A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Today is Good Friday, which Christians observe on the way to Easter Sunday this weekend.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Easter is also, of course, the day when the Easter Bunny fills many children's baskets. And according to the National Retail Federation, the bunny will have to spend more to fill the basket this year.
MARTÍNEZ: Or an adult nearby that can fill the basket, too (laughter).
INSKEEP: What? What are you talking about?
MARTÍNEZ: Well, the Easter...
INSKEEP: The bunny does this.
MARTÍNEZ: If the bunny can't do it...
INSKEEP: (Shushing).
MARTÍNEZ: ...An adult will do it.
INSKEEP: OK, go.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, two of our producers hopped out to check out this finding. Our colleague Kaity Kline started at a grocery store in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland.
KAITY KLINE, BYLINE: The star of the show, the Lindt chocolate bunny, is $7.29. Classic jelly beans, $2.69 each. So one pack of Peeps, $5.49.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Your total is 54.90. Please select your payment.
MARTÍNEZ: Our producer Nia Dumas went to a big-box store in D.C.
NIA DUMAS, BYLINE: We're going to get the jumbo eggs. Chocolate eggs, chocolate Creme Eggs, are 5.29.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHECKOUT BEEPING)
UNIDENTIFIED CASHIER: Sixty thirteen.
DUMAS: Thank you so much.
MARTÍNEZ: All that sugar sounds scrumptious.
INSKEEP: (Laughter).
MARTÍNEZ: David Branch (laughter) - industry group called the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute says there's a reason prices are up.
DAVID BRANCH: We had multiple years of lower crops in the primary cocoa-growing regions. And with that shortage, the price of cocoa went up.
INSKEEP: And when it comes to chocolate, that leads to some Easter shrinkflation.
BRANCH: The size of those candy bars has dropped, but the price is the same. So essentially, instead of trying to raise the price too much, they just shrunk how much goes in it, in the bag, to keep the price steady for people.
INSKEEP: So Mr. Branch suggests loading up on jelly beans and Peeps instead.
MARTÍNEZ: (Laughter).
INSKEEP: Nah. Prefer chocolate.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.