CBS3 SummerFest: Be Prepared To Spend More At The Jersey Shore This Summer
WILDWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -- As families head to the Jersey Shore for Memorial Day weekend, business owners are asking families to be prepared to spend more money on purchases.
Christy Mitchell, the owner of Nan and Pop's Kitchen in Wildwood, has been paying more for the basic ingredients she needs to make food, like flour, which, she said, has tripled in price.
"We've done our best to keep everything below $30," Mitchell said. "Unfortunately, we're getting kind of close because it's just getting so much tighter."
As a beach business, she has an even tighter window to make money.
"It makes it a lot harder because we only have so many weeks to do what we do best," Mitchell said.
While Boardwalk's Best Gifts and Variety was closed during the winter, Ian Griffin, the store's operations manager, bought as many items as early as possible to avoid raising prices.
"Just navigating shipping and all the different freight companies," Griffin said. "People getting delayed and having to stay on top of our vendors to make sure that we get our merchandise in a timely manner."
For restaurants, their food prices change weekly, and Mitchell said customers need to know that they're doing the best they can.
"They get very upset with us, [asking], 'Well, why are you charging that?'" Mitchell said. "Unfortunately, if we had a choice, we wouldn't."
