Beer for 38p anyone...

[Dave |H]

Hi,

Just found and scanned an old Traveller's fare menu from what looks to be August 1976. Beer a pint at 38p
amongst other stuff.

DOCUMENT Travellers Fare Menu - 2

British Rail Traveller's Fare menu from 1976, Check out those prices! Pint of beer for 38p anyone !!

www.flickr.com

And a child return ticket from Bristol to London for £1.05....

Document Bristol to London - 14-12-74

Explore D 1097 Dave H's 7534 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

According to the Bank of Englands inflation calculator (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator)
that pint should now cost £2.37 and the rail ticket £6.55 !!

Dave

 

[nw1]

*Hi,

Just found and scanned an old Traveller's fare menu from what looks to be August 1976. Beer a pint at 38p
amongst other stuff.

DOCUMENT Travellers Fare Menu - 2

British Rail Traveller's Fare menu from 1976, Check out those prices! Pint of beer for 38p anyone !!

www.flickr.com

And a child return ticket from Bristol to London for £1.05....

Document Bristol to London - 14-12-74

Explore D 1097 Dave H's 7534 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

According to the Bank of Englands inflation calculator (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator)
that pint should now cost £2.37 and the rail ticket £6.55 !!

Dave

The inflation calculator is certainly revealing. I tried one or two products that I recall the early or mid 90s prices of, and received a number lower than the actual current price.

For example, I remember the exact day I first bought a £2 pint, which was August 20 1995 (the day of the Blur/Oasis number one battle) at a pub in an affluent area of Surrey. According to that, the same pint should still be under £4 but I doubt you'll get it for that even in less-affluent areas! Also, if you de-inflate the 1995 prices to those of 1976, the pint should be 61p. Would be interesting to know when the £1 pint became normal; the inflation calculator suggests early 80s.

Likewise a 22p bar of chocolate in 1990 (I remember that price distinctly) should now be around 50p, again it's probably nearer 80p.

Also, moving to public transport, a £1.10 bus return in 1990 (I remember that as a specific example) should now be £2.50, instead the same journey is around £3.80.

 

[Taunton]

In Edinburgh in 1972 the three concentric zoned bus fares from the city centre were 3p, 5p and 8p.

It was proposed to increase to 4p, 7p and 10p. The outrage filled the evening newspaper for some weeks, one would have thought it was a direct theft from people's bank accounts.

I believe from those news items at the time the inner zone fare in Aberdeen was still 2p, apparently the cheapest in the country. The Aberdeen City Bus Department were of course the original progenitors of First Group. Further comment on their pricing policies will doubtless follow!

 

[StephenHunter]

The inflation calculator is certainly revealing. I tried one or two products that I recall the early or mid 90s prices of, and received a number lower than the actual current price.

For example, I remember the exact day I first bought a £2 pint, which was August 20 1995 (the day of the Blur/Oasis number one battle) at a pub in an affluent area of Surrey. According to that, the same pint should still be under £4 but I doubt you'll get it for that even in less-affluent areas! Also, if you de-inflate the 1995 prices to those of 1976, the pint should be 61p. Would be interesting to know when the £1 pint became normal; the inflation calculator suggests early 80s.

Likewise a 22p bar of chocolate in 1990 (I remember that price distinctly) should now be around 50p, again it's probably nearer 80p.

Also, moving to public transport, a £1.10 bus return in 1990 (I remember that as a specific example) should now be £2.50, instead the same journey is around £3.80.

Remember the official inflation rate is based on a "basket" of goods, which change over time.

Nice find. Might want to put that on Reddit, which has a sub dedicated to vintage menus. What's a steaklet when it's at home?

 

[Ediswan]

What's a steaklet when it's at home?

From memory, a fancy shaped beefburger.

 

[Trackman]

Expensive, think the first pint I bought in the early 80s was 28p. I didn't drink but bought it for the hell of it as I was 18 and enjoyed it!
Those miniatures are well expensive for the time, but this was across the board at the time like in pubs and shops.

What's a steaklet when it's at home?

These below..
Had them in the early 70's the Birds Eye variety and very tasty they were too.

https://twitter.com/memorialdevice/status/1348685994313318400?s=20

edit: image not showing...

