Let's Go Grocery Shopping, 1980
Hold on to your shopping carts, folks! Inflation was 10.2%
How long is this article? 438 words, 7 images, about a 3 minute read
At the end of 1979, inflation hit 9.8%. Food prices were on the rise. As reported in the Colonist on January 23, 1980, Statistics Canada stated higher food prices and housing was responsible for three-quarters of the rise in inflation (sound familiar?). Food had increased the most over one year since 1971.
If that wasn’t enough, fallout from the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 was also having an effect. Most economists predicted it would effect milk and meat prices due to the impact on feed. “Dairy farmers should start preparing for severe shortages of alfalfa, hay and other crops.” (The Colonist, May 31, 1980)
Locally, grocery stores advertised their rising prices. Stores such as Western Foods located at 772 Goldstream Avenue, The Warehouse Food Store at 877 Goldstream, and a local fish store at 801 Goldstream, posted their prices in the local newspaper at least twice a week to entice people to purchase despite the economic pressures building on households. Increasing food prices were making families feel the ‘pinch’.
Just some examples of prices from 1980 were: