Small businesses are hurting at the worst possible time | Money [Video]

Washington (CNN) — Enjou Chocolat, a small business in Morristown, New Jersey, is still feeling the pain of inflation these days — from soaring cocoa prices to increased labor expenses.

As a result, the chocolate shop, which employs just under two dozen employees, recently raised the prices of many treats for the third time over the past year. The move was met with customer fury, Mark Chinsky, a partner at the business, told CNN. He said one customer, who had been buying half-pound bags of foil chocolate for years at $10.99, reacted badly to being charged $4 more this time.

“They said ‘that’s just a rip-off, and you’ve lost me as a customer,’ which really hurt to hear,” Chinsky said.

Inflation is down considerably from the 40-year highs seen in 2022, but Americans still have a bitter aftertaste that played a rolein handing President-elect Donald Trump a decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in …