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Original prices of the classics. i.e How much was Polo in 1978??

post #1 of 9
2/10/13 at 11:24pm
Thread Starter 
I had a customer lurking around the original polo today, he was in his 80's and when I asked him if I could help him with anything he said he used to wear the Polo years ago but stopped buying it when the price got over $60. He said when he first started wearing Polo he could get the large bottle for $18.

So, that got me thinking... What were the typical prices for cologne back in the day? Like, how much was Aramis or Eau Sauvage when they first came out in the late 60's or even Acqua di Gio in 1996? The typical price for a 3.4oz bottle of designer cologne is around $70 - $75, what was the same size bottle throughout the decades or even just some prices you remember paying back in the day. I wonder if prices have kept pace with inflation.

Very curious here
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post #2 of 9
2/10/13 at 11:51pm
I do not remember how much they cost.

If I knew in 1985 what I know now, I would have purchased many of these fragrances and put them in a refrigerator so I can always have the best versions of Polo, Kouros, and Fahrenheit for life.
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post #3 of 9
2/11/13 at 3:41am
I know in 1985, when I was 17, it probably cost around $35 for a 4 OZ bottle of the biggies you mention. That seems about right. Because my frame of reference in my mind for what things should cost was formed around that time.
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post #4 of 9
2/11/13 at 3:42am
Inflation. Everything was cheaper back then.
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post #5 of 9
2/11/13 at 4:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by noirdrakkar View Post

Inflation. Everything was cheaper back then.

For sure.
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post #6 of 9
2/11/13 at 6:03am
Just about everything was less expensive in 1978.
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post #7 of 9
2/11/13 at 9:39am
Just my personal recollection, year ca. 1988:

I bought a 2.5 oz bottle of Halston Z-14 from a discount drug chain for about 17 dollars. A 1.7 oz bottle of Drakkar Noir as a gift for my step dad cost 28 dollars at Carson, Pirie, Scott in Chicago Ridge Mall. A 3.4 oz bottle of Calvin for Men (navy blue opaque bottle) cost me about 33 dollars (the dept stores had it for 42) and in the same trip, a buddy snagged a 3.4 oz bottle of Smalto for 28 bucks; these discounts applied from a discount retailer that was located on Wells and advertised in the newspapers. I bough my first bottle of Gendarme (2.0 oz) from Marshall Field's State Street store in May of 1989 for under 30 dollars.

Other recollections: Gas cost $1.19 per gallon. A gallon of milk cost $2.02 with tax from Dominick's Finer Foods. A Whatchamacallit candy bar set me back about $0.42 from the local Seven-11. A three-ride transfer ticket on a Chicago Transit Authority bus or el-train cost $1.25 (Sundays, you could get a "Super Transfer" for $1.50 and ride all day!). A Big Mac Value Meal was listed on McDonalds menu board for $2.99. A pack of 4 Maxell 90-minute high-bias blank cassettes cost you $4.25 with tax from Sound Warehouse or Rose Records.

Uhm....did someone say something about inflation?
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post #8 of 9
2/11/13 at 11:17am
Man, those blank cassettes smelled so goooood! Open up a new one and just inhale! Really any new cassette had that smell! Great olfactory experience!


Quote:
Originally Posted by Richie_B View Post

Just my personal recollection, year ca. 1988:

I bought a 2.5 oz bottle of Halston Z-14 from a discount drug chain for about 17 dollars. A 1.7 oz bottle of Drakkar Noir as a gift for my step dad cost 28 dollars at Carson, Pirie, Scott in Chicago Ridge Mall. A 3.4 oz bottle of Calvin for Men (navy blue opaque bottle) cost me about 33 dollars (the dept stores had it for 42) and in the same trip, a buddy snagged a 3.4 oz bottle of Smalto for 28 bucks; these discounts applied from a discount retailer that was located on Wells and advertised in the newspapers. I bough my first bottle of Gendarme (2.0 oz) from Marshall Field's State Street store in May of 1989 for under 30 dollars.

Other recollections: Gas cost $1.19 per gallon. A gallon of milk cost $2.02 with tax from Dominick's Finer Foods. A Whatchamacallit candy bar set me back about $0.42 from the local Seven-11. A three-ride transfer ticket on a Chicago Transit Authority bus or el-train cost $1.25 (Sundays, you could get a "Super Transfer" for $1.50 and ride all day!). A Big Mac Value Meal was listed on McDonalds menu board for $2.99. A pack of 4 Maxell 90-minute high-bias blank cassettes cost you $4.25 with tax from Sound Warehouse or Rose Records.

Uhm....did someone say something about inflation?
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post #9 of 9
2/11/13 at 5:49pm
Keep in mind US dollar inflation is approximately 200% since the late 70s (meaning price figures are about 3x higher on average). It's my belief that fragrance prices have come down quite a bit over the years (along with the quality in most cases).
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › Original prices of the classics. i.e How much was Polo in 1978??