Good points, Arney and Sue. My previous post came across a little stronger than I had intended.

Absolutely, barter will be practical, to a point, within a local community. You'll be more inclined to trade with people whom you know and are nearby. I still think you'll be trading services more than straight goods, but situations vary.

I would note that in some hyper-inflation situations, an authoritarian kleptocracy grossly distorts the natural flow of the economy for political reasons (power/greed). (I don't want to get into a political rant, so I'll leave it at that.)

(BTW, Sue, The Great Depression was the opposite of a hyper-inflation event. Goods and services were massively devalued. Anybody who had cash to spend was on top of the world.)

I walked through a local country hardware store yesterday. They cater to the farm crowd, who by nature and for practical reasons have always been a little more self-sufficient. Know what you need for barter? The entire contents of a country hardware store.