The Greedflation Price Check Calculator compares current product prices to inflation-adjusted reference prices to identify excess increases — the portion of price growth attributable to corporate profit margin expansion rather than input cost pass-through. The calculator: enter old price, current price, BLS-published inflation rate for the period, and elapsed years. Calculator computes Inflation-Adjusted Price = Old × (1 + r)^years, then Excess Above Inflation = Current − Inflation-Adjusted.
Greedflation is contested terminology — economists prefer 'sellers' inflation' or 'profit-driven inflation' — but the phenomenon is documented. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (2023), Kansas City Fed (2023), and ECB (2023) research found 40–60% of price increases during 2021–2023 were driven by corporate margin expansion in concentrated industries (oligopolistic markets where firms can raise prices in coordinated fashion without losing share). The other 40–60% reflects genuine input cost pass-through (oil, supply chain, labor, raw materials).
Most obvious greedflation signals: (1) industries with falling input costs but maintained or rising retail prices (e.g., wholesale beef fell 20% in 2023 but ground beef retail rose); (2) record profits coexisting with price increases blamed on costs (Q2 2022 corporate profits hit all-time highs while inflation peaked); (3) divergence between PPI (producer prices) and CPI (consumer prices) — when CPI rises faster than PPI, retailers are expanding margins not just passing costs. The calculator gives consumers and journalists the basic framework to investigate specific products.
Limitations to acknowledge: not all 'excess above inflation' is malicious. Genuine reasons prices may rise faster than CPI: input-cost shocks not yet reflected in CPI lag, productivity declines specific to that product, regulatory compliance costs, or quality improvements. Calculator output flags 'Likely Greedflation' for excess over 5 percentage points above inflation, but absolute confirmation requires industry-specific cost data. Best used as a starting point for further investigation, not a verdict.
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