Higher Fuel Prices Boosting Delivery Costs

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igher fuel prices are raising the prices of delivered goods in cities, Bloomberg reported.

In New York, where three out of four households do not have cars, higher fuel prices are boosting delivery charges for everything from dry cleaning to groceries and flowers.

Anectotally, Bloomberg reported that one online grocer now collects a 97-cent surcharge, a flower shop raised its minimum delivery charge to $15 from $12.50 and one dry-cleaning service added a 10% delivery charge.

Gasoline prices remain about 11% above the same time last year. Energy costs are spilling over into consumer prices as the strong economy makes it easier for businesses to pass the expense onto customers, Bloomberg said.

The cost of trucking and transportation services rose 6.9% in October from a year earlier, while the prices of finished goods excluding energy products rose 1.5%, said Martin Kohli, an economist with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bloomberg reported.