Pirate's Cove

Have you noticed that the closer we get to the November mid-terms the more the Credentialed Media disappears everything inflation related? Well, you the consumer still notice (non-paywalled version at Yahoo)

Tailgating costs are up ‘substantially’ this year as travel, food costs are hit by inflation

Tailgating is about to get more expensive, according to a new report from Wells Fargo.

The findings, released Monday, found the cost for a number of tailgating season essentials has surged due to inflation. Consumer prices in July rose 8.5% from a year earlier, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index.

Even with the elevated costs, economists at Wells Fargo expect plenty of parking lot parties this year, with fans eager to return to their favorite football season traditions.

“There’s a lot of pent-up demand,” said Sarah House, a senior economist at Wells Fargo. “(And) there are ways that fans can mitigate the cost of seeing their favorite team play, whether it’s in person or away from the stadium.”

Especially now that COVIDtyranny restrictions are pretty much gone

While Wells Fargo did not offer an overall estimate for how much more tailgating will cost compared with last year, the report found travel costs are “the biggest pain point” because of high gas prices.

The national average for a gallon of gas stood at $3.90 Sunday, down sharply from more than $5 in June, but well above the average of $3.17 a year ago, according to AAA.

Flying into an alma mater will also cost football fans with airfares in July up 28% year-over-year and 16% higher than the summer of 2019.

House suggests opting for mass transit if possible, where prices have barely budged since last year.

Don’t forget, the cost of a rental car is way up, and supply can be limited, but, sure, force everyone onto buses and trains, which the lawmakers who are hurting inflation and yapping about ‘climate change’ won’t take

Iconic tailgating food and drinks also demand more money this year.

Beer is up 4.6% since last July, while grocery prices jumped 13.1%.

House suggested tailgaters be mindful of which foods they bring. Opting for hotdogs, which are up 5.3%, instead of chicken or ground beef, up 17.6% and 9.7% respectively, could help trim costs. Or football fans could pick up pork ribs, which increased just 1.6%.

I understand the point of the suggestions, but, if we had a competent administration inflation would have been minimized. Yes, it’s China who’s ultimately responsible for their Wuhan Flu, but, government policies along the way made things worse

Whatever fans choose, grilling will cost more this year with propane and firewood up about 22% from 2021.

As for sides, House suggested opting for fresh fruits and veggies – up less than 10% – over packaged snacks, which are up nearly 17%.

It just gets worse and worse

House said fans looking to trim costs could watch the game at home. While admission costs for live sports are rebounding, TV prices are down nearly 15%.

That’s called “demand destruction”, where non-essential goods drop in price because the average American is opting out of buying lots of those goods because they’re spending so much on essential goods.

Read: Bidenflation Spikes Cost Of Tailgating This Year »

Too bad the federal government is not included in this. It could certainly use significant downsizing

Survey: Half of American Companies Set to Cut Jobs After Hiring Surge

Numerous companies across the United States are planning to trim their employee numbers, Fox Business reported Friday.

The outlet continued:

That’s according to a new survey published on Thursday by consultant PwC, which last month polled more than 700 U.S. executives and board members from various industries. About half of respondents said they are preparing to reduce headcount — or already have — while 52% have implemented hiring freezes.

On top of that, roughly 46% of companies are either dropping or reducing signing bonuses, which became commonplace over the past year as businesses tried to lure in new workers amid an increasingly tight labor market. Another 44% are rescinding offers entirely, the survey showed.

Home goods company Wayfair decided to cut approximately 870 workers to help manage operation costs and “realign its investment priorities” following the coronavirus pandemic, the Associated Press (AP) reported this week.

In the car business, staffing levels in many areas are down a third to a half. Many companies across the board have reduced hours, so, do not need as many employees. Many are simply implementing robots and ordering boards, or simply running lean

In addition, Best Buy was also cutting jobs as the company grappled with shifting consumer behavior, the AP reported on August 12.

More people order online, then come in to pick up product, especially since so many products are now kept in centralized warehouses and stores keep less product, because there isn’t enough to keep lots of extra at each store.

According to the recent survey by PwC, respondents were trying to streamline the workforce to create the right balance of worker skills moving forward.

“This comes as no surprise. After a frenzy of hiring and a tight labor market over the past few years, executives see the distinction between having people and having people with the right skills,” it stated.

We should do this to the federal government, which is bloated with lots of extra employees who do not really do a lot, have redundant jobs, or are simply there to push the power of Centralized Government.

It just shows the extreme instability of the economy, and Joe is off passing tax, climate, and (barely) health bills, doing things that, at best, do not help the economy, and on vacation.

Read: Bidenconomy: Half Of Companies Looking To Cut Employees »