SAN DIEGO — It's not just the gas prices that have been sky high in San Diego. Many shoppers are noticing increases at their local grocery stores too.
"Meat is up, chicken is up, beef is up, bread is up, they all are, and everything is more expensive,” said grocery shopper Mike Knox.
A spike in the price of chicken, bacon and eggs stood out to Knox who bought some cinnamon rolls, chicken thighs, hamburger, eggs and berries for $43.
"Now, you've got to shop carefully,” Knox said.
Colt Stump of his uncle’s store Stump's Family Marketplace says soaring gas prices are shifting shopper behavior as he's seen customers buying more in fewer trips to save on fuel, and there are also big changes with their delivery trucks.
"We are saying more bulk loads coming in trying to minimize the driving to bring more of the distribution of the demands to the store. Definitely prices are going up with inflation going on, sending prices throughout the whole store going up,” Colt Stump said.
UC San Diego economics professor Mark Jacobsen says people shouldn't expect gas or food prices to go down any time soon as there is a perceived scarcity globally, and it takes a high price in order to reduce the quantity demanded in the marketplace.
"I think there will be increases for a few months more,” said Jacobsen.
Jacobsen says the rise in fuel costs impacts food prices in more ways than we think about.
"We use a whole lot of energy to go into producing feed and all the sorts of different transportation involved,” said Jacobsen.
Some shoppers don't think Governor Gavin Newsom's tax rate proposal for high gas prices will make a difference.
"I don't need $400, I need to have a reduction in the prices,” Knox said.
Different than a big box chain store, Stump's says smaller family-owned markets fare better during inflationary periods since they have more control over their prices.
"We have a lot of cheaper prices here in Point Loma, so we are just getting a lot more customers coming into our store buying stuff,” Stump said.
The store is offering weekly sales, such as Military Mondays, where are veterans and law enforcement receive 10 percent off their bill; Teacher Thursdays; and Senior Wednesdays for those 55 years old and older every first and third Wednesday.
WATCH RELATED: Gas prices and inflation | Consumers spending less, small businesses feeling the impact (March 2022).