Companies are jacking up the prices and saying, higher quality is what justifies the increase. The thing that really convinced us that it was time to write this story about this phenomenon was when we saw executives at WD-40 mention premiumization. They have cans of lubricant now with what they call a smart straw. This will get to those hard to reach places.
The traditional explanation of inflation is simple: too much money chasing too few goods. But some experts are now wondering if companies’ aggressive pursuit of profit is driving up inflation as well.
This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Noel King.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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