A depressing reminder of a time gone by has surfaced as Australians mourn the days when a loaf of bread and carton of milk could be purchased with small change.
A video, shared to TikTok last week, highlighted what it was like “shopping before Covid and inflation hit”.
Home brand bread was $1, milk was $2 for two litres, a cooked roast chicken was $7.90, two packs of raw meat could be purchased for $10, and a 30 pack of soft drink cans were $14 on special.
Also on the list was a block of Cadbury chocolate for $2.50 and a Ristorante frozen pizza that used to cost $3.75.
The Aussie consumer’s best bet of anywhere close to those prices in 2023 would be at a budget retailer like the Reject Shop or not-for-profit supplier like Lighthouse Care.
An old Woolworths catalogue even showed a pork roast for $6 a kilo and a bag of Allens Party Mix for $1.50.
The scenes were a grim reminder of just how good Australians used to have it.
A loaf of home brand white bread from Woolworths is unlikely to cost less than $2.70 and a two litre bottle of milk now sets shoppers back at least $3.10.
Aussies bemoaned the cost of living crisis in the comments of the video.
“Used to be cheaper to buy a frozen pizza now it’s cheaper to just go to Domino’s,” one person wrote.
“I knew it had gone up quite a bit but this really put it into perspective,” someone else said.
“Man we didn’t know how good we had it,” another wrote.
“I remember when Cadbury chocolate blocks were less than $4. When they went up to $5 it was a sad time,” another comment read.
The sad video came as food and grocery prices at Woolworths and Coles hit a new high earlier this year, having surged by a whopping 9.6 per cent in April.
Common grocery items including Vegemite, peanut butter and yoghurt have soared higher in cost compared to overall inflation of 7 per cent, the report from investment bank UBS also found.
The analysis of more than 60,000 supermarket items found a 9.6 per cent price increase in groceries.
Fresh food, in particular, contributed to the huge increase in prices as costs skyrocketed by 9.9 per cent – however UBS predicted this would drop in the coming months as supply levels improved.
A Coles spokesperson said the UBS’s report was “not an accurate reflection” of how the supermarket giant calculates and reports inflation.
“UBS’s sample data does not capture our full range of products and does not capture changes in customer buying behaviours which impact our sales volumes and product mix,” they said. “This is integral to capturing an accurate reflection of overall supermarket inflation. UBS used the same price tracker for a report ahead of the third quarter 2023 results and reported Coles’ inflation at 9 per cent.
“Our official inflation figure was reported significantly lower at 6.2 per cent.”
A Woolworths spokesperson said the supermarket chain recognised that cost of living pressures are being felt by its customers and team and it continued to help them save each time they shop.
“We ensure all of our customers can get their Woolies worth via our thousands of weekly specials, our seasonal prices dropped programs, a vast range of our quality own-brand products at low prices, and Everyday Rewards to help customers’ shops go further,” they said.
“In our last quarterly results we saw that value-conscious customers are becoming more thoughtful about their discretionary spend, trading into more affordable options such as our own-brands and looking for additional ways to save in store or through our digital, rewards and e-commerce platforms.”
The report also found that breakfast staples such as dairy goods and spreads have also climbed by a mammoth 13 per cent in the past year with UBS analysts warning the country was facing “materially high food inflation”.
Dry goods were up by 9.4 per cent with popular shelf products recording marked increases, such as Vegemite rising in price by 8 per cent, Bega peanut butter up 9 per cent and some types of yoghurt up 12 per cent.
Responding to the TikTok, a Woolworths spokesperson referenced its “weekly specials” for households facing cost of living pressure.
“We know things have changed since the pandemic and that families are under cost of living pressures,” they told news.com.au.
“What hasn’t changed is making sure customers get value every time they shop that’s why we have 6000 weekly specials, a tasty and healthy own brand range and a free rewards program that gives customers $10 off their shop.”