 

[randyrippley]

Hi,

Just found and scanned an old Traveller's fare menu from what looks to be August 1976. Beer a pint at 38p
amongst other stuff.
.

Dave

Expensive - prices then in Somerset pubs was around 17-20p

From memory, a fancy shaped beefburger.

A triangular double sized burger with a stronger taste, supposed to be a cheap alternative to a steak fillet

 

[Dave |H]

Remember the official inflation rate is based on a "basket" of goods, which change over time.

Nice find. Might want to put that on Reddit, which has a sub dedicated to vintage menus. What's a steaklet when it's at home?

Hi Steve,

Yes, feel free to use the image as you want...

Dave H

 

[StephenHunter]

Thanks!

 

[nw1]

Expensive - prices then in Somerset pubs was around 17-20p

17-20p in the mid 70s? Incredible!

By the early 90s it was difficult to find anything below about £1.60, except in the student union bar (and to be fair I do seem to remember a 90p pint there, but I don't think student union prices count!)

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Possible as a student in 1976 to have a reasonable night for a £1 - Aberystwyth - a pint of Banks Mild for 20 pence and Bitter for 21 pence. Cheaper in the Students Union

So 4 pints and a decent bag of chips.

 

[Matey]

As a young squaddie in 1957 a pint of Arkells Bitter was 2/- (10p). Coffee 2p, a jam donought 2p and a Mars Bar 3p. Biggest expense of the week was a Forces return Slough/Swindon £1. 5p to leave bike in left luggage all weekend. Pay was £3.30 a week. Very happy carefree days!

 

[PeterC]

As a young squaddie in 1957 a pint of Arkells Bitter was 2/- (10p). Coffee 2p, a jam donought 2p and a Mars Bar 3p. Biggest expense of the week was a Forces return Slough/Swindon £1. 5p to leave bike in left luggage all weekend. Pay was £3.30 a week. Very happy carefree days!

That sounds pretty hefty for a pint. In 1967 in the first pub that i bought beer in I paid 1/10 for a pint of ordinary bitter. Best was 2/2 and draught Double Diamond was 2/4

 

[PaulLothian]

In Edinburgh in 1972 the three concentric zoned bus fares from the city centre were 3p, 5p and 8p.

It was proposed to increase to 4p, 7p and 10p. The outrage filled the evening newspaper for some weeks, one would have thought it was a direct theft from people's bank accounts...

Same occurred when fares were increased at time of decimalisation. Several of my student acquaintances decided they would walk to uni rather than pay the extra 1/2 penny!

 

[Springs Branch]

Same occurred when fares were increased at time of decimalisation. Several of my student acquaintances decided they would walk to uni rather than pay the extra 1/2 penny!

Today, of course, people would decide that the fares have become too expensive and use this to justify short faring, doughnutting or simply not buy a ticket at all.

Refer to the Disputes & Prosecution section for a steady diet of ". . . I'm worried about a criminal record affecting my career when I graduate as a lawyer / doctor / accountant etc." Of course, there might be any number of students still choosing to walk; we don't know because these are never bang to rights by RPOs and never turn up on this forum with their lame and spurious excuses for why they did it.


Speaking of decimalisation - I remember travelling with my mother on a local bus just after the "new money" came in. The adult fare had just gone up to an outrageous 5p and my mother was tutting to a random woman sitting nearby along the lines of "you say 5p and it doesn't sound much. But that's a whole shilling, you know!" I suspect there was an early conspiracy theory at the time that decimalisation was just a big cover-up so "they" could put all the prices up without you appreciating the scale of the increases.

 

[Taunton]

Same occurred when fares were increased at time of decimalisation. Several of my student acquaintances decided they would walk to uni rather than pay the extra 1/2 penny!

The half-p (still a coin then, and until it was demonetised in I think 1983) rings a bell, because there was a sub-campaign in the evening newspaper that if the 3p fare was to go up, it should only be to 3 1/2p. It was a late political decision to have a half-p at 1971 decimalisation, in part brought about by keeping the old "sixpence" coin, now worth 2 1/2p, in circulation as well. One of the key decimalisation points was to have accounting systems with 0.00, as today. Many businesses ignored it. Did the railway start decimalisation with any fares including it?

