In the 1960s, you could win “Supermarket Sweep” with less than $300 in your cart. Today, you’d better get $2k. Here’s why.
It ran again from 1990-1995 and 2000-2003, then got rebooted in 2020 with comedian Leslie Jones.
In all versions, 3 teams of 2 play various games inside a grocery store. In the ‘60s, they used real stores around NYC; since the ‘90s, they’ve been mock stores built in LA.
How the store is stocked
The show’s piece de resistance is the “Big Sweep,” in which players have ~1-2 minutes to fill their cart with groceries and challenge items, which are worth extra cash. The team whose cart is worth the most money advances to a final challenge.
Brett Hatcher, an art director on the reboot, told The Hustle that non-challenge items come from and are priced by a grocery supply company. So, the groceries contestants grab reflect current real-world prices.
We watched several Big Sweeps from each decade at random, logged the winning total minus challenge bonuses, and took an average:
1960s: $211 (accounting for inflation, $1,728 in 2021)
1990s: $608 ($1,151.06)
2000s: $854 ($1,319.92)
2020: $2,708
Producer Wes Kauble told Collider that most items have gone up ~15%-20% since the ‘90s.
But today’s stores also have more expensive offerings. Frozen turkeys ($30-$50) have long been a player favorite, but now there are $300 wagyu ribs, $30 jars of manuka honey, $33 reusable water bottles, and $45 energy drink mixes. Jeez.
Fun fact: Versions of “Supermarket Sweep” have aired in numerous other countries, including Britain, Vietnam, and Ukraine.