A first-term Republican Congressman from Ohio, who manages a modest chain of grocery stores, is voicing serious concerns about Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposed grocery price control measures. He fears these policies could be devastating for family-owned businesses like his.
Rep. Michael Rulli, who took office after winning a special election in June, has a background as a Republican state senator and is deeply involved in running Rulli Bros., a family grocery chain founded in 1917. He expressed his concerns in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
Rulli emphasized the already slim profit margins in the grocery industry, explaining, “Net profit in grocery stores is about 1.5%—if you’re doing exceptionally well, it might reach 1.75%. To put it simply, that’s roughly $1.50 for every $100 in sales. Over the past few years, the situation has been dire.” He believes Harris’ proposal could be the final blow to an already struggling industry.
Rulli illustrated his point by referring to Tide laundry detergent, a product his stores sell. He warned, “If the Harris administration mandates that Procter & Gamble must keep the price of Tide at $4.99 for the next four years, the company might simply stop producing it. This scenario will become all too common.”
He further explained the importance of variety in grocery stores by showing that his stores stock products with 38,000 unique bar codes, compared to larger chains with even more. “For the average American, this variety means access to quality goods at reasonable prices. Under Harris’ plan, we might see our selection drastically reduced to just 5,000 items, resembling the shortages seen in places like Cuba or Venezuela.”
As Harris rolls out her presidential platform, which includes a pledge to ban food price “gouging,” critics argue that such measures could stifle economic growth and resemble the policies of authoritarian regimes. Although supporters argue that large food corporations have seen substantial profits, Rulli and other critics believe the plan could hurt smaller businesses. The National Grocers Association has criticized the proposal as “a solution in search of a problem,” highlighting that independent grocers are already struggling under inflationary pressures.
Rulli is concerned that many small and mid-sized grocery stores could be driven out of business by these new regulations. He noted, “In the last two years alone, five grocery stores within an 80-mile radius of my location have shut down. The Harris administration’s plan might only accelerate this trend.”