U.S. consumers are in the midst of one of the longest stretches of elevated inflation of the past century. Some are beginning to act like it's a new normal, raising alarm bells for members of the Federal Reserve.

Wednesday's consumer price index release showed a 3.7% increase year over year in September. CPI has now registered around 65 months — that's more than five years — of consecutive annual readings above 2%, a widely accepted target for inflation in the U.S.