After years of keeping up with high grocery prices by tapping savings accounts and credit lines, people have run out of capacity to cover costs by digging deeper, experts said.

A year ago, the COVID-19 crisis remained top of mind, grocery inflation was soaring and consumers were scrambling to keep up with their supermarket bills. Today, the pandemic’s impact has faded and food costs are no longer galloping ahead — but grocery prices remain an overriding concern for shoppers as they navigate an economic landscape still pockmarked with uncertainty.

Bowed by an ugly mix of high interest rates, rising debt and growing costs for necessities like housing, consumers feel boxed in by their expenses and are in a mood to stretch their money however they can, according to industry analysts. 

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