DIGGING through dusty archives of the Northglen News from the groovy ’70s and the electric ’80s feels like opening a time capsule filled with delightful surprises, eyebrow-raising prices, and more than a few chuckles.

Back in April of 1970-something, this humble community paper printed just 6500 copies. Fast forward to today, and we’re up to a whopping 27 700. That’s a lot of news.

Also read: Northglen 50+: Print industry pioneer recalls Northglen News’ humble beginnings

Pick n Pay Hyper by the Sea had us drooling with their red-and-white adverts: Rainbow chicken at 94 cents per kilo and a pack of Eet-Sum-Mor biscuits for just 39c. Try not to weep into your R40 to R60 per snack budget today.

Home living was an entirely different game too. Stuttafords; yes, the Stuttafords, sent actual human beings to your house to help you pick curtains. For free. No WhatsApp chats, no ‘please hold for the next available agent’ — just friendly service with a tape measure.

And if you thought microwave cooking was always intuitive, think again. In 1984, Hirsch’s hosted lessons at their cookery school to teach locals the mysterious art of cooking food in their microwave oven. The cost? A gourmet R30 per class.

National and Kelvinator were the stars of kitchen appliances in the ’80s. Their washing machines went for R549, deep freezers for R499, and fridges for just R599. That wouldn’t even get you a decent sandwich press today.

DIY enthusiasts also got a sweet deal: 25 litres of paint for R40, and ceramic tiles — first grade, mind you — from R15 per square meter. It’s the stuff renovation dreams are made of.

Of course, it wasn’t all about shopping. The 1980s brought waves of VHS fever. Les Shirken, proud owner of Videorent and Movie Den, was on a mission to convince the masses that video was the future of entertainment. Video did indeed kill the radio star, it seems.

On the slightly more eyebrow-raising side of news, councillors once suggested women cover up on uMhlanga Beach to uphold the “high-class” image of the resort. Today, we’d call that a public relations nightmare — or at least a spicy Twitter debate.

Looking back, it’s clear we’ve come a long way. Inflation’s done its thing, minds have (thankfully) opened a little more, and the humble newspaper has grown up with its readers. But one thing remains the same: we still love a good deal, a great story, and the sweet satisfaction of saying, “Back in my day…”

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