[oppositelock]

The BLS is completely nuts with computing CPI. What the previous poster is referring to is called "hedonic adjustment" [1]. For example, the CPI contains a TV, and adjusts its price [2]. As an example, say that you put a 19" CRT TV in there in the 1980's, and it cost $400 at the time. Over time, as televisions got better, and it became impossible to buy that specific TV, the BLS started adjusting the price of the original tv down, because it's clearly inferior to anything available today. At the end of those adjustments, you end up with a situation where the TV may "cost" $100 post-adjustment, but it's impossible to buy any $100 TV today because that would be the price of something which doesn't exist. This type of adjustment happens in many categories, and it biases the CPI downwards. It's a giant sham.

1: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/quality-adjustment/home.htm 2: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/quality-adjustment/televisions.htm

[TheCoelacanth]

You can easily buy a TV for $100. BestBuy alone has 9 different TV models for under $100: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tvs/tvs-under-500/pcmcat1539183...

[aidenn0]

You can get a 22" LCD 1080p TV for $60.

However the actual calculation would be more like:

19" color TV in 1980 $600. "Equivalent today" price $9.21 which is a bit absurd, though the 22" TV has roughly 6x the pixels, so it's not entirely divorced from reality.