2. Yes companies hide behind real effects as a justification.
3. Those effects are real anyway.
Wage increases are ONE driver of inflation. The size of this effect depends on a lot of things.
Price increases are ONE driver of inflation. The size of this effect depends on a lot of things.
When something does not go the way you want, you can't just pick the cause.
No matter what starts an avalanche, it will continue to propagate itself.
It's fine with me if you are mad at greedy companies.
It's fine with me if you are mad at me.
My request is that we get more comfortable with the idea that multiple causes can contribute to an effect, and the size of those contributions can change over time.