned restaurants regularly received complaints about being overpriced — specifically, Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants. (Read more from “This Is America’s Most Expensive Fast-Food Chain: ‘Rip-Off’” HERE)

VP Harris Unites Critics in Confusion With ‘Day One’ Plan: ‘What Are You Talking About?’

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Vice President Kamala Harris promised to prioritize a price-fixing plan on “day one,” but commentators asked why she hasn’t brought down inflation already while in the executive branch.

“When I am President, it will be a day one priority to bring down prices,” Harris declared in a Thursday night social media post. “I’ll take on big corporations that engage in illegal price gouging and corporate landlords that unfairly raise rents on working families.”

But the vice president and presidential hopeful faces one unique challenge in arguing about policy, the fact she has failed to enact such changes over the course of the Biden-Harris administration she currently presides in, a point many commentators pointed out. . .

Conservative commentator Paul Szypula argued that Harris is responsible for the economic woes in the first place, “Kamala Harris has been Vice President for four years and has brought up prices 20% on average. Prices are high because inflation is high. Harris cast the vote to make it that way.”

(Read more from “VP Harris Unites Critics in Confusion With ‘Day One’ Plan: ‘What Are You Talking About?'” HERE)

Trump Vows to Sign EO ‘Directing’ Cabinet Secs, Agencies to ‘Use Every Tool’ to ‘Defeat Inflation’

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Former President Donald Trump vowed that if elected president, he would “sign an executive order directing” each cabinet secretary and agency head to “use every tool” they had to defeat inflation.

“On my first day back in the Oval Office, I will sign an executive order directing every cabinet secretary and agency head to use every tool and authority at their disposal to defeat inflation and to bring consumer prices rapidly down,” Trump told the crowd from Asheville, North Carolina.

Trump’s comments come as the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Wednesday that inflation had risen in July. The consumer price index was reported to have climbed up to 2.9 in July, up from a year ago.

In June, the inflation index rate increased by three percent from a year ago.

(Read more from “Trump Vows to Sign EO ‘Directing’ Cabinet Secs, Agencies to ‘Use Every Tool’ to ‘Defeat Inflation’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Democrat Economist Who Warned Biden of Inflation in 2021 Sounds Alarm Again: ‘Markets Could Crash’ (VIDEO)

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Democrat economist Larry Summers, who repeatedly warned President Joe Biden in 2021 that his reckless government spending would lead to a serious inflation crisis, warned again this week that things have not improved and inflation is running much higher than the official government numbers state.

Summers’ warning comes after Biden’s economy took a gut punch on Wednesday when a hotter-than-expected inflation report was released, showing a 3.5% increase over the last 12 months — the highest year-over-year increase since last September.

According to the latest Consumer Price Index data — which was released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics — key drivers of the higher rates include car insurance, groceries, electricity, and gas. New parents and pet owners are feeling the pinch as well, with baby food now up over 30% since 2021 and pet food up 23.7%.

The higher-than-expected inflation numbers come just a day after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen claimed that overall household finances were “quite strong” — and may put a sizable kink in any plans to begin bringing interest rates back down.

“I was not hugely surprised by the numbers,” Summers said when asked during a Bloomberg News interview on Wednesday what he thought about the latest inflation numbers. “In an economy that’s growing faster than potential, with an unemployment rate that has a three handle in the presence of massive and growing budget deficits and epically easy financial conditions, the idea that inflation would remain robust, or even accelerate, should not be a surprise to anyone.”

(Read more from “Democrat Economist Who Warned Biden of Inflation in 2021 Sounds Alarm Again: ‘Markets Could Crash’ (VIDEO)” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr