One woman went online to share a photo of a Tesco receipt from 1998. She was gobsmacked by the prices things were back then, however not everyone was that startled by the difference
Many Brits are often left gobsmacked by the price of things in the supermarket these days, what with the pressures of the ongoing cost of living crisis. And one woman has shone a light about just how much prices have gone up in the last few decades after she found a picture of a Tesco receipt from 27 years ago.
The woman, named Lauren, took to X to share the photo of the 1998 receipt, with it later making its way onto Facebook too. It showed that the shopper had got a total of 22 food and drink items for just £27.96 One item made up the bulk of the bill too, costing £10.99, however it was scribbled out on the receipt meaning people couldn’t see what it actually was.
The receipt revealed how much cheaper items were then, with cola costing 23p, compared to 80p for Tesco’s own brand 2L bottle today.
A box of Weetabix also came in at just 65p in comparison to £3.50 for a box of 24 now.
Cooking oil was only 53p back then too, however it will cost you at least £1.99 for a bottle in Tesco these days, while a bunch of flowers would only set you back £1.66 27 years ago.
Cat food was only 48p also, however the cheapest box you’ll find in Tesco these days is £2.59.
Captioning the snap, Lauren wrote: “Found a picture of a 27-year-old receipt which came to £27.96.
“While I couldn’t find every item on the Tesco website, I could definitely make educated guesses, so by my estimation this would case you £79.64 today.”
People were shocked by how cheap some items were as the post went viral – racking up more than 8,000 likes.
One startled shopper exclaimed: “Weetabix is how much?”
While another added: “Cooking oil 53p? Wow!”
A third chimed in: “Ah, the golden years of 1998 Tesco shopping. They were the best of times… if only we know then. Peak civilisation.”
Someone else asked: “What’s the 10.99 item?”, as one person joked: “Probably a down payment for a house.”
Another person quipped: “Maybe a washing machine?”
However, despite some people being shocked over the difference in costs, others pointed out that it was ‘just inflation’ and that the prices were from nearly 30 years ago.