• Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
    28·
    2 months ago

    A big Mac wasn’t .50 in 1980. I remember it being at least $1. The earliest I can find sources for say $1.6 in 1986.

  • MF_COOM [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    121·
    2 months ago

    The Big Mac index is a pretty good indicator of purchasing power. Despite this Big Macs were not $0.50 in 1980, they were closer to $1.75. Still a significant change. Also, the price of a Big Mac changes between states, ranging from $3.75 to $6.39 in 2022.. If you follow that last link and use the minimum wages given to do some division they’re really not as different as presented, which is interesting.

  • MisterFrog@lemmy.world
    8·
    2 months ago

    Honest question, why is this not how inflation is measured?

    I feel like the basket of goods chosen in Australia is nonsense, considering rent went up by like 50% in two years, and prices in the supermarket have been insane, somehow inflation numbers only ever cracked the high single digits per year.

    I haven’t looked into it deeper, yet, but seems fishy, and cherry-picked.

    • InputZero@lemmy.ml
      4·
      2 months ago

      I think one reason is it’s the other way around, the cart is leading the horse. One problem with using a basket of goods to measure inflation is that it cannot keep pace with the substitutions consumers make. Consumer choices can switch really quickly but the basket of goods used to measure that needs to be workshoped before it can be used. It’s in part, because it’s impossible to have a perfect snapshot of a market.

      • MisterFrog@lemmy.world
        2·
        2 months ago

        Could we not at least make various unchanging standards?

        Like, housing & food inflation index?

        Is that not vague and unchanging enough?

        I know sourcing the data isn’t a walk in the park, but I know for a fact Victoria collects information on the first one pretty accurately.

        I think we should have a “base needs” basket, because that’s never going to change. People need to eat, people need to sleep.

        Thanks for indulging me in my vague, unlearned on the topic, questioning!

  • SplashJackson@lemmy.ca
    6·
    2 months ago

    We should compare the rate of inflation, joblessness, etc, against the state of the world just before the pandemic

  • elrik@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    2 months ago

    We need more comparisons using this “BM per hour” unit.

    US Median Annual Household Income

    1980: $21,020 or 4.8 BM/hr

    2022: $74,580 or 1.1 BM/hr

    US GDP

    1980: $2,857B or 650M BM/hr

    2022: $25,440B or 363M BM/hr

    US Defense Budget

    1980: $144B or 33M BM/hr

    2022: $877B or 13M BM/hr

  • shalafi@lemmy.worldEnglish
    72·
    2 months ago

    Hate this sort of garbage. Exaggerating or lying to boost an already solid point ruins it as most won’t see past the lie. They see the bullshit, turn away, call it all bullshit. Now you’ve lost my trust and I’m not listening to a damned thing you say.

    Big Macs weren’t $.50 in 1980, I was there. If they were that cheap, they wouldn’t have been able to pry us stoned teenagers out of there.

    Big Macs aren’t $8 now. I think the whole meal is that much, maybe closer to $9.

    Yes, the minimum wage is abysmal, but they’re not paying that. Walmart pay $15 to start in this little hick town. McDonald’s is probably $13 or so.

  • darkdemize@sh.itjust.works
    1423·
    2 months ago

    I don’t go to McDonald’s, but this looks like cherry-picking data to force a narrative to me. Are Big Macs really $8 for just the sandwich these days?