In 1954, the Saturday Evening Post named Thorofare Markets of Pittsubrgh as the “Brand Name Retailer of the Year” for 1953. To commemorate the honor, the supermarket took out this ad in the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, Sept. 16, 1954, honoring the Post, and also serving as its newspaper ad for the week. As such, it give a snapshot of grocery prices in 1954. While these prices look low, keep in mind that there’s been a lot of inflation since 1954. According to this inflation calculator, one dollar in 1954 is the equivalent of $11.36 in 2023 dollars. So the Campbell’s tomato soup for 11-1/2 cents per can works out to about $1.30 per can. Sirloin steak was 79 cents per pound, but that’s the same as $8.97 per pound in today’s money.

What would you make for dinner in 1954 if you did your shopping at this store?  For a full-size copy of the ad, you can click on the images above.