It's hard not to find oneself longing for the "good old days" now and again. Just about everyone is capable of missing something from way back when: A favorite television show, the perfect summer day, the smell of an old car in the sun. Or, for that matter, someone: A family member passed, a best friend out of touch, a first love. Most of us miss what we wish to have again. No one wishes for polio to make a comeback, or the Red Scare to sweep over the country again. How about that bulky 8-Track tape? Or Betamax? You see what I'm driving at. The glasses we wear grow rosier with time's passage and that's okay.At the same time, some comparisons of today versus the not so distant past give us a jaw-dropping look at the sheer obscene ridiculousness of the difference between then and now, especially when it comes to food and fuel prices. So much for a 21st century of ample leisure and the wonder of automation and efficiency driving prices down. Today, folks making $16 an hour have to work around two 40 hour weeks just to fill their 250 gallon heating oil tank. Yikes.
I decided to do a little comparison shopping using these January 28, 1938, Westfield Advertiser ads for three different markets, all located in the city. I picked 12 items from each shop and found the same or similar products online at a local family-owned grocery chain's web site. The prices on the web site and here cited reflect prices at one of the chain's Springfield stores, but, eh, close enough. Well, actually, the prices aren't even close. Not even on the same planet. See for yourself what seven decades of difference can do...
Shopping List - - - - - - - - - - - 1938 - - - - - 2008Butter (1 lb.) ------------------------ .33 -------- 4.19
Sugar (10 lbs.) ---------------------- .49 -------- 5.13
Hamburger (2 lbs.) ---------------- .25 -------- 7.38 (80% Lean)
Maxwell House Coffee (1 lb.) ---- .27 -------- 5.44 (3.89/11.5 oz.)
Eggs (1 doz.) ------------------------- .23 ------- 2.69
Sliced Bacon (1 lb.) ----------------- .19 -------- 4.69
Catsup (14 oz.) ---------------------- .10 -------- 1.70
Grape Juice (1 qt.) ----------------- .29 --------- 1.65 (3.29/64 oz.)
Saltines (2 lbs.) --------------------- .17 --------- 4.86
Marshmallow Fluff (lg. can) ----- .18 ---------- 1.99
Bananas (4 lbs.) --------------------- .19 --------- 3.16
Ivory Soap (10 bars) --------------- .49 --------- 5.14 (6.17/12 bars)
Totals ------------------------------ $3.18 ----- $48.02
Shopping List - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1938 - - - - - 2008Butter (2 lbs.) ------------------------- .78 -------- 8.38
Eggs (1 doz.) --------------------------- .37 ---------2.69
Fresh Turkey (25 lbs.) ------------ 10.00 -------- 39.75
Green String Beans (1 lb.) ------------ .17 --------- 1.99
Iceberg Lettuce (2 heads) ------------ .19 --------- 3.98
Fresh Spinach (3 lbs.) ---------------- .25 --------- 8.19
Chuck Roast (3 lbs.) ------------------ .84 --------- 14.37
Tapioca (7 oz.) ------------------------ .09 --------- 3.22 (3.69/8 oz.)
Ginger Snaps Cookies (1 lb.) --------- .15 --------- 2.69
Canned Tomatoes (3/20 oz.) ------- .25 ---------- 2.94 (.71/14.5 oz.)
Split Green Peas (1 lb.) --------------- .07 ---------- .73
Evaporated/Dried Prunes (4 lbs.) -- .25 -------- 14.72 (5.49/24 oz.)
Totals ------------------------------ $13.41 ----- $103.65
Shopping List - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1938 - - - - - 2008Sugar (10 lbs.) -------------------------- .49 -------- 5.13
Lard (1 lb.) ------------------------------ .10 --------- .99
Eggs (2 doz.) ---------------------------- .65 ------- 5.38
Cream Cheese (2/3 oz. pkgs.) --------- .15 ------- 1.50 (1.99/8 oz.)
Lamb Leg (3 lbs.) ----------------------- .63 ------ 14.97
Pork Shoulder (3 lbs.) ------------------ .42 ------- 4.77
Del Monte Peaches (2/20 oz. cans) --- .25 ------- 2.80 (1.99/29 oz)
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup (can) ----- .08 ------- 1.49 (16 oz. can)
Baby Food (3 cans/jars) ---------------- .23 ------- 1.47
Canned String Beans (3/20 oz.) ------ .20 ------- 3.00 (1.39/28 oz.)
Mild Cheese (1 lb.) ----------------------- .25 ------- 4.13
Scott Toilet Tissue (4 rolls) ------------ .25 ------- 3.96
Totals -------------------------------- $3.70 ------ $49.59
As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.
Yes prices were cheaper back then, but so were the minimum wages.
ReplyDeleteIn 1938, the established minimum wage was .25. Mass has a minimum wage of 8,00.
If you compare, 1938 was $10 for 40 hours vs. $320 in 2008. If you forget taxes (which we would love to do), the grocery items you compared would be 32% of the person's 1938 income, but only 15% in 2008.
I also long for the good old days, especially if I made then what I make now. I would be very well off!
Just wanted to give a perspective that things were not as rosey then due to the low prices. The market dictates price, just as it does now. Except for gas and petroleum products, but that's another argument........
Springfield resident 1988-2004.