PUEBLO — Small businesses across the country are seeing a rapid rise in prices for supplies they need to keep running, and Pueblo is no exception.
"Before it used to be $35.00 per 30 dozen, then it was $103.00.. Was the highest price for 30 dozen eggs!” said Destiny Villalobos, Owner of Hopscotch Bakery in Downtown Pueblo.
Many restaurants in town have had to adjust their menu prices to keep up with the cost of supplies, but so far Hopscotch has managed to make their usual prices work.
“We want to keep our clientele… We are not wanting to make a big ordeal of it, but now that things are starting to get back together. We are trying to keep that price the same as long as we can, to be honest.”
However, small businesses are not the only ones struggling to deal with the current inflation.
Devin Doose lives in Pueblo and says she has been cutting costs by "driving a little less, only going to work, staying home, (not) eating out". She says her biggest issue with the rise in prices is finding somewhere new to live.
"(It's) Definitely a struggle when you’re making so much and the prices for an apartment - a one bedroom, two bedroom is more than what I make!”
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor and Statistic, the Consumer Price Index jumped 0.9% in June 2021.
AAA reports thatColorado's gas prices are up by more than $1.00 compared to this time last year, and are higher than the current national average.
Villalobos says that if her orders do not meet a certain amount criteria, she is required to drive to Colorado Springs to pick them up because the delivery companies will not. She says it usually costs and additional $20.00 in gas per trip for the small business with only 4 employees.
However, even with the increasing prices, Hopscotch believe they will "be OK". Doose says "It’s just about staying positive in a negative situation" and trusting that she will "be provided for in some way".
