- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 23,321
I sense that stuff you don't buy (say) once a month, is much easier to raise in price. You suddenly NEED washer fluid. You may even notice that the price has risen ridiculously, BUT, you need it. SO you BUY it. No time (or much value) in "shopping" for a better price. There are a lot of items like that. Stuff you buy every day (say donuts) can't rise as fast because there will be resistance - especially since you CAN live without them and/or substitute for them. Washer fluid is something you really need and there are relatively few substitutes and you rarely have to buy it.
In economics, it's called elasticity of demand. It's easier for sellers to raise prices when buyer demand is inelastic.