I heard about oil prices going up - does that mean gas is going to get more expensive soon? And will they raise prices on groceries at the supermarket too? How much should I roughly be prepared for?
Oil affects gas prices pretty directly, so yeah, if oil gets more expensive, that'll show up at the pump after a while! But with stuff in stores it's more complicated - prices there depend on a bunch of factors: logistics, exchange rates, harvests, competition between chains. Rising oil does have an impact, but not always right away and not on everything equally. Like, milk prices barely depend on it, but fruit shipped from far away or ready-made dishes with vegetable oil could get noticeably more expensive. Can't give you an exact number - it's all really individual and depends on when and how much fuel prices actually go up!
The main thing is don't panic and don't start panic buying - that definitely won't help. Prices go up gradually, not all at once in a single day. With gasoline it's actually pretty straightforward: if oil gets more expensive, it shows up at the pump a couple weeks later. But grocery store products are different.
Logistics depend on fuel, sure, but that's only part of the cost. Buckwheat and milk are affected by harvests, competition between suppliers, exchange rates, contract prices with producers. Often producers lock in agreements months in advance, so a spike in oil prices doesn't immediately show up on the price tag for cottage cheese. Plus big chain stores tend to keep prices more stable - it's better for them to keep customers than to react to every price jump.
In reality, if oil goes up a bit, expect gasoline to climb maybe 10-15 percent. With food, most likely nothing changes or it shifts by a couple rubles per package. Price jumps on shelves usually happen for completely different reasons: seasonality, marketing, expiration dates. Just go about your life normally, don't stress about it too much.
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