By By Lydia Grimes – features reporter
For those who have to drive every day, a trip to the gas station to fill the tank can be a shock these days. But what may not be so obvious is the increase in prices that have nothing to do with driving a vehicle.
Local retailers said the cost of bringing goods to Brewton and East Brewton is forcing them to pass on the increases to their customers.
Michael Scott, manager of Magnolia Super Foods in East Brewton, said he is seeing some prices rise.
“It's hard to say how it is affecting us,” Scott said. “Prices have been on the rise ever since the gas prices began going up last year. Then the minimum wage went up, so it's hard to say how the effect of that contributed to the rise of prices, but they are certainly going up.”
Peggy Booker, manager of Piggly Wiggly in Brewton, said customers are adapting to the higher prices by buying fewer luxury items.
At Pic N Sav in Brewton, manager Margaret Brown said she is seeing a change in the frequency of customers' visits. “Prices have gone up,” she said. “We have noticed some of our customers who live outside of town have stopped coming so often. Instead of coming into town two or three times a week, some people, especially older people, are coming in only once a week.”
Grocery stores are not the only businesses that have to pay more in shipping costs.
Even local florists have been affected by higher costs.
As of Friday, the average price of a gallon of regular gas across the country was $3.27, up from $3.05 just a month ago and up from $2.57 a year ago. The average price in Alabama Friday was $3.20.