tiltjlp
PN co-founder
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
- Messages
- 3,403
- Reaction score
- 145
- Points
- 65
- Favorite Pinball Machine
- Flying Trapeze 1934
Few things have changed as much during the past half-century as grocery stores. The Kroger store of the Cincinnati neighborhood of Fairmount I called home was smaller, with fewer choices, than the groceries of today. In the early to mid-fifties, there were fewer national brand products than we see in this new century. Most offerings were either regional or local. And the store was just a short distance away, up the street, rather than a car ride or farther away.
In the fifties, aisles were narrower than they are now, with the prices affixed to each item, which were then manually keyed into a cash register, since scanners were unheard of in those days. The choices you had for canned fruits and vegetables, condensed soup, or potato chips in those days numbered two or three, rather than the row upon endless row that confront modern shoppers, who must decide which of a few dozen varieties they want.
The two areas that have changed the most dramatically are cereals and soft drinks, which was called soda pop when I was growing up in those wonderful 50's. As for cereals, you could choose from corn flakes, shredded wheat, or old-fashioned oatmeal, which had to be cooked in a boiling pot, and didn’t come in an assortment of flavors. Soda pop brands that sold well were both grape and orange Nehi, Double Cola, Pepsi, and Hires, which sold a wonderful root beer. For some reason, Coca Cola wasn’t popular in my neighborhood of Fairmount.
Now, cereal and soft drink choices seem to command a separate row of shelves, with new varieties offered on each shopping trip. Bread once was bought from a bakery, oven fresh and sliced while you watched. Today, there are many specialty breads, all plastic wrapped, and carrying designer prices. Pies and cakes, once made from scratch at home, now are sold frozen, to be thawed or baked. Milk and dairy products were once delivered fresh to your doorstep each morning, now they carry a sell-by date. Selection has replaced service at most groceries.
In the half-dozen streets of Fairmount where my family lived, we had three grocery stores within walking distance. The new Kroger store was popular because it’s prices were the lowest, but both Anne’s Delicatessen and Schmidt’s Grocery were owned and staffed by family friends. Like most everybody else, our family traded with all three stores, and all three thrived.
At both Anne’s and Schmidt’s, you handed your shopping list to a clerk, who would have your order waiting when you finished buying your meats and cheeses at their butcher counter. At Kroger, you wheeled a cart up and down aisles, making your selections, trying to recall where everything was. When you were finished, you took the cart to the check-out lane, where a clerk, who was often not a neighbor, rang up the total. You were sure to save, but what you lost was just as important; a feeling of community, sharing a common bond with your local merchant.
In time, with inflation and tight budgets, we got used to buying from chain groceries. In time it hardly matter that we didn’t know the clerk without the help of a name tag. In time we forgot how it felt to hear the owner or clerk of a store say “thank you” and really mean it. And in time, saving money somehow became a bit more important than trading and dealing with a beloved and cherished neighbor. I, for one, really do miss those slower-paced, friendlier, bygone days.
In the fifties, aisles were narrower than they are now, with the prices affixed to each item, which were then manually keyed into a cash register, since scanners were unheard of in those days. The choices you had for canned fruits and vegetables, condensed soup, or potato chips in those days numbered two or three, rather than the row upon endless row that confront modern shoppers, who must decide which of a few dozen varieties they want.
The two areas that have changed the most dramatically are cereals and soft drinks, which was called soda pop when I was growing up in those wonderful 50's. As for cereals, you could choose from corn flakes, shredded wheat, or old-fashioned oatmeal, which had to be cooked in a boiling pot, and didn’t come in an assortment of flavors. Soda pop brands that sold well were both grape and orange Nehi, Double Cola, Pepsi, and Hires, which sold a wonderful root beer. For some reason, Coca Cola wasn’t popular in my neighborhood of Fairmount.
Now, cereal and soft drink choices seem to command a separate row of shelves, with new varieties offered on each shopping trip. Bread once was bought from a bakery, oven fresh and sliced while you watched. Today, there are many specialty breads, all plastic wrapped, and carrying designer prices. Pies and cakes, once made from scratch at home, now are sold frozen, to be thawed or baked. Milk and dairy products were once delivered fresh to your doorstep each morning, now they carry a sell-by date. Selection has replaced service at most groceries.
In the half-dozen streets of Fairmount where my family lived, we had three grocery stores within walking distance. The new Kroger store was popular because it’s prices were the lowest, but both Anne’s Delicatessen and Schmidt’s Grocery were owned and staffed by family friends. Like most everybody else, our family traded with all three stores, and all three thrived.
At both Anne’s and Schmidt’s, you handed your shopping list to a clerk, who would have your order waiting when you finished buying your meats and cheeses at their butcher counter. At Kroger, you wheeled a cart up and down aisles, making your selections, trying to recall where everything was. When you were finished, you took the cart to the check-out lane, where a clerk, who was often not a neighbor, rang up the total. You were sure to save, but what you lost was just as important; a feeling of community, sharing a common bond with your local merchant.
In time, with inflation and tight budgets, we got used to buying from chain groceries. In time it hardly matter that we didn’t know the clerk without the help of a name tag. In time we forgot how it felt to hear the owner or clerk of a store say “thank you” and really mean it. And in time, saving money somehow became a bit more important than trading and dealing with a beloved and cherished neighbor. I, for one, really do miss those slower-paced, friendlier, bygone days.
aveIfXMLInvalid>false</w
