- Title: Americans feel the heat as U.S. annual inflation posts largest gain since 1981
- Date: 11th June 2022
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JUNE 10, 2022) (REUTERS) WIDE OF EXXON GAS STATION EXXON SIGN ON CORNER READING $5.43 FOR REGULAR GASOLINE, $5.93 FOR EXTRA AND $6.23 FOR SUPREME WASHINGTON D.C. RESIDENT AND INTERIOR DESIGNER CAROLINA BALDI PICKING UP GAS PUMP AND PUTTING IT IN CAR / ZOOM TO PRICE ON GAS PUMP WHITE FLASH GAS PUMP GOING TO $76.43 AND PAN TO BALDI'S FACE (SOUNDBITE) (English) WASHINGTON D.C. RESIDENT AND INTERIOR DESIGNER CAROLINA BALDI SAYING: "This is definitely shocking. So that's shocking. That's the most expensive that I ever paid for gas, ever." BALDI TAKES HOSE OUT OF CAR AND PUTS ON PUMP (SOUNDBITE) (English) WASHINGTON D.C. RESIDENT AND INTERIOR DESIGNER CAROLINA BALDI SAYING: "Oh my God, I'm just so shocked this morning when I passed by a gas station with the price going up again. So very concerned about how much this is going to change in my routine. I wasn't thinking about it yet and so." REPORTER ASKING (OFF-CAMERA): Have you changed your routine? BALDI: I definitely now that it's summer time and we have the gas in mind, maybe it's time to start biking more often, taking the scooters, so whenever I'm able to take a different type of transportation. We're thinking about changing to electric cars, so I guess all this is coming up to my mind for sure." GAS PUMP WITH PRICES $5.439 FOR REGULAR 87 OCTANE GASOLINE, $5.939 FOR EXTRA 89 OCTANE GASOLINE AND $6.239 FOR SUPREME+ 93 OCTANE GASOLINE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PETER CHALLAN, WASHINGTON D.C. RESIDENT AND RETIREE, SAYING: "This is the first time I've seen it over five dollars, and this is six dollars and 3-point-9 cents! A gallon! Crazy!" CHALLAN'S GAS PUMP SHOWING HE SPENT $75.57 TO FILL UP HIS TANK (SOUNDBITE) (English) PETER CHALLAN, WASHINGTON D.C. RESIDENT AND RETIREE SAYING: "It's a difficult situation. The war. You know we have the poor people over there in Europe under siege. And the gas companies are under pressure to produce more gas; people are driving more. So there's just so many forces, so it's not like you can just blame a single point and say, 'Oh, they're the responsible ones. They're the bad people.' I think it's the situation. I don't blame the president. I don't blame the administration. It's an unfortunate situation. I'm hoping that between increased production of gas by OPEC and hopefully the war will end in the Ukraine and start to get that gas flowing as well. I'm not hopeful it'll be a near-term solution though." GAS PUMP IN FOREGROUND WITH EXXON SIGN WITH PRICES ON CORNER IN BACKGROUND GAS PUMP READING $145.46 GAS PUMP READING $100.83 GAS PUMP READING $85.60 (SOUNDBITE) (English) SARAH MANES, BETHESDA, MARYLAND RESIDENT AND EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT, SAYING: "We've seen it in some prices at the grocery store but I don't think we've really made any changes yet although we are starting to make changes in driving the car. That's probably the one area so far because it's expensive. So we're encouraging our children to ride their bikes more instead of driving. You know, we need different sources of fuel, maybe more electric cars for sure, and so we feel a little guilty about having a gas-run car right now, that's for sure. So maybe that's where the change will happen." CLOSE-UP OF MANES' HAND AS SHE PUMPS GAS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SARAH MANES, BETHESDA, MARYLAND RESIDENT AND EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT, SAYING: "I don't blame the president. I think it's an impossible job. I don't know who - in part, I blame our reliance on fossil fuels and gas. I certainly don't want to see us exploring more, destroying the environment to get more fuel. But I don't blame the president at this point. I don't see how we could possibly pin it on him alone." MAN TAKING GAS HOSE AND PUTTING IT IN CAR GAS PUMP READING $77.12 (SOUNDBITE) (English) LANE OLWIN, WASHINGTON D.C. RESIDENT AND REAL ESTATE INVESTOR, SAYING: "I saw someone the other day speaking about he now fills up only from half tank so he doesn't see the high number, but I actually was right on E (referring to empty gas tank), so $77 is a bit high, yeah. But no, I don't, I don't know that I blame anyone right now. Maybe the war? And the the gas companies doing what they do to make money from people. Yeah." VARIOUS OF NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT RUDOLPH YOUNG GETTING OUT OF CAR, PUTTING HIS CARD INTO GAS PUMP, PICKING UP HOSE AND PUTTING IT IN GAS TANK (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUDOLPH YOUNG, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT WHO IS VISITING WASHINGTON D.C., SAYING: "Astronomical. They are hurting our pockets. Hurting my pocket for real. I mean, I get it, it's nobody's fault but, you know, it's not, it's.. our pockets are bleeding." VAN AT GAS PUMP (SOUNDBITE) (English) VIRGIL VENTURA, MARYLAND RESIDENT, CONSTRUCTION WORKER AND FATHER TO A 12-YEAR-OLD AND A ONE-YEAR OLD, SAYING: "It's outrageous. It used to cost me 30 (dollars) to fill up and now, you can see where it's at now, it's at 55 (dollars)." HOSE SITTING IN PUMP (SOUNDBITE) (English) VIRGIL VENTURA, MARYLAND RESIDENT, CONSTRUCTION WORKER AND FATHER TO A 12-YEAR-OLD AND A ONE-YEAR OLD, SAYING: "I mean, the prices of food has gone up. It costs $20 to get a meal at Burger King or McDonald's now. I don't know what they can or can't do but they need to fix it." REPORTER (OFF-CAMERA): And why do you think the president is the responsible person? VENTURA: Because they're in charge of everything. They know everything that's going on. They, they know all the truckers, got all those shipments over there that needs to be delivered. That's the same with the (baby) formula (shortage) and stuff. Mexico and Canada is not having a problem with the formula. Yesterday, I had to go all the way out to Chantilly to get baby formula for my daughter." CAR SITTING AT PUMP (SOUNDBITE) (English) RACHEL MERRITT, WASHINGTON, D.C. RESIDENT, SAYING: "There have definitely been times when I put meat back on the shelf because I'm used to spending $10 on something that is now $15 or whatever it was." MAN AND WOMAN CARRYING SHOPPING BAGS AS THEY WALK ACROSS GAS STATION (SOUNDBITE) (English) RACHEL MERRITT, WASHINGTON, D.C. RESIDENT, SAYING: "I think people are too stuck in their ways, too stuck in their partisanship and too stuck in the fealty to whoever they're listening to, regardless of if they're Democrat or Republican, regardless if they're in another country. And people need to stop fighting and start listening because that has stopped in our country and it is the demise of our country." ELDERLY MASKED MAN WALKING WITH CAN AND SHOPPING CART ACROSS GAS STATION, AS OTHERS CROSS AND MUSIC BLARES FROM NEARBY CAR
- Embargoed: 25th June 2022 01:30
- Keywords: GAS PRICES INFLATION
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Government/Politics,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA001414210062022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: With gasoline prices hitting a record high and the cost of food soaring, many Americans are evaluating whether to change their spending habits as U.S. annual inflation sees the largest gain in over four decades.
It was sticker shock for many people buying gasoline at this Exxon gas station in Washington, D.C. on Friday (June 10). While national gasoline prices are flirting with $5 per gallon, in this tony neighborhood of the nation's capital, the price for the cheapest octane was $5.43 a gallon.
As the pump stopped at $76.53, interior designer Carolina Baldi expressed her amazement.
"This is definitely shocking. So that's shocking. That's the most expensive that I ever paid for gas, ever," said Baldi, who was concerned that the increase in gas prices could affect her business expenses since she often drives for work.
Retiree Peter Challan said the gas prices were "crazy," but said he felt they were a result of a number of factors and he hoped inflation pressures would ease.
"It's a difficult situation. The war... And the gas companies are under pressure to produce more gas; people are driving more. So there's just so many forces," Challan said. "I'm hoping that between increased production of gas by OPEC and hopefully the war will end in the Ukraine and start to get that gas flowing as well. I'm not hopeful it'll be a near-term solution though."
High inflation, a global phenomenon, also poses a political risk for President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party heading into the mid-term elections in November.
A survey on Friday showed consumer sentiment plunged to a record low in early June.
Educational consultant Sarah Manes who lives in Maryland said she doesn't think the president is to blame.
"I don't blame the president. I think it's an impossible job," she said. "I don't know who - in part, I blame our reliance on fossil fuels and gas. I certainly don't want to see us exploring more, destroying the environment to get more fuel. But I don't blame the president at this point. I don't see how we could possibly pin it on him alone."
Construction worker Virgil Ventura also lives in Maryland but he has a very different point of view.
He said prices are out of control and he puts the blame squarely on Biden's shoulders.
"It's outrageous," he said. "I mean, the prices of food has gone up. It costs $20 to get a meal at Burger King or McDonald's now. I don't know what they can or can't do but they need to fix it."
Ventura also pointed to the shortage of baby formula, saying he had driven 30 miles (48 kilometers) just to find a store that stocked his one-year-old daughter's baby formula.
"Mexico and Canada is not having a problem with the formula," he said.
Rachel Merritt said she has lived in the city for over two decades and the root of the problem is not just the price hikes, it's the divisiveness and finger pointing.
"I think people are too stuck in their ways, too stuck in their partisanship and too stuck in the fealty to whoever they're listening to, regardless of if they're Democrat or Republican, regardless if they're in another country. And people need to stop fighting and start listening because that has stopped in our country and it is the demise of our country," she said.
In the 12 months through May, the CPI increased 8.6%.
That was the largest year-on-year increase since December 1981 and followed a 8.3% advance in April.
Economists had hoped that the annual CPI rate peaked in April.
(Production: Greg Savoy, Arlene Eiras) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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