Remember Kevin’s $20 grocery trip in ‘Home Alone?’ Here’s what it would cost in Myrtle Beach now
From sentimental favorites like “It’s a Wonderful Life” to kids’ classics like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” for many folks movies are an essential part of the holiday season.
Few Christmas comedies are as loved as Chris Columbus’ “Home Alone” and, if your holiday movie marathon this year includes a rewatch, you might be surprised that Kevin McCallister’s solo grocery trip cost less than $20 back in 1990.
Could you make a similar purchase in Myrtle Beach today? It’s difficult to directly compare some of Kevin’s purchases because brands and grocery stores in Myrtle Beach in 2024 don’t carry all the same products featured in the movie.
But looking at three popular Myrtle Beach locations of grocery chains, here’s what we found. In the movie, Kevin’s total comes out to $19.83.
He got:
Mac and cheese: Kevin’s “highly nutritious microwaveable macaroni and cheese,” is a 12-oz. Kraft microwavable macaroni and cheese meal. The company doesn’t appear to offer such a product these days, but each grocery store we looked at did offer four-packs of smaller microwavable macaroni cups.
Tropicana orange juice
Stouffer’s roast turkey frozen meal
Milk: The-half gallon Kevin buys doesn’t have a clear brand, so for our purposes we used each store’s brand.
Toilet Paper: In the movie, Kevin gets a four-roll pack of Quilted Northern toilet paper. None of the Myrtle Beach stores we looked at carried four packs of Quilted Northern, so instead we compared Scott brand.
A 20-oz.loaf of Wonder Bread
Tide liquid laundry detergent
Snuggle dryer sheets: Kevin gets a 20-sheet pack of Snuggle sheets, which none of the groceries offer. Instead, we added the smallest pack available at each store.
Plastic wrap: In the movie, Kevin buys a Wrappit-brand 100 square-foot roll of plastic wrap, which none of the stores carry. All three did have their own brand of 200 square-foot rolls, so we compared those instead.
Green army men toys: None of the Myrtle Beach groceries we looked at had these, so we had to leave them out.
It’s also worth noting that, being a responsible shopper, Kevin brought a coupon, so we can assume his purchase was slightly discounted.
Here’s what we found comparing those prices to Myrtle Beach in 2024.
Walmart Myrtle Beach Supercenter
541 Seaboard St., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Kraft mac and cheese easy microwavable dinner, four cups: $4.92
Stouffer’s roast turkey frozen meal: $3.48
Tropicana orange juice, 46 oz.: $3.96
Walmart’s Great Value brand milk, half gallon: $1.88
Scott toilet paper, four-pack: $2.99
Tide original liquid laundry detergent: $5.44
Snuggle Dryer Sheets, 40 Count: $1.97
Walmart’s Great Value brand plastic wrap, 200 sq. ft.: $1.97
Wonder Bread, 20-oz. loaf: $2.92
Total: $27.56
Food Lion
1430 S. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, SC 29578
Kraft mac and cheese easy microwavable dinner, four cups: $5.49
Stouffer’s roast turkey frozen meal: $3.59
Tropicana orange juice, 46 oz.: $3.79
Food Lion brand milk, half gallon: $2.09
Scott toilet paper, four-pack: $5.49
Tide original liquid laundry detergent: $6.99
Snuggle Dryer Sheets, 40 Count: $2.89
Food Lion brand plastic food wrap, 200 square feet: $2.49
Wonder Bread, 20 oz. loaf: $3.69
Total: $36.51
Target
1150 Seaboard St., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
Kraft mac and cheese easy microwavable dinner, four cups: $4.99
Stouffer’s roast turkey frozen meal: $3.59
Tropicana orange juice, 46 oz.: $3.89
Target brand Good and Gather milk, half gallon: $1.89
Scott toilet paper, four-pack: $4.99
Tide original liquid laundry detergent: $7.49
Snuggle Dryer Sheets, 120 Count: $5.19
Target’s brand Up & Up plastic wrap, 200 sq. ft.: $1.99
Wonder Bread, 20 oz. loaf: $3.04
Total: $37.06
While the shopping lists aren’t identical to the one in “Home Alone,” it’s clear that a $20 bill wouldn’t cover Kevin’s 1990 purchase, even if he put the toy soldiers back.
This story was originally published December 17, 2024 at 6:00 AM.