Pumpkin spice products on shelves

As pumpkin spice products have multiplied on American shelves, the price of a pint in Britain has risen, a transatlantic correlation of 0.989 that connects autumnal American consumerism to British pub economics with the cheerful indifference of two trends that have never shared a season or a hemisphere. The pumpkin spice launches in September, the pint costs more in October, and the chart draws its line across the Atlantic with the warm confidence of a latte art.

Pumpkin spice products grew from about 60 SKUs to over 150 between 2010 and 2022. UK pint prices grew from about £3.00 to over £4.60. Both are smooth upward curves in the same inflationary period. The shared variable is global inflation and consumer premiumization: Americans pay more for seasonal novelty products, Britons pay more for traditional pub beverages, and both trends reflect the rising cost of optional pleasures in developed economies.

Eleven years of pumpkin spice and pint prices is a transatlantic inflation story told through two seasonal beverages: one American, one British, both getting more expensive for reasons that have nothing to do with each other and everything to do with the same global economy. The PSL is seasonal. The pint is perpetual. The price goes up on both.