‘This was a PR move’: Janet Yellen under fire as she goes grocery shopping following out-of-touch remarks about soaring prices

WASHINGTON, DC: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was spotted stocking up groceries on Saturday, June 29. Earlier in the week, she had brushed off a question on inflation and rising food costs, stated the New York Post.

After lunch at the Japanese restaurant Raku, Yellen and her husband, economist George Akerlof, visited a Giant Food store in Washington, DC.

Janet Yellen goes grocery shopping after out-of-touch remarks about soaring prices

After they were done with their grocery shopping, the wealthy couple left the store pushing trolleys full of reusable Fresh Direct grocery bags, accompanied by six security guards.

Yellen, whose net worth is reported to be $20 million, came under fire this week for seemingly downplaying worries over rising supermarket costs in the US.

Jennifer Schonberger of Yahoo Finance questioned during the Monday sit-down, "Have you been to the grocery store lately?" to which Yellen replied, "I sure have — I go every week."

Schonberger asked, "It’s sticker shock, isn’t it? Just when you look at shipping costs, those have come down, global food commodity prices have also come down, but food prices still remain high. Should the US invest in agriculture to boost the food supply in this country?"

However, Yellen began responding "No" even before Schonberger had completed questioning.

Mentioning that she had spoken with a number of supermarket CEOs who said they were slashing prices on necessities like milk and bread, Yellen said, "I think largely it reflects cost increases, including labor cost increases that grocery firms have experienced, although there may be some increases in margins."

She opined, "I think that’s to be applauded, I think that kind of thing is helpful, but I would be reluctant to agree that we should be centralizing agriculture."

Internet reacts to Janet Yellen grocery shopping after out-of-touch remarks about soaring prices

People online criticized Jane Yellen as she was seen restocking groceries after brushing off a question on inflation and rising food costs.

A user said, "This was a PR move. The frugal couple were supposed to be pictured buying groceries just like regular people. They made sure to fill bags in carts with a lot of stuff, but it was clear that Janet had not been in a grocery for decades and they just filled out bags with bulky items."

Another said, "Hey Yellen, how many years in transitory inflation? Already been 3.5."

A person also wrote, "How timely, a nice photo op."

One remarked, "Both pushing a mini-cart with empty looking bags. Not even smart enough to know better that this looks totally phony to those of us who actually shop in supermarkets."

A user also stated, "How embarrassing those pictures are. See we are just like you with the exception of the security detail paid by taxpayers, and the cars, paid by taxpayers, and the staged photo op."

Another mentioned, "She wants to disarm American law-abiding citizens. But she has 6 security guards. These are the elite class. We pay their salaries. They view us as peasants."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.