a small business expert. so, gene, boy, those are not good numbers. tell us more about these ominous signs and what they mean for this holiday season. yeah, it s not great, arthel, is it? i mean, you know, as you just said, the thanksgiving dinner is going to cost so much more. and i think leading into the holiday season we re going to be looking at a pretty, you know, gloomy holiday season, i think, for most small merchants and retailers around the country. inflation has taken its bite, you know? like you mentioned about grocery stores, you know, food, gas prices are up significantly as well. at the same time, household wealth has significantly declined over the past couple of months, and credit card spending is way up. the national retail federation is predicting only a 4% increase in holiday sales holiday season which is down from a 15% increase last year. so i m predicting a real gloomy time this holiday season, unfortunately. arthel: well, that s really tough the on small busine
arthel? arthel: eric, record high gas prices have contributed to inflation hitting a 40-year high, but some good news on the horizon as gas prices are on the decline. national average price for a gallon of regular today is $4.53. a month ago it was $5, but one year ago it was $3.16. so have we hit the inflation peak now that gas prices are falling? we re going to bring in gene marks, the cpa president of the marks group and a small business expert. so listen, gene, we ll get to gas prices in a second. sure. arthel: first of all, you know, the people who want to work, they can find a job. americans are spending 10% more than last year. people are out dining. gas prices are creeping down as we said. so why the high inflation rate and talk of a recession? what s not adding up? well, i mean there are a lot of factors that are contributing to the high inflation rate,
gas is actually dropped more than 30 days in a row? when will inflation go down with it? coming up, small business expert with insight on inflation and what it means for your wallet. life. doesn t stop for diabetes. be ready for every moment, with glucerna. it s the number one doctor recommended brand that is scientifically designed to help manage your blood sugar. live every moment. glucerna. wow! it s been 38 years since we were here. back then we could barely afford a hostel. i m glad we invested for the long term with vanguard. and now, we re back here again.
Robert Meir, general manager of Mediterranean restaurant CALA, discusses how he is building the team he credits with being ambassadors for the restaurant's values.