NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Prices are going up, and inflation is affecting all of us. We're shelling out more at the grocery store, the hardware store and at the gas pumps.
Business owners in Newport News said they worry inflation will make it more difficult for them to stay afloat.
Savannah Elliott, floral shop manager at A Special Design, said, "We got a lot of minivans and SUVs taking between $50-75 each to fill up."
That's prompting delivery drivers at the floral shop to fill up two to three times a day and tripling deliveries with Valentine’s Day near.
Natalie Hallaren, sales representative at A Special Design, said, "With larger vehicles, you have more flowers going out, but you're spending twice the amount of money on the gas prices, so it's less in our pockets."
The average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S hit $3.47 on Wednesday, according to AAA experts, a jump of 8 cents from the previous week.
"At this moment with the prices raising and things just are so unsettled right now, this is what we got to do," said Elliott.
Floral shops are not the only ones hitting a road bump. One DJ said it's been hard trying to keep his show on the road.
"You can only imagine how many times that I have to stop and fill up and deal with the excessive gas prices," said Bobby Dunston, Mixxstar DJ owner.
As a traveling DJ, Dunston said current gas prices have led him to increase travel cost.
"If it's outside of our area right here, we have had to charge an additional amount to go a little further than our area because we know it's going to be a little bit more expensive," said Dunston.
Dunston said he will continue to make adjustments over time, even if he can only keep the parties rocking within a certain mile radius.
"We're just fighting through the tough times right now," said Dunston.
AAA experts said while gas prices remain high due to inflation and a domino effect from the pandemic, depending on what happens with Russia and Ukraine, it could be a while until prices go down and businesses can see some relief.
