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Inflation, which reached 5.2% in May, is eating into the purchasing power of the French. From transportation to construction to clothing and food, everything costs more. How do they adapt?
Eight out of ten consumers believe that their purchasing power has declined in recent months. For many of them, it was necessary to adapt. Not always easy, for customers and merchants alike. Nordine Abalhadj, clothing salesman, reports a period “very calm”. “There are priorities. So the food, and we arrive a lot later, unfortunately”, he confides. The French are also cutting corners on the restaurant. The starter-main-dessert menu is no longer automatic, as is the frequency of eating out.
Six out of ten French people have even lowered their food expenses. In supermarkets, less and less beef is being sold and more chicken, a less expensive meat. In the pasta department, the big brands are less and less appealing to consumers, who prefer distributor brands. The turnover of first price brands increased by 8% in the first quarter of 2022 alone. According to economists, inflation will settle at least until the end of the year in France.