"Home Alone" fans are reeling about a memorable scene that, at first glance, does not appear to age too well for the iconic holiday movie.
In the 1990 film, an 8-year-old Kevin McCallister visited a neighborhood grocery store to pick up a few items -- alone. After all, his family did mistakenly leave him to fend for himself as they flew to Europe.
What did he buy? A half-gallon of milk and orange juice, a microwavable TV dinner, frozen macaroni and cheese, a loaf of bread, dryer sheets, laundry detergent, toilet paper, saran wrap, and a bag of toy soldiers. All totaling a whopping $19.83, with a dollar-off coupon.
More than three decades after the film's release, fans noticed a major difference in prices for the same grocery items.
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"Total under $20 is crazy," one TikToker commented about the scene's grocery haul that was full of popular name brand items. "Take me back to those times."
So, how much would the Home Alone shopping list from 1990 cost in 2023?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, $1 in 1990 is equivalent to about $2.29 in 2023, which is about 2.35 times higher.
"When shopping at the same store — the Grand Food Center in Winnetka, Illinois — and accounting for inflation and differences in product sizes, the 2023 total for the same 10 products is $56.84," according to a PolitiFact fact check.
While the 2023 total is substantially higher than in 1990, Politifact notes that $19.83 in 1990 has the same "buying power" of $46.59 in 2023.
Taking inflation and the buying power into account, the totals aren't as incomparable as fans might think.
The grocery store in Illinois, where the scene was filmed, told PolitiFact that it also adds a 2.25 percent sales tax on food items and a 9 percent tax on nonfood items, which would add $3.38 in sales tax to the items.
Here's how much the fact-checking website says the grocery items would cost in 2023, adjusted for inflation.
- Whole milk, half gallon -- $3.29
- Tropicana orange juice — $7.62
- Wonder bread, 20 ounces — $2.99
- Kraft microwavable macaroni and cheese, 12 ounces — $4.64
- Stouffer’s microwavable roast turkey dinner — $5.85
- Tide laundry detergent — $11.12
- Quilted Northern toilet paper, four rolls — $7.33
- Snuggle dryer sheets, 20 count — $1.37
- Wrappit! plastic wrap, 100 square feet — $2.69
- Plastic Army figurines, one bag — $8.91
