A Tesco receipt from 1997 has been discovered, revealing prices that have left modern shoppers astonished. The receipt was found inside an old cassette case by a Reddit user, who posted a photo of it on July 25, exactly 26 years after the purchase date.
Of the 22 items listed, 17 cost less than £1, and four were under £2. Notable prices include mayonnaise at 49p, cooking oil at 53p, mushy peas at 35p, Weetabix at 65p, St Ivel Gold butter at 53p, and flowers for £1.66. One item, priced at £10.99, was crossed out, leaving its identity unknown.
Reddit users expressed nostalgia for the era before soaring inflation and the cost of living crisis, describing the prices as 'freaking heaven'. Some were particularly shocked that butter cost only 53p. However, a few noted that garlic bread, priced at 99p then, costs around the same today.
One user added all items to an online Tesco basket, estimating the unknown £10.99 item now costs £15, bringing the total to £60.13—a price hike of £32.87 since 1997. The minimum wage in 1997 was £3.40 per hour, compared to £10.42 today.
The discovery comes as the Office for National Statistics reported UK inflation at 7.9% in June, down from 8.7% in May, but still high enough to strain household budgets.
