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Forced to pay for once-free sandwich toppings and twice as much for some steak cuts, shoppers are wondering whether higher groce

admin2021-02-21  86
问题    Forced to pay for once-free sandwich toppings and twice as much for some steak cuts, shoppers are wondering whether higher grocery bills and restaurant tabs truly reflect the trickle down of a global rise in food prices.
   Veronica Banks, who lives outside St. Louis, said she suspects that neighborhood corner stores are charging more for many items under the assumption that customers won’t pay the bus fare to go bargain hunting.
   Foodstuffs from rice to steak cost more than a year ago—so much that some consumers don’t quite believe it all adds up. But food retailers say that consumers’ suspicions of gouging are unjustified and that, if anything, they have refrained from passing along their extra costs.
   "People have told me I nickel-and-dime them," said Kate Oncel, director of operations at the Brown Bag, a deli in Washington. "They don’t understand the position we’re in of paying dramatically more for meat, produce, bread, packaging and deliveries."
   Forgoing pricier items are adjustments many Americans can afford and stomach, especially relative to the crises in the more than 30 countries where food protests have raged. But in the U.S., customers notice when the grocery bill stays the same but the take-home haul lightens. Conversely, most remain quiet when prices stay the same or drop. "I get upset thinking about how much we have to pay for things, but then I feel guilty when I see other nations that are dealing with horrible poverty," Helen Strouss of La Mirada, California, said last week at an Albertson’s grocery store.
   Consumers may feel like they’ve been hit with an unprecedented one-two punch. "But the food-fuel blow has landed before," said David Hackett Fischer, a professor of history at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. "In the 13th century, demand for firewood and grain led to broader price hikes. And sellers have taken advantage of the system throughout the 21st century as free market ideas removed many price controls," he said.
   The nation’s 945,000 restaurants expect to set a sales record of $558 billion this year, said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research at the National Restaurant Association. Restaurants probably will make some changes on the plate, readjusting portions, and on the restaurant floor, using more technology to gain efficiency and training programs to boost sales, Riehle said.
   At nearby TJ’s Gourmet Deli, owner Terry Chung said customers can expect to pay 30 cents more per sandwich and up to 40 cents more per pound on the salad bar if economic conditions don’t change. His profits are down about 25 percent in recent months, with the biggest cost increase coming in delivery fuel surcharges, which have roughly doubled to $4.50 per order.
   The hesitancy to raise prices unnecessarily is rooted in competition, said Ann Owen, an economics professor at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and a former economist at the Federal Reserve. But if the cost increases are more permanent, retailers can confidently raise prices, she added. But that can’t insulate them from skeptical shoppers who see overblown hikes and a panic-hungry media.
   [A] explains doubtfully why the stores near her home are raising prices for many items.
   [B] feels ashamed at the thought of the countries that are struggling with terrible poverty.
   [C] suggests that retailers can confidently raise prices due to the free markets ideas.
   [D] complains that consumers do not know the situation that food retailers face.
   [E] thinks that perhaps restaurants will take measures to promote their sales.
   [F] holds that permanently increasing cost will promote retailers’ confidence in raising prices.
   [G] feels upset when she has to pay much money for only few things.
Veronica Banks
选项
答案A
解析 Veronica Banks出现在文中第二段。该段说Veronica Banks怀疑她家附近杂货店老板觉得人们现在不会多花车费跑远点去讲价买更便宜的东西，所以就把很多商品的价格都抬高了。A中的explains doubtfully对应原文的suspects，而raising prices是文中charging more的同义转述，many items则是文中的原词复现，故确定A为答案。
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