Abilene business owners tell Arrington about concerns over inflation, other issues

Local business owners' optimism about the state's current policies during the pandemic is tempered by concerns about inflation, supply chain issues and labor shortages.

Those were the main takeaways U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington said he heard during his roundtable with nine owners and managers Tuesday at the Abilene Chamber of Commerce.

"They made it clear that the context, the environment, that our governments create makes a difference in their ability to be resilient and to recover from the pandemic," Arrington said after the meeting.

More: Abilene labor market recovering from COVID-19 slump, faces favorable outlook in 2022

Higher prices

Bucketheads boutique owner Nancy Nicholson described the higher costs of products she saw during a recent trip to the wholesale buyers market in Dallas.

"I'm in 100 different showrooms buying merchandise, and there was not one single place I went that didn't have any increase in cost," she said during the roundtable.

Home builder Gene Lantrip echoed the sentiment about escalating costs affecting his industry, such as higher lumber prices, due in part to U.S. tariffs on Canadian lumber.

Businesses try to work around those costs, such as Nicholson explaining how a shoe wholesaler asked if she wanted her order to have the shoes in sacks or boxes.

"He said I can get more shoes in the container if I put them in sacks versus boxes. And that can make a difference in your wholesale cost of the shoes going from $18 to $24," Nicholson said. "So do you want me to go up that much in price? Are your customers willing to pay that much more?"

In the end, higher in-put expenses are passed on to consumer, several of the business representatives said.

More: Abilene could add more than 1,400 jobs in near future. Where are workers to fill them?

What can be done

Some of the federal government's policies at the beginning of the pandemic, although well-intentioned to help the country through a worldwide health crisis, are now causing "self-inflicted wounds," Arrington said.

"I think the best thing we can do for small businesses is to stop flooding the market with government spending and in easy money coming from activist monetary policies," Arrington said.

The government also needs to pull back from the social programs that in some cases paid unemployment benefits equal to or more than what the recipients earned at their jobs, Arrington said.

"No American begrudges their fellow American in need getting assistance, but it should be temporary. And, it should be with the expectation and accountability that if you're able, you should go back to work," Arrington said.

"That's best for our country. That's best for the fiscal impact on a country whose debt is $30 trillion. But most importantly, it's best for the person who should always strive to be the best and pursue the best opportunities and a better quality of life for their families and for the next generation of their family."

Asked about his insight on how and when rising inflation will be addressed on the federal level, Arrington candidly said he didn't have an answer. But, he said, the participants' insights on the day-to-day challenges on "Main Street in Abilene America" will inform his actions as he works with colleagues in Washington D.C.

"I asked the question, 'What can I do when I go back and do business with my colleagues?' And, I think it's just stop the irrational spending and the things and labor-related policies that are keeping people sidelined," Arrington said.

Arrington in December announced his plans to run for a fourth term for the 19th Congressional District, which includes Abilene and much of the Big Country to the north and west.

More: Arrington seeks 4th term in Congress, vows Republican return to control in D.C.

Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene business owners to Arrington: Inflation growing concern