 

[gg1]

Remember the official inflation rate is based on a "basket" of goods, which change over time.

Indeed, I saw a list of typical early 80s prices posted on another forum a few years ago, there are a fair few items which in real terms are far cheaper now, home electricals were the big ones with many being less than half their inflation adjusted 1980s prices.

On the subject of beer, when I started drinking in the early 90s I think £1.20 - £1.40 was typical for a pint of lager.

 

[Ediswan]

Did the railway start decimalisation with any fares including it?

This fares conversion table suggests there were no 1/2p fares.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/RAIL-1005_409_1971-decimalisation.jpg

The rule for 6d fares (from that table):

 

[Steve Harris]

Remember the official inflation rate is based on a "basket" of goods, which change over time.

Nice find. Might want to put that on Reddit, which has a sub dedicated to vintage menus. What's a steaklet when it's at home?

Also don't forgot that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has increased the tax on beer, spirits, tobacco, fuel etc over many budgets.

So a inflation calculator will never give you a true figure for those items.

Nice find Dave

 

[Dave |H]

Also don't forgot that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has increased the tax on beer, spirits, tobacco, fuel etc over many budgets.

So a inflation calculator will never give you a true figure for those items.

Nice find Dave

Cheers Steve.

Appreciated. Interesting how stuff has gone up so much in real terms.. Wonder what the difference in petrol / diesel prices
are like.. I seem to remember that diesel was always about 10p more per gallon way back, but today...

Dave H

 

[Steve Harris]

Cheers Steve.

Appreciated. Interesting how stuff has gone up so much in real terms.. Wonder what the difference in petrol / diesel prices
are like.. I seem to remember that diesel was always about 10p more per gallon way back, but today...

Dave H

No problems.

There is a website that lists diesel and petrol prices, unfortunately I can't remember the url, but I'm sure it lists prices going back at least 20 years. (I'm sure a Google search will find it though)

I have a sneaky suspicion that diesel used to be 10p cheaper than petrol back when it was gallons. But of course, I could be wrong. Its a shame the turbo diesel hadn't been invented/widely available in cars back then otherwise I could of saved some money. Ah well.

 

[simonw]

As a young squaddie in 1957 a pint of Arkells Bitter was 2/- (10p). Coffee 2p, a jam donought 2p and a Mars Bar 3p. Biggest expense of the week was a Forces return Slough/Swindon £1. 5p to leave bike in left luggage all weekend. Pay was £3.30 a week. Very happy carefree days!

I think you were either ripped off or remember incorrectly as I remembering a pint was 14p in the early 70s

 

[Matey]

I think you were either ripped off or remember incorrectly as I remembering a pint was 14p in the early 70s

That was best draught bitter. The new keg beers were slightly more expensive. Inflation wasn't rampant in those days.

That sounds pretty hefty for a pint. In 1967 in the first pub that i bought beer in I paid 1/10 for a pint of ordinary bitter. Best was 2/2 and draught Double Diamond was 2/4

In 1964 a half of Ushers "cooking" bitter was 8 pence in my local pub. I was driving by then and stuck to halves.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi,

Just found and scanned an old Traveller's fare menu from what looks to be August 1976. Beer a pint at 38p
amongst other stuff.

DOCUMENT Travellers Fare Menu - 2

British Rail Traveller's Fare menu from 1976, Check out those prices! Pint of beer for 38p anyone !!

www.flickr.com

And a child return ticket from Bristol to London for £1.05....

Document Bristol to London - 14-12-74

Explore D 1097 Dave H's 7534 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

According to the Bank of Englands inflation calculator (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator)
that pint should now cost £2.37 and the rail ticket £6.55 !!

Dave

Interesting to see!
Of course a separate question as to whether the beers concerned were 'worth' the prices asked for - then as nowhere the brands still exist....

More seriously - I can't recall the url now unfortunately, but some time ago I used an inflation indicator that gave various cost indexes over time (it may have been from a university website) - these included CPI and RPI but also one or two other interesting ones, the one that struck me was an earnings inflation indicator / scale. This showed that over time earnings had outstripped RPI and CPI notably over the long term - which implied to me that in general terms the pay people expected to get over time was better than that of previous generations or eras - and thus I assume leading to a generally higher standard of living. So despite what often seem like below inflation pay increases at certain periods - like now - long term, pay has gone up faster than general inflation as captured in the 'basket of goods'.

