Back in my day, we were horrified when soft drinks went from 3d to 4d (2.5c to 3.33c), and I clearly remember my aunt saying the public would not pay the higher price. That was circa 1950.
Ah yes, and niggerballs were four for a penny, or a farthing each. While on holiday at Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape when I was ten years old, I bought 36 niggerballs for 9d, and I remember gloating over that horde of treasure for days. The same shop also sold chewing tobacco, which was supplied to shops twisted into ropes that were coiled on a wooden frame that looked like a miniature roll of underground cable. Chewing tobacco was mainly bought by the inch by Xhosas, and I imagine most sales were only a few pence for a few inches.
In that shop I once witnessed a Xhosa man buying various items, including chewing tobacco. He nominated and paid for the items individually, only proceeding to the next item when he knew how much he had left for further purchases. I cannot recall if he rejected any items because the price was too high, but he may have, so the shopkeeper would have been careful to keep the guy on side. The stick of chewing tobacco that he bought was about six inches long, and it was his final purchase - a small luxury item that he felt inclined to buy because he had the money to cover its purchase.
