Things are going to get worse… pizza story.

I went into my local pizza shop today and a woman with a child was in front of me in line. She asked how much a single slice of cheese pizza was and the guy behind the counter said $3.50 plus tax. She sighed and ordered the one slice for her and her child (8 years old) to share. She asked the guy to cut it into smaller squares. I have never seen someone cut a single slice of pizza into squares. It bothered me enough to ask if I could buy them some slices. So I did. But I can’t shake this feeling like things are bad and going to get worse real soon. Some people rely on the lowest tier of supplemental nourishment to survive and with inflation and “supply chain issues,” I am really worried.

EDIT: I had no idea this would blow up ⬆️ Reading the comments below it doesn’t surprise me how divided we are as a country. So many expressing their own insecurities with anger, mistrust and injecting this very human story with politics or assumptions. Really take a deep look at ourselves… So few people here are likely to do the same thing and extend kindness and generosity to those in need. Instead people seem addicted to negative feedback loops to feel self important.

To expand upon my reason for posting: In the past when this restaurant would have seen a struggling mother and child and just given them a slice they didn’t.

By creating a gap between a $1 food item to now a $4 food item (tax included) the established zones of “loss leaders,” who at one time held up entire communities with their charity and compassion, no longer can afford to themselves.

Yes I posted this story to r/economiccollapse but not because I am without hope. In the comments you will find a small minority of people who represent the hope I believe exists out there. There are people who will band together and help one another and realize the goodness in one another.

The others, they will delete their comments most likely. But I hope that they too will look deeply at how they view the world and choose to see some things with more positivity and grace.