Surprise detail in Coles shopping receipt from 1992

The discovery of a well-preserved 1992 Coles receipt has sparked an online discussion about changes in the cost of groceries, with shoppers actually debating whether they are worse off today, despite the recent surge in supermarket prices.

A Sydney local shared his receipt from Coles West Pennant Hills, which he found "being used as a bookmark in an old book" over the weekend.

"White onions were cheap back then, you don't see them much anymore, the brown and red onions rule the roost these days," he said on the Old Shops Australia Facebook group. "The snags were probably 1kg packs, and the chips were probably my favourites, Smiths Salt and Vinegar."

The man spent $2.48 on nearly three kilos of white onions, $2.98 on potato chips and $6.15 and $5.91 each on two types of sausages of an unknown weight. The total came to $17.50 – with no GST and the price being rounded down.

"Snags were around $1.99 to $2.99kg back then. (I worked in a deli and sold tonnes of them). That receipt would have been for a few kgs each," one person suggested, among the many comments.

While some were quick to point out the obvious price difference compared to today, others urged people to convert the price to allow for inflation - expressing surprise that things are better than most people imagine when it comes to food costs today.

Some Aussies surprised by the comparison

"I’m not sure if you’re serious or sarcastic?," one person commented, referring to poster. "Those prices when converted to today's [inflation adjusted] are through the roof".

"You would get all of that for the same price or even cheaper now. My local market has onions for $2 for 2kg, BBQ sausages for $6 kg, and large bags of chips for 2 for $3," another commented.

For example, if the $2.98 chips were Smiths salt and vinegar, they would now be converted to approximately $6.34 – a price higher than typically seen on shelves today with Coles advertising a 170-gram pack for $4.80.

However a kilogram of white onions retails for $5 on the Coles website (compared to 0.98 cents on the receipt), and beef or pork sausages sit at around $12 for a kilogram.

• Aussie wages drop ‘almost across the board'

• Mum stunned by difference between Coles and Woolies buys

• Aldi, Coles, Woolworths shoppers face empty shelves

Food and beverages costs increase again

Between February 2022 and February this year, food and beverage costs have risen by 8 per cent, according to the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), released on Wednesday.

For food and beverages, the biggest driver of the price increases were meals and takeaway food (up 7.3 per cent). Bread and cereal were up 12.5 per cent while dairy and related products jumped a whopping 14.3 per cent.

While fuel prices drove up the increase to transport costs, the ABS noted that the annual increase for fuel was the lowest it has been in two years.

“Food inflation is expected to reach 8.7 per cent over the next 12 months,” UBS analyst Shaun Cousins told The Australian in October last year. "Generally, this is as high as I have seen, certainly in the last decade. This is the highest rate of inflation that Australian consumers would have seen for many years.”

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.