Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has told the supermarkets - cut prices or the Government will act. According to his announcement, the retail chains are being talked into keeping inflation and the prices of basic goods below 3 percent, and if not, the door opens to publishing the names of those who don't comply.

At the same time, the price of diesel has fallen by 7 denars, and petrol has got cheaper too - a move the Government presents as part of the same push for a cheaper daily life. The message is clear: the state is now sitting down at the table with the traders and negotiating how much bread, milk and oil will cost.

The idea sounds good to anyone filling a basket on a shrinking wage. But it's worth recalling - this isn't the first time. "It's shameful what the traders are doing," was heard before the holidays last year too, with threats of inspections and margins. Prices rose anyway. A deal between government and supermarkets on inflation "below 3 percent" is easy to announce, harder to hold when no one is watching.

The question every shopper carries to the till is simple: will the deal show up on the price tag this time, or once again only in the press release? Because inflation isn't abolished by a press conference. It's measured on the shelf - and right there, not in the promises, citizens will see whether the "deal" means anything.