Burning Beneath

I went to the grocery store today, planning to buy lettuce. Lately, I’ve replaced most of my carbs with lettuce to help control my diabetes, so it’s become a staple in my diet. I usually buy the Romaine lettuce hearts—a bag of six. For a while now, I’ve been using this specific item as my personal gauge for inflation, or rather, whatever we’re calling this relentless price surge that doesn’t seem to follow any real logic.

Back in 2013, that same bag of lettuce cost around $6. It held steady for a few years, but then the price started creeping up—first to $7, then $8. That was already unsettling, but today, when I walked into the store and saw it priced at $9+, something in me snapped. I just stood there, staring at the tag, unable to comprehend how we got here.

I wanted to scream. Why? What changed? What justifies this? The so-called policy changes and regulations that could impact pricing haven’t even been fully implemented yet—some are currently halted. So why the sudden increase? A 15% jump in price, seemingly out of nowhere. And this isn’t an isolated case. It’s everywhere.

Isn’t there an entity that looks out for consumers? A body that should oversee pricing and ensure that businesses aren’t exploiting people under the guise of “market adjustments”? Shouldn’t there be a reasonable profit margin that balances both the needs of businesses and the survival of consumers?

Because right now, it doesn’t seem like there’s any limit to these price increases. Companies are setting whatever prices they want, unchecked. And worse, it feels coordinated. A silent monopoly, where all the major stores raise their prices in sync, leaving us—ordinary consumers—no choice but to pay up or go without. It’s like they’ve collectively decided on an acceptable price hike, knowing full well that no matter where we go, the price will be the same.

So where does it stop? Who is going to step in to protect the people who can’t afford this endless inflation? Because right now, it feels like we’re being squeezed for every last cent, and no one is doing anything to stop it.

Where does greed end? Or does it ever?