LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor,
I went to H-E-B in San Marcos this week to pick up the basics, and here’s what I saw: a dozen eggs at $3.94, a gallon of milk close to $5, shredded cheese at $2.98, flour tortillas near $3 and bananas about $2 a bunch. Coffee products like Café Olé pods are pushing $29, turkey breast is nearly $8 a pound, olive oil is over $8 a bottle, shrimp runs $7–8 a bag, and even pantry staples like peanut butter, pinto beans, and oats are higher than they were just months ago. Walking out, it felt like every aisle carried a new sticker shock.
I later checked KSAT’s reporting. Back in April, they tracked staples at HE- B: eggs were $3.98, milk was $3.76, tortillas were $2.48, cheese $2.19 and coffee $5.98 a can. By September, many of those same items were up by about a dollar, and coffee and turkey breast had jumped nearly $2. What I saw on my trip lines up with that trend — steady increases across the board.
These hikes aren’t just random inflation. In April, Washington imposed a 10% blanket tariff and “reciprocal” tariffs up to 50% on countries that supply much of our food and farm inputs. Those tariffs ripple through the supply chain until they show up in our carts.
Take coffee — almost all of it comes from Brazil, Colombia and Central America. Tariffs hit every shipment, which is why a product that was $5.98 a can in April is now much higher.
Eggs and milk depend on feed made from soy and corn. Tariffs on imported fertilizer and grain drive up feed costs, which raise the price of dairy and poultry products. That’s how milk that was $3.76 in April is now close to $5.
Tortillas rely on domestic wheat, but the plastic wrap they come in is made from petroleum products that are tariffed. Even when the grain is grown here, packaging costs push the price up.
Cheese rides the same wave. Milk costs more, packaging costs more, and a bag that was $2.19 in April is now closer to $3.
Bananas are entirely imported from Central and South America. Tariffs add costs at the port, so a bunch that used to be just over $1 now sells for nearly $2.
Turkey breast is domestic, but feed costs tied to tariffed imports drive the price higher. KSAT showed nearly a $2 jump since spring.
Olive oil mostly comes from Europe. Tariffs stack on top of global shortages, leaving shelves with bottles priced over $8.
Seafood, especially shrimp from India and Vietnam, is tariffed directly, raising frozen bag prices into the $7–8 range.
Even shelf staples are caught up. Pinto beans from Mexico and Central America, peanut butter packaged with tariffed oils and plastics, and oats imported from Canada are all more expensive because of these policies.
The result is simple: tariffs act as a hidden tax. They don’t punish foreign governments, they punish families in Hays County. A dollar more for milk, another for tortillas, two more for coffee — it adds up fast for anyone trying to stretch a paycheck.
To be fair, H-E-B deserves thanks for doing what it can. Their weekly sales and coupons help ease the strain for families. As a large company, they have the buying power to negotiate prices and absorb some of the shocks that come with tariffs and global supply disruptions. But what about the small businesses and mom-and-pop grocers here in San Marcos? They don’t have the same leverage, and they can’t offer deep discounts or sales to offset these hidden costs. When policy decisions drive up prices, it squeezes them hardest — leaving fewer options for customers and hurting the very local businesses that give our community its character.
If our leaders had to shop the aisles of H-E-B in San Marcos every week — or better yet, run a small store under these conditions — they would see what the rest of us do: policies that make groceries more expensive at a time when families and businesses can least afford it.
Sincerely, Christopher Jones II San Marcos, TX
