Inflation Exit Closed

Set the scene in a supermarket aisle at eye level, where the usual red EMERGENCY EXIT sign glows brightly above a shelving bay—but instead of hanging over a door, it sits directly over the price rail. Beneath it, grocery price tags are mounted like steps of a staircase, each successive item label higher than the last, so the prices visibly climb upward along the shelf. Ordinary shoppers in work uniforms and scrubs push half-full carts past the display, looking tired rather than shocked, as if this absurdity has become routine. Off to the side, a polished store executive with a paintbrush calmly brushes the word “temporary” across the EXIT sign, partially obscuring it while ignoring the ascending prices below. The composition should make the viewer first read “EMERGENCY EXIT,” then realize there is no exit at all—only rising shelf prices where relief is supposed to be.