Airlines have canceled thousands of flights. Lines at stores — especially drugstores — have grown. Restaurants no longer carry some items, like physical menus.
The quality of many services has deteriorated since the start of the pandemic — a problem that the NPR show “Planet Money” has labeled “skimpflation.” This deterioration, in turn, is feeding Americans’ dissatisfaction with the state of the economy, as well as with life in general and with President Biden’s performance, as Helaine Olen explained in The Washington Post.
“Americans, as I am forever fond of pointing out, view civic life through the role of consumer,” Olen wrote. “We don’t encounter the government every day (or at least don’t believe we do), but we do shop and use in-person services almost constantly. And compared to the past, American consumption is getting both increasingly expensive and, well, decreasingly nice.”
When will the situation return to normal? Nobody knows. The answer will help determine the national mood during next year’s midterm campaign.e
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