Raw footage inside Sears with Atari 800 and 2600 (1982) [video]
Check out those prices!  That Atari 800 at $699 would be $2,150 today adjusted for inflation. I guess it was pretty capable but today you could have a hell of a computer for that price!<p>The sewing machine at $300 is $920 today and looks basic as heck.  I bought a computerized sewing machine last year for $400 which sews 40 stitches and is basically automated. You could get a basic Singer today for 85 bucks.<p>Those microwaves would come in at about $1,200 in today’s dollars.  Most of us spend about $50 on one today, granted the quality is probably crap.<p>How did people afford to buy anything back then? I recall my parents getting the Beta Max player, big 30” TV and satellite dish back in the early 1980s (we lived in the country).  Throw in a stereo and a few kitchen appliances and I think it would rival what they paid for our house!