This is a real voice from the front lines

Bento shop owner: "I honestly can't lower the prices. I feel this weird guilt about it." It's because ingredient and container procurement costs are rising due to the weak yen and the Middle East situation, and they can't pass on the tax reductions directly to the prices. I think this is a real voice from the front lines. Bento shops in areas near stations or schools already have razor-thin profit margins, and I don't think they have much room to absorb these external cost increases. Dismissing this with "it's your own responsibility" or "the company isn't trying hard enough" feels like way too extreme an argument to me.