PepsiCo provides a good example of why grocery prices are so much higher these days. The company had net revenues of $23.4 billion as of October last year, after having raised prices for seven consecutive quarters, including an 11% increase in July. The higher prices brought sales volumes down by 2.5%, but PepsiCo called that volume decline strategic to its goal of increasing stockholder dividends. The company claims the smaller package sizes are designed “to meet consumer demand for convenience and portion control.”