Inflation making it harder for some Edmontonians to get out and have fun: Economist

There is no question that high inflation has taken a toll on many people in the Edmonton area.

The price of groceries and gas has gone up, something which for many people means discretionary spending is down. Some say it is now harder to have fun as a result.

“Everything is so expensive,” Kiana Boudreau said while hanging outside the Cineplex movie theatre with her friends in South Edmonton Common.

“We don’t really go out that often and just driving anywhere costs a lot of money,” said Avery Gogal, Boudreau’s friend.

These rising costs have led to some new choices that some say are not as fun as before.

“We barely hangout anywhere because of all of the prices of everything — we either go to someone’s house or just stay in the parking lot and talk,” Boudreau said.

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Economist Moshe Lander said high inflation is making “going out to have fun” more of a challenge for many Albertans.

“Is this going to stop a lot of people from going out to restaurants and bars because of the higher prices? Yeah, to some extent it already is having that impact,” Lander said.

Events can be expensive. For example, a movie at Cineplex for two people costs $28.50. Getting two orders of popcorn and two drinks there costs nearly another $30.

Going to catch an Edmonton Oilers game at Rogers Place can cost you upwards of $154 to more than $550 for two tickets. A two-popcorn and two-drink combo is $36.50.

The Oilers said their concession prices have not changed but some fans still struggle to pay the price.

The Edmonton Elks said inflation is challenging for anyone offering entertainment now.

“Prices definitely have increased, whether it be food, merchandise, shipping costs, fuel surcharges,” said Adrienne Bridgeman, the Edmonton Elks’ vice-president of corporate partnerships.

But despite rising costs, the Elks said they make it a priority to charge lower prices.

“You can come to a game for as low as $20, not to mention the kids get in free — so that’s a huge obstacle removed for families,” Bridgeman said.

The Elks said to get tickets that low and have some concession menu food items below $5, it all comes down to budgeting and money management.

It is welcome news for football fans, but perhaps not everyone with different tastes in entertainment.

“It’s just kind of hard to find something we can do inside that’s also fun, because most of that is needing money and a lot of that is pretty expensive,” Edmonton resident Sophia Skorski said.

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