Cost of analogs when you started smoking !

[proimage1]

When I started smoking analogs 43 years ago - a pack cost .35 and you could buy them anywhere including vending machines just like buying a candy bar or canned coke !

Thought it'd be interesting to see how much they were when some of you started !

A carton was less than $3.00 and averaged around $2.50 a carton !

Of course - gasoline was around .29 a gallon to and minimum wage was $1.60 an hour - my first job paid all of .50 an hour - ( that's $20 on a 40 hour work week ) and less than $80 a week at $1.60 min wage.

My first new car and I mean brand new - right off the lot was $1888.00 - a 1972 Ford Pinto - the only thing good about it - was it was red - no floor mats, no radio, no air, no power steering, no power brakes - BUT it was RED !

 

[AJMoore]

That's funny. Yes, in 1968, Miami, gas and cig's were about 25 cents. What happened????

 

[tonyboy]

1978 about .60 cents.

 

[Lucid Monk]

I think cigs cost around 1.80 back when I started

 

[MercyPoetic]

I think by the time I started, it was something like $3.50 a pack

 

[Daifne]

1967 and the price in Wisconsin was .50/pack. We did always have a "sin tax". ;-)

 

[yknotagain]

proimage1 that's so funny, my first car was a 1971 Pinto right out of the showroom, but was Blue with the larger engine, radio and automatic - cost $2300. I welll remember $2.50 a carton cigs and gas wars in the late 60's when regular was as low as 13.9 cents a gallon.

My first job was for .25 an hour when I was 12 working in the fields for the local canning company during the summer.

 

[Guineahill]

About 55 cents a pack. I quit for a year when they went up to a dollar a pack. I was outraged!

 

[pianoguy]

I started in 1968, and I remember cigs in a machine being 35 cents, and .30 or less at the store. Gas was generally around 25-26 cents, but I remember a gas war where it went down to 19.9 at a few stations - you don't see gas wars much anymore - LOL! Got my first job in '69 as a dishwasher, 1.10 per hour. Bought my first car in '71 - it was a '62 Chevy I paid $125 for. Hard to find a good car for $125 these days.

 

[FlipnOut]

1.85 per pack in Michigan when I started. Used to pick them up in Ohio for $14/carton.

 

[SantanzChild]

13.80 a carton for reds

 

[dolvey]

.25 a pack

 

[rosesense]

I was just thinking about this the other day. Cartons on base were 1.00 and packs in the machine were 25 cents. Filled my VW bug up for about 3.00. Man, I feel old now

 

[searcher]

They were 10 cents a pack at the PX in Korea. Slightly more here in the states. Free in Vietnam (in the field they were packed in the SP packs, always plenty of Viceroy and Kents). As long as I got them at the commissary I didn't see a price problem until the smoking bans started hitting and the govt. started hitting the taxes. Two years ago they got so outrageous that I started stuffing my own. That brought the price back to about 50 cents a pack. That ended with the schip tax when a pound of tobacco went from $10.00 to $40.00.

 

[Twister]

Any ex-service members remember the C-rations or even the older K-rations. The meals you got when you were out on manuevers. They used to come with a free mini pack of smokes. Like 4 or 5 to a pack with every meal. I think Lucky Strike and Newport were the most popular. A carton of regulars was about $1.60 in the PX. When you stopped to take a break, it was commonly hollered "smoke if you got em, if not, get them from your squad leader." Another common holler was "If you smoke take a break. If not, report for detail." Then they had the nerve to say, "smoking was never encouraged nor endorsed by the military." By the time I retired, smokes were $2.25 a pack and you couldn't even smoke within 50 feet of a government building. Do you think your military medical insurance would cover any stop smoking clinics or products? Not even! They will cover a lung replacement if the rest of you is in good shape. Uncle (Omaha Beach survivor) died on oxygen with emphysema after several by bass operations. Father (3 tours Vietnam) died from heart attack after several years on oxygen for emphsema. Smoked till the day he died. Myself (69-89) severe COPD and holding. Stopped smoking and started vaping 4July09. Not sure why but we all would have done it again. Didn't mean to get on a soapbox, just carried away.
Oh yeah, price when I started, 0 to $0.18 for a pack.

 

[angelique510]

I don't remeber how much my first pack of cigarettes was. I do remember when Basics came out they were 69 cents!! For ten bucks I could get cigarettes, fill up my bug, and I was set for the weekend.

~A

 

[Twister]

They were 10 cents a pack at the PX in Korea. Slightly more here in the states. Free in Vietnam (in the field they were packed in the SP packs, always plenty of Viceroy and Kents). As long as I got them at the commissary I didn't see a price problem until the smoking bans started hitting and the govt. started hitting the taxes. Two years ago they got so outrageous that I started stuffing my own. That brought the price back to about 50 cents a pack. That ended with the schip tax when a pound of tobacco went from $10.00 to $40.00.

Hey Searcher, Hope you're holding up well and Thank you!

 

[Twister]

Worked in a full service gas station (remember them?) every day after school and pumped regular gas for .25 a gallon plus check the oil, water, tire air pressure and wash the windshield.

 

[Reuben]

Around $1.00 a pack.

 

[NightNurse]

1979 and .52 cents a pack...