Flipping through a JCPenney catalog from 1972, it dawned on me that some prices seemed way too high for ’72, while others seemed ridiculously low. Let’s see how well you do identifying price tags from 35 years ago. But here’s the twist, folks, your job is to pick out the WRONG price, NOT the right price. That’s to say that you’ll see two prices listed for each item: one comes from the catalog, one is made up. The made up one, or the wrong one, is the right price in this quiz.
For those who missed the first installment, check it out here. Installment #2 can be found right here. And make sure you COME ON DOWN when you’re done and tell us how well you made out.
Comments (19)
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I got 5/10 – 50%. Ok, so that is still failing, but hey, I wasn’t even alive then, so it’s not that bad.
posted by Victoria E on 1-15-2008 at 9:50 pm
8 out of 10 right. Got the typewriter and the gym set wrong. My mom had an IBM Selectric that she paid about $200 for, so I figured a JCP one would be a lot less.
posted by Sue on 1-15-2008 at 10:07 pm
Um, 40%. Wow did I stink at that one!
Can you tell me if that catalog has any bikes in it? When I was a sprout, my mom worked at Penney’s, and I scored the coolest bike ever as a birthday gift; I think it was called “The Swinger”, and it had chopper-styling with a 20″ rear wheel and a 16″ front, hi-rise curlicue handlebars, a banana seat, a 5-speed stick shift… Sigh.
I’d gladly pay for a hi-res scan of that ad if it’s in there!
posted by Dave on 1-15-2008 at 10:19 pm
60%. Although I still find the explanations of the correct and incorrect answers quite confusing. Sometimes you’re commenting on the price being real or fake or outrageous then or unreasonable now, and it is simply not very clear. Why not go with the line “Actual 1972 Retail Price” so the right answer is readily apparent?
posted by Anonymoose on 1-15-2008 at 10:41 pm
That bacon crisper looks awesome.
posted by dan on 1-15-2008 at 10:45 pm
I took both, and got 70% on each. Don’t know what that says about me. I was born in 1970.
posted by Alison on 1-15-2008 at 10:46 pm
The quiz element is ok but I love the pictures. I want to see more of the fabulous 70′s crap. I remember when the whole world looked like this.
posted by Cynthia on 1-16-2008 at 12:36 am
For Dave:
Google “Swinger bike.” There are some good images available. I too had a Swinger when I was a kid and loved that bike. Mine was purple and it always had a playing card pinned on the wheel. I was the coolest kid in the neighborhood.
posted by Cynthia on 1-16-2008 at 12:45 am
I got a little laugh at #5 the “Groovy Storage Record Cube (Bright “now” design…)” I’m sitting next to one as I type this, identical except ours is plain woodgrain, no words on it.
Holy Cow, I thing my entire house is a throw-back to the Nixon administration.
posted by Tdave on 1-16-2008 at 1:34 am
Interesting …
“This quiz has been taken 2140 times with an average score of 50%”
so on average no better than flipping a coin.
posted by csrster on 1-16-2008 at 3:42 am
First one 3/10, this one was 7/10.
I was 1 year old in ’72….and have a picture of Mom in that tennis dress!
posted by kathy on 1-16-2008 at 4:54 am
The woman in the lower-right corner of the wig picture looks like a young Jaclyn Smith. And the woman in the lower-left corner looks very familiar, but I can’t remember her name.
posted by Will on 1-16-2008 at 5:39 am
90% darn swing set got me!
I wasn’t even alive in the 70s.
posted by margaret on 1-16-2008 at 7:30 am
6/10
Not too shabby considering I was born in ’85 ;)
posted by Ashley on 1-16-2008 at 8:32 am
I agree with Anonymoose, the explanations of the answers are really, really confusing. I was so annoyed after the first quiz, I almost didn’t take this one but couldn’t resist seeing more 70s product photos.
6/10 on both.
posted by oldblackhen on 1-16-2008 at 9:16 am
6/10, I concur with Ashley, except I’m an ’84.
There are currently guys installing those ceiling tiles in the office right next to me, but there is one huge problem: they are NOT smoking pipes.
That guy in the picture is a hoss!
posted by Lauren on 1-16-2008 at 9:17 am
I got 70%…and I wasn’t even alive in the 70′s. Loved the bathroom set…I bet there are still people using that. As if the furry tank cover makes the toilet more aesthetically pleasing haha.
posted by Angela on 1-16-2008 at 12:33 pm
The woman on the lower left of the wig picture looks very much like Erin Gray. You might remember her from Silver Spoons and Buck Rodgers in the 25th Century.
posted by Mary on 1-16-2008 at 6:23 pm
8/10, born in 86. Having done economics I was thinking about these things in terms of how much labour and resources would cost… and gut feeling.
posted by Shulzi on 1-16-2008 at 6:48 pm