Parker Johnson, MTN Reporter
September 9th, 2024
Battling with an already difficult national rate of inflation of
2.9%, Tennesseans have been uniquely affected by the sudden rise in
prices of groceries partially because of the Kroger Company. Many
citizens in Murfreesboro have been struggling not only to just get by,
but to afford a bag of groceries.
When compounding the already high rate of inflation of 3.8% in
Tennessee with the price of eggs whose price has increased 5.5%, its
no wonder that something may be up. The Kroger Company, worth 150
billion dollars, has repeatedly been in feuds with the Federal Trade
Commission over exactly this.
In February of 2022, the FTC sued Kroger shortly after the major
conglomerate merged with Albertsons, the second largest supermarket
chain after Kroger itself. The reason for this lawsuit being that
Kroger would most definitely raise prices and dock pay for their
workers. Two years later, Kroger is now suing the FTC, claiming the
tribunal process is unconstitutional.
In the event that Kroger wins this counter-lawsuit, they will
have much more freedom over their prices, business practices, and
ability to merge with Albertsons. This in turn could result in exactly
that, prices could have a surge in price, putting Tennesseans in
jeopardy. On the other hand, companies like ALDI have been repeatedly
implementing price drops to attempt to combat inflation. With this
newfound potential freedom, Kroger could do the same.
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