“My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.

Compared to five years ago, food prices are up 28%, and, despite rising wages, shoppers say that grocery budgets just don’t feel like they go as far as they used to.

On the other side of the checkout register, grocery stores have had to deal with those same rising prices. And in a business with often slim profit margins, it isn’t easy to stay afloat.

Sam Newell is the co-owner of Fruit Fair, an independent grocery store in Chicopee, Massachusetts. She and her husband bought the store in 2019, and she said in the five years they’ve run it, they’ve never had a profitable year.

“It’s been really scary,” Newell said. “It’s been a constant 70-, 80-hour workweek. Hopefully, in 2025, we’re gonna break even or see a profit. That’s my goal for next year.”

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