A nearly 30-year-old grocery receipt from Texas is racing around TikTok for one simple reason, it shows just how different “normal” prices used to look. The slip, dated June 20, 1997, comes from the H-E-B chain and lists 122 items with a total of $155. In a time when many people feel their weekly shop has become a mini shock, the old printout lands like a reality check. It also captures something oddly emotional, the way a thin paper receipt can spark a big conversation about inflation, wages, and what everyday life costs now.
TikToker Zoe Dippel shared the find after a family member reportedly discovered it while sorting through a box of keepsakes. In her video, she reads through the long list and pauses at prices that feel almost unbelievable today. Cookies were $1.09, yogurt was $0.50, and a loaf of bread rang up at $1.26. Jars of baby food were $0.55 each, while a large pack of Pampers diapers cost $12.99. Watching her react is part of the appeal, because it mirrors what many viewers think when they see the numbers.
@zoedippel I WISH!!!! #heb #viral #groceryshopping #fyp @Courtney ♬ original sound – zoedippel
The receipt also invites easy comparisons with today’s shelves, and Dippel didn’t shy away from that. She noted that a similar jar of baby food now costs about $1.57, and a pack of Pampers diapers can run around $29.97. Even fruit tells the story, with strawberries that were $1.89 back then now priced around $3.97 at the same chain. Taken item by item, the increases feel small, but together they paint a much larger picture.
After the first clip blew up and drew more than two million views, Dippel posted a follow-up with a more ambitious experiment. She tried to recreate the exact 122-item haul by ordering the same products online. Her estimate for what that receipt would look like today came to about $504. That is roughly $349 more than the 1997 total, for what was meant to be the same everyday basket.
What makes this trend stick is that it is not just about nostalgia, it is about recognizing how quickly “affordable” can change. A single receipt can’t explain every factor behind price jumps, but it does give people a concrete way to talk about a feeling many share. If you’ve had your own moment of sticker shock at the checkout, share what surprised you most in the comments.