This would no doubt allow retailers of goods and services (which to a considerable extent people need to be paid to produce, even if efficiencies in production techniques mean fewer people may need to do it) to go up higher than inflation but still remain affordable to enough customers to mean that sales of the product can still be sustained by consumers.

Wish I could find the website to illustrate the point!

Meanwhile:
I'm assuming this is a TF on train menu as it mentions 'Buffet Car' not station buffet
But

We can't see how much by volume most of those beers were - but would the 25p ones have only been 250ml or 330ml cans in those days?

Of those with a volume stated I doubt any TOC catering outlet on trains serves draught beer (keg or otherwise) - but perhaps an equivalent product in the market to the half pint of Heineken listed at 19p might be Avanti's on train shop menu Budweiser offering - 440ml at £4.10
(440ml is just over 3/4 of a pint)

from pdf download https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/onboard/standard-class/food-and-drink

 

[Magdalia]

Possible as a student in 1976 to have a reasonable night for a £1 - Aberystwyth - a pint of Banks Mild for 20 pence and Bitter for 21 pence. Cheaper in the Students Union

I was also at University in 1976.

During the autumn term a pint of bitter in the Students Union was 22p.

But that was in the days of very high inflation, with the annual rate more than 20%.

When we returned in January 1977 bitter was 26p per pint and we were outraged that it was no longer possible to buy a round of 4 pints and still get change from £1.

 

[robert thomas]

Interesting to see!
Of course a separate question as to whether the beers concerned were 'worth' the prices asked for - then as nowhere the brands still exist....

More seriously - I can't recall the url now unfortunately, but some time ago I used an inflation indicator that gave various cost indexes over time (it may have been from a university website) - these included CPI and RPI but also one or two other interesting ones, the one that struck me was an earnings inflation indicator / scale. This showed that over time earnings had outstripped RPI and CPI notably over the long term - which implied to me that in general terms the pay people expected to get over time was better than that of previous generations or eras - and thus I assume leading to a generally higher standard of living. So despite what often seem like below inflation pay increases at certain periods - like now - long term, pay has gone up faster than general inflation as captured in the 'basket of goods'.

This would no doubt allow retailers of goods and services (which to a considerable extent people need to be paid to produce, even if efficiencies in production techniques mean fewer people may need to do it) to go up higher than inflation but still remain affordable to enough customers to mean that sales of the product can still be sustained by consumers.

Wish I could find the website to illustrate the point!

Meanwhile:
I'm assuming this is a TF on train menu as it mentions 'Buffet Car' not station buffet
But

We can't see how much by volume most of those beers were - but would the 25p ones have only been 250ml or 330ml cans in those days?

Of those with a volume stated I doubt any TOC catering outlet on trains serves draught beer (keg or otherwise) - but perhaps an equivalent product in the market to the half pint of Heineken listed at 19p might be Avanti's on train shop menu Budweiser offering - 440ml at £4.10
(440ml is just over 3/4 of a pint)

from pdf download https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/travel-information/onboard/standard-class/food-and-drink

If it had draft beer it would have been an HST as first introduced. The draft beer provision didn't last for long.

 

[WesternLancer]

If it had draft beer it would have been an HST as first introduced. The draft beer provision didn't last for long.

Good point. Yes, that would make sense with the accompanying ticket being Bristol - Paddington.

I wonder what the point of having draught 'keg' beer would be in a buffet car? Can only have been a novelty. As presumably it would have to be disconnected overnight and or removed to a cool storage location.

 

[Ediswan]

I wonder what the point of having draught 'keg' beer would be in a buffet car? Can only have been a novelty. As presumably it would have to be disconnected overnight and or removed to a cool storage location.

Would a 'Party Seven' with a Sparklets Beertap have counted as draught

 

[WesternLancer]

Would a 'Party Seven' with a Sparklets Beertap have counted as draught

Now why didn't that catch on...

CAMRA really have a lot to answer for I reckon.