Shirley Mitchell, 55, picked up a few groceries this week to bake Christmas cookies as gifts. But rather than go to a traditional supermarket, she picked up some of the ingredients at Dollar General, a discount store with more “consumables” on its shelves.
“It’s horrible,” Mitchell said of the economy as she placed a $1.85 package of a dozen eggs into her cart. “I think it’s going to cause everyone to pull tight.”
Economic uncertainty has persuaded more consumers like Mitchell to leave behind traditional grocery stores in search of bargains on …

The Wells Fargo Consumer Price Index, released Tuesday, showed that overall, nonseasonally adjusted prices fell 2.6 percent in November. The Utah decrease outpaced the national nonseasonally adjusted decline of 1.9 percent and the 1.7 percent decline after seasonal adjustment. The 1.7 percent decrease was the largest amount on record going back 61 years, as energy costs posted nearly double the decline of the previous month.
Transportation costs led the way in Utah, falling 13.4 percent in November, reflective of gasoline prices. Nationally, gasoline prices fell 9.9 percent.
Transportation accounts for 15.7 percent …