www.library.ubc.ca/archives/pdfs/ubyssey/UBYSSEY_1973_11_01.pdf
TRUE VINTAGE PRICING! (Not like today where they JACK UP THE PRICES cause they consider them SPECIALTY ITEMS now)
TRUE VINTAGE PRICING! (Not like today where they JACK UP THE PRICES cause they consider them SPECIALTY ITEMS now)
House of Stein- my, but doesn't that take me back to the late 60's / 70s - the local chains - Miller's, Kelly's, smaller players like Stereo World, CAV Electronics, Ryland Huntley's RadioLounge (lost my audio cherry there, years before the other) , Video Sound Craft- whew, I'm getting all misty here - Jeff, got any to add to that list?
BTW, I was celebrating my 6th month wedding anniversary the date of that ad
BTW, I was celebrating my 6th month wedding anniversary the date of that ad
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I'm impressed you can remember so many. There were quite a few audio salons back in the day. How things have changed. I used to love going into Kelly's and winding up the salesmen.
jeff
At one time between the 600 and700 blocks of Yates Street there must have been at least 5 shops - by 77 that included A&B Sound - never bought any gear there (was too busy at the Friday after hours "listening" sessions at the Junction) , but I loved the upstairs record department.
$hit, that was a long time ago
$hit, that was a long time ago
That's the point.
Real price of things is how much you have to work to get them, no matter what's printed in those pocket sized pieces of paper.
To make a comparison on a readily available figure, at least to start with something, minimum wage in 1973 was U$1.60 ; in 2013 it was U$7.25 ; so for an average guy starting to work, fresh out of school , who typically gets a "Mc D " type job and salary, correction factor is 7.25/1.6=4.5X
Federal Minimum Wage Rates, 1955?2013
That's a basic reference number, now depending on what we are talking about both salaries and stuff price have varied for other causes.
a) Besides the basic minimum hourly wage, kind/quality of jobs available has spiraled downwards.
In those times average people could get an Industrial job, which pays well, has lots of benefits, and offers opportunity for advancement.
And a skilled worker could find a job somewhere else, so he either switched for a better salary or had to be paid more to be retained.
Today most jobs are in the Service area (not amp Servicing but in fast food, telemarketing, Wal Mart, etc.) which do not need trained people, so your skills are worth sh*t, if you complain you are easily replaced, forget about asking for a salary increase.
The alternative, setting up a small shop and sell *anything* , from Ice Cream to home made sweaters to furniture to groceries to , say, paint and brushes, anything, has been crushed because you can get anything at some Supermarket or straight through Internet.
Point is that more people are working for a basic wage today than way back then, so stuff price measured in workhours is higher than 4.5X , simply because there are less of the good jobs available.
b) on the other side, stuff price and quality has dropped dramatically because of automated manufacturing (CNC) and Asian low wages, so way back then you could buy, say, a real Strat , pay for it in a couple months and keep it forever; today kids may have 8 cheesy crummy $200 guitars, none of them good, a $99 tube amp and a $200 "do kit all " pedalboard.
So in theory he buys more than a " 73' guy" but in practice the old one bought 1 steak dinner; the 2014 one bought 5 ... hamburgers.
Real price of things is how much you have to work to get them, no matter what's printed in those pocket sized pieces of paper.
To make a comparison on a readily available figure, at least to start with something, minimum wage in 1973 was U$1.60 ; in 2013 it was U$7.25 ; so for an average guy starting to work, fresh out of school , who typically gets a "Mc D " type job and salary, correction factor is 7.25/1.6=4.5X
Federal Minimum Wage Rates, 1955?2013
That's a basic reference number, now depending on what we are talking about both salaries and stuff price have varied for other causes.
a) Besides the basic minimum hourly wage, kind/quality of jobs available has spiraled downwards.
In those times average people could get an Industrial job, which pays well, has lots of benefits, and offers opportunity for advancement.
And a skilled worker could find a job somewhere else, so he either switched for a better salary or had to be paid more to be retained.
Today most jobs are in the Service area (not amp Servicing but in fast food, telemarketing, Wal Mart, etc.) which do not need trained people, so your skills are worth sh*t, if you complain you are easily replaced, forget about asking for a salary increase.
The alternative, setting up a small shop and sell *anything* , from Ice Cream to home made sweaters to furniture to groceries to , say, paint and brushes, anything, has been crushed because you can get anything at some Supermarket or straight through Internet.
Point is that more people are working for a basic wage today than way back then, so stuff price measured in workhours is higher than 4.5X , simply because there are less of the good jobs available.
b) on the other side, stuff price and quality has dropped dramatically because of automated manufacturing (CNC) and Asian low wages, so way back then you could buy, say, a real Strat , pay for it in a couple months and keep it forever; today kids may have 8 cheesy crummy $200 guitars, none of them good, a $99 tube amp and a $200 "do kit all " pedalboard.
So in theory he buys more than a " 73' guy" but in practice the old one bought 1 steak dinner; the 2014 one bought 5 ... hamburgers.
Me too. I used to walk out of there with armloads of records. I stopped going when they stopped carrying vinyl.
jeff
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