CD singles spin out of cost-of-living basket

Mar 18 2008 Western Mail

THE CDs’ waning popularity in the face of internet downloads was underlined yesterday after Top 40 singles were removed from the goods basket used to measure the cost of living.

The single was joined by microwave ovens, “stubbie” lagers and 35mm camera films, according to the Office for National Statistics.

CDs were introduced to the basket in the early 1990s, when vinyl was removed. The ONS said the removal of singles reflected the rise in music downloading. But it added CDs would continue to be represented in the basket, with consumers still spending on CD albums.

The ejected goods are making way for increasingly popular digital storage devices, as well as fruit smoothies and muffins, as Britons embrace the growing “cafe culture”, said the ONS.

Small oranges, such as clementines and mandarins, are also being included, as are peppers and crates of lager, while frozen vegetarian ready meals are out.

The ONS updates its 650- strong basket of goods and services annually to better reflect public spending habits and changing consumer tastes.

Microwaves – first introduced in the 1980s – will disappear from the basket as their cost and popularity has plummeted.

Other de-listed items and services include television repairs, as people opt to buy new flat-screens and digital TVs instead of having their old TVs fixed, alongside washable carpets and steering lock devices.

Livery charges on horses has been included as a surprising new entry.