The $250 worth of groceries Patricia Young bought Wednesday at a Jewel in West Town should last her and her family about a week.
“That’s a week and ain’t even nothing in there. The only good thing I got was chicken, but they’re tired of chicken,” said Young, 49. She has three adult kids and a teenager, two of whom she lives with in West Town, along with her spouse.
Young is among several grocery shoppers in Chicago who aren’t buying President Donald Trump’s message that affordability issues are a “hoax.”
During a wandering speech Tuesday night in Pennsylvania, Trump downplayed Americans’ concerns about the cost of living.
“They caused the high prices and we’re bringing them down, it’s a simple message,” Trump said, blaming his predecessor, Joe Biden, for inflation and rising costs of living.
It was the first of a series of speeches Trump is planning to ease concerns about the economy, which he campaigned on improving.
He also claimed his administration is “crushing” inflation, though his Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that inflation was around 3% in September, about the same as it was when Biden left office.
A recent Fox News poll also found about three-fourths of voters view the economy negatively.
Jeff Kap walked out of Jewel carrying a couple pizzas and other small items. The Logan Square resident is still usually caught off guard when he sees the total price for groceries at the register.
“Every time I go to the grocery store and ring up at the end, I’m just like, ‘Yeah, that didn’t used to cost this much,'” said Kap, who’s in his 30s.
Another man, who declined to share his name, said despite the few items in his cart, “I definitely wasn’t intending to spend no $100.”
“It’s not a hoax,” Kap said of affordability problems in the U.S. “I’m fortunate to say … my family and I are doing OK. We’re the lucky ones. There’s a ton of people that I know [who] are not. There’s a ton of people that probably cannot cope with how much things cost right now.”
Young, who works as an aircraft cargo loader, is the main provider for her household. She’s feeling bombarded by rising costs in rent, groceries, gas and school.
“They want us to work so much, but it’s too hard. You have to have roommates, you have to have somebody to help you with your [rent] and your kids,” she said. “We’re worried.”
Young and Kap said they expect costs to continue rising. They said they do not believe Trump can turn the economy around.
“If you paid any attention before the election, you knew this was going to happen and here we are,” Kap said.