Everybody complains about the coast of everything these days, yet they're still buying the stuff.More times than not, when we venture out of our sleeper to the cafe car, I hear coach passengers complaining about the cost of a microwave hotdog or cheeseburger.
A lot of times the complains are based on prices from decades earlier. One should use an inflation calculator before complaining about whether the price is out of line. Most times one will find that they aren't much different than they were 30 years ago.
Average price of gasoline per gallon (including taxes) in 1978: $0.65
Average price of gasoline in 2023: $3.34/gallon
If adjusted for inflation, that's $3.71 (Gasoline Prices Adjusted for Inflation | US Inflation Calculator)
Somebody needs to find an Amtrak cafe car menu from 1978, and then do an inflation calculation on the prices.