A price pack has to beat the grocery print and the facing next to it
Food-at-home is the shopper’s reference for the bag. The cooler does not use that reference.
Aug. 13, 2026 — Packaged snacks get compared with the grocery print whether the buyer likes it or not. Food at home is the price the shopper remembers for a bag. Food away from home is the price they remember for a prepared item. A convenience store sells both in one stop, which is why a single CPI line is the wrong defense for a four-foot set.
A single that looks expensive against a quiet grocery aisle can still be the right ring if the alternative on the fixture turns slower. A single that looks cheap against food away from home can still lose if it is the wrong pack size. The CPI series is the outside check. The facing is the decision.
This desk will not invent a SKU cost from an index. When the monthly print moves, the question is which series the item actually competes with. The bag competes with food at home. The roller grill competes with food away from home. They are not one “inside” inflation number.