inflation measurement
Attempting to measure inflation is facinating.
The CPI is an average of many different price rises. At any one time some prices are rising rapidly, some more modestly, some not at all and some may actually be falling(computing power).
In general prices of manufactured goods will rise more slowly than personal sevices because manufacturing is more prone to productivity gains which are mainly passed on to the consumer. This gap has accelerated recently with globalisation as lower labour costs and greater competition continue to drive the relative cost of manufactured goods.
If someone could look at the historical price of a pair of shoes I think you would find that the price increase has been less than the inflation rate.
Daltonr points out one difficulty in measuring inflation, the improvement in quality over time. It would be unfair to compare the ford Anglia my father bought in 1966 with today's focus even though they are of a similar size.
That's why the price of a pint is an excellent trend to follow. It's an iconic product that involves both manufacturing and personal service.(as Daltonr points out). The primary aim of the producer is to produce a static product. Today's pint is like your father's pint. ( I don't think this is entirely true. You don't get as many bad ones!).
In terms of personal services, historical prices of a man's haircut or a known taxi fare would be interesting.
My offering is the bus fare from Palmerstown to the City centre. In 1967 the adult fare was 8 old pence(about 4.2 cents). The last time I took the bus it was 1.34 euro, an increase of 3430%!. And don't forget it's exact change only at the stop to the driver. In 1967 there was a friendly conductor who would give change, give directions keep order on the bus and occasionally let you off your fare if you didn't have any money.
The larger point is that while the quality of manufactured goods has improved over time, often attempts to contain costs has often led to a disimprovement in the quality of personal sevices. Think Ryanair!
Regards