Grocery Gap Growing As Walmart, Target Hold Prices

TAMPA — As shoppers do all they can to save at the grocery store, there's a growing gap between two kinds of stores: National chains that generally keep prices stable week-to-week and regional stores that run sporadic sales.

Inflation in food prices is putting that different into stark contrast, as picking the right store can mean saving or losing 25 percent on a $80 grocery run.

In the last two years, Walmart and Target have managed to limit food price inflation to less than 10 percent – no small feat considering the skyrocketing cost of foods like butter, bacon, eggs, coffee and milk.

By contrast, regional Florida stores like Publix and Sweetbay have raised prices dramatically, according to two years worth of prices collected by the Tribune on 30 typical grocery items.

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