It STEEL doesn't make SENSE...
If it costs too much to produce them, stop using them. Most countries do this as inflation swallows the value of the currency.
let's face it, you 'Merkans are going to see a lot of inflation the next few years.
My company has stopped billing in US$, we lose too much over the term of the contract!
(And, as others have pointed out, get some decent consumer protection and pricing legislation so that the shelf price is the price you pay. The whole of the rest of the world works that way. I HATE having the right money for a purchase, then being asked for more at the register.)