BUENOS AIRES, Aug 17 Reuters When Ernesto Acuna, a convenience store owner in Buenos Aires, received the new price list this week from his supplier of the snacks, condiments, sodas and ice creams he sells, he was shocked to find costs on some had risen 60 since late July.

The price list, updated after a primary election shock led to a sharp devaluation of the peso and interest rate hike on Monday, underscores the scale of Argentina39;s challenge to avoid inflation, already at 113, climbing faster.

An ice cream for someone who comes to the store that was 1,000 pesos before, today is 2,000, said Acuna, citing an increase of 35 and then 50 two weeks later. He added that owners like him of 39;kiosko39; ministores didn39;t know how to respond.

We kiosko owners don39;t know if we should increase prices each day, or by how much.

The price lists from a major national supplier, analyzed by Reuters, showed an average hike of 18 between July 26 and Aug. 15. Many were grouped around 25, while some prices were left unchanged. Ice creams and desserts saw the steepest jumps, although there was variance among different products.

The analysis suggests that wholesalers are rapidly moving to raise prices after market volatility this week, which will feed into higher inflation in August as the country battles to avoid the hyperinflation it suffered in the late 1980s.

The price list offers a window into how these market shocks are passed on to small business owners, and eventually…