Greedflation

Greedflation: How Corporations Are Bleeding You Dry

What is Greedflation?

Greedflation is when corporations artificially inflate prices beyond what’s necessary, not because of supply chain issues or increased production costs, but simply because they can. It’s capitalism at its worst—where businesses exploit crises, public perception, and economic instability to squeeze every last dollar from consumers while blaming external factors.

The kicker? Wages don’t keep up, even though corporations keep raking in record-breaking profits. And the ones lobbying against wage increases? The same corporations hiking prices on basic necessities.

Corporate Greed is Not Just a Side Effect—It’s the Goal

In capitalism, corporations are not charities. Their mission is to maximize shareholder profits, even if it means screwing over the very people who buy their products or work for them. When prices go up, they don’t go back down. That’s not inflation—it’s greedflation.

And what happens when people complain? Corporations deflect blame:

• "It’s supply chain issues!" (Even when supply chain issues are resolved, prices don’t drop.)
• "It’s labor shortages!" (Yet they refuse to raise wages to attract workers or hire more than the skeleton crew.)
• "It’s global instability!" (But somehow, CEO bonuses and stock buybacks keep increasing.)

If prices rise because of real inflation, we should expect them to drop when inflation stabilizes. But in greedflation? Prices stay high, profits skyrocket, and regular people suffer.

The Corporate-Populism Cycle: How Greedflation Keeps Winning

One of the biggest issues in America is that capital attracts populism. Corporations use their massive profits to lobby the government, ensuring laws and regulations favor them, not the people.

Take Taco Bell, for example. They lobbied against raising the minimum wage—even while increasing food prices. So, workers earn less, and customers pay more. Who benefits? The corporation, not the workers or the consumers.

This cycle repeats across industries:

• Big Oil raises gas prices while raking in billions in profit.
• Grocery chains blame inflation while slashing worker hours and increasing executive pay.
• Pharmaceutical companies keep drug prices sky-high despite government subsidies.

Meanwhile, average people are told to "just work harder" and "tighten their belts."

Why Corporations Will Never Lower Prices Voluntarily

The fundamental rule of capitalism is that corporations exist to extract as much money from you as possible. If people accept higher prices, companies will never lower them unless forced to.

Case Study: Shrinkflation

Ever noticed how a bag of chips now contains more air than chips? Or how products quietly shrink while maintaining the same price? That’s shrinkflation—a close cousin of greedflation.

• A half-gallon of ice cream is now 1.5 quarts.
• A roll of toilet paper has fewer sheets than before.
• A box of cereal is thinner, but the price remains unchanged.

They sell you less, charge you more, and expect you not to notice.

The Wealth Gap Widens

As corporations engage in greedflation, wealth inequality gets worse. Here’s what happens:

1. Rich people get richer. (CEOs and shareholders pocket record profits.)
2. Middle-class people get squeezed. (Wages don’t rise fast enough to match costs.)
3. Poor people get crushed. (Essentials like food, housing, and healthcare become unaffordable.)

The irony? The very economic instability caused by greedflation is used as an excuse to keep prices high.

How to Fight Back Against Greedflation

Corporations will never stop on their own. The only way to fight back is through:

1. Regulation & Anti-Trust Laws
   • Corporations shouldn't be able to price-gouge essential goods.
   • Stronger competition laws should prevent monopolies and oligopolies.
2. Raising the Minimum Wage
   • If companies won’t voluntarily pay fair wages, laws should force them to.
   • The myth that wage increases cause inflation has been debunked—corporations just want to protect their profits.
3. Boycotting Greedy Corporations
   • Stop giving money to companies that exploit you. Support local businesses and co-ops when possible.
4. Calling Out Corporate Greed
   • Awareness is power. If people expose greedflation, it becomes harder for companies to justify their price hikes.

Final Thoughts: A System Built to Exploit

Greedflation is not just a temporary issue—it’s a symptom of a larger problem. In unchecked capitalism, profits always come first, no matter how much it hurts regular people.

As long as corporations control policy through lobbying, wage suppression, and unchecked pricing power, the people will continue to suffer. It’s not just inflation anymore—it’s the system working exactly as it was designed to.

And unless we challenge it, things will only get worse.