UPPER MILFORD TWP., Pa. – Elevated gas prices aren’t just taking a hit on your wallet. It’s got companies fighting not to have to raise their prices.
At Herbein’s Garden Center in Upper Milford Township, it’s the busiest time of the year.
“It’s planting season,” said Co-Owner Matthew Roy.
And Roy said they have a wide selection for your garden.
“This little sweet potato vine right here looks so small, so fragile, but it grows so fast,” said Roy.
But something else is also growing fast: The price of gas. Roy said it’s tough to explain to customers how that’s increasing the cost of everything else.
“They don’t always recognize how fast it hits other products. So mulch pricing goes up, plant pricing goes up, and just our cost to show up will eventually start ticking up, because everything costs more,” said Roy.
Roy said his business alone, which also includes Lehigh Valley Lawn, has seen an increase in their fuel expenses by more than 20% in the last two months.
“Any business can only absorb so much, so we eventually have to pass along these increased costs to the consumer,” said Roy.
According to the website Gas Buddy, the price of gas is the highest it’s been since the start of the war in Iran. In Pennsylvania, the average is listed at $4.67 a gallon. Roy said he’s doing everything he can not to pass that cost on to his customers.
“We haven’t actually added any surcharges for fuel yet,” said Roy.
But even when those fuel prices do come down, Roy said the price of plants won’t drop as fast.
“A lot of the products purchased while the pricing was high are still on-hand, so there’s that delay. Just because prices are coming down next week at the pump, doesn’t mean everybody else’s prices can start to follow right away,” said Roy.
A complicated market out of Roy’s control. So he’s just crossing his fingers, and maybe his green thumb.
“We are hoping for regular, balanced fuel prices again,” said Roy.