Historical photos of grocery stores from the 1900's and up.

[RickAns]

Saw this the other day and it had me thinking of Open All Hours. It has a lot of interesting pictures of stores through the ages along with narration. How grocery stores and general stores have changed over the decades since the 1900's. It mostly focuses on the stores in the U.S. but I think those in the U.K. and elsewhere can relate.

I had not thought about how the self serve era ushered in flashy product labels and advertising signs. No real need for adverts when the clerk was collecting your things from a list you had given them. The video seems to wrap up abruptly with the 1970's. I was still thinking about the picture of a lady writing a check and going Yep, I remember those times.

 

[Douglas Enwright]

Enjoyed that RickAns,it’s been pretty much the same story over here,how it’s changed,there are a few old stores just like those,that I remember going in in the 1960’s,that are now houses,and just like we mentioned in a thread about locations,I bet most owners don’t even know they were stores,but I remember the old shopkeepers and the lay out of the interior,there’s one near me that’s a house now and growing up in the 60’s it was a shop called Harry Allens,I can see him now in his white apron,he was behind the times even then,and the interior of the shop was like the 1920’s,I bet he’d had it that long and didn’t want to change,and I bet the owners of that house have no idea.

 

[Charlie]

If you search Google newspaper archives especially the Glasgow Herald you can see adverts in the newspaper giving prices for well known products from the Co Op or Spar etc let alone the news stories for the day. Carefull as time can fly by if you start looking.

 

[Eithne]

That was a really neat film clip. Sometimes you do forget how much things have changed! A couple of the scenes from the seventies were very familiar. Other things I remember are the little window you returned bottles to at the back of the store, the enormous barrels of pickles, the penny candy and trinket machines at the front, and the blessed arrival of the Unicard machine that approved your checks.
Sadly, as the grocery stores got bigger and bigger, we lost all our mom-and-pop corner stores and local bakeries etc.

 

[captain clutterbuck]

Great little film . I live not too far from Beamish Museum and they have recreated the high street of yesteryear including the old Coop Store . I have been a few times to the museum its a great and very informative place to visit . As a child I remember visiting the large Coop Store in Newgate Street in the centre of Newcastle [the building is still there thankfully listed although now its a Hotel and restaurants] when they still weighed sugar , salt etc and placed the produce in paper bags folded over and then sealed plus remember queuing up with my Mum to buy butter which they cut from huge blocks and patted into shape before wrapping in greaseproof paper . Here are a couple of shots from the Beamish store sure members may have visited but if you come to the far North I would urge anyone to visit .

One little anecdote they have an assistant in the Coop store and the vain of his life is people going in and the first thing they say to him is to repeat their Coop Dividend number and that goes on all day every day . Funny what people remember often forget their marriage anniversary dates or birthdays but they know their "Divi number"

 

[Adanor]

Saw this the other day and it had me thinking of Open All Hours. It has a lot of interesting pictures of stores through the ages along with narration. How grocery stores and general stores have changed over the decades since the 1900's. It mostly focuses on the stores in the U.S. but I think those in the U.K. and elsewhere can relate.

I had not thought about how the self serve era ushered in flashy product labels and advertising signs. No real need for adverts when the clerk was collecting your things from a list you had given them. The video seems to wrap up abruptly with the 1970's. I was still thinking about the picture of a lady writing a check and going Yep, I remember those times.

Any woman sporting the "Nora Batty" with rollers in her hair was absolutely positive that men would not be entering the store. When I was in college, the institution was transitioning from an all girls school to co-ed. One year, with only a smattering of men on campus, scads of girls went to supper in the dining hall with rollers in their hair. The next year, with more men on campus, nary a roller in sight.

 

[Eithne]

On the street I grew up on, the women, after sending their kids off on their uphill both ways trek to school (husbands already off to work), were commonly seen visiting one another in their curlers, if not their robes and slippers. Most certainly women went to the grocery in full curlers, and a few other errands. It was as if a woman in curlers was imbued with magical powers of invisibility.

 

[RickAns]

I was a bit surprised the ladies did not put a scarf or something over their rollers. Someone in the videos comments mentioned about not having hair dryers or heated curlers back then so ladies had to wait for their hair to dry with curlers in them. As a guy I am thankful they are something I have not to deal with.

 

[Eithne]

If the weather was cool or they were going very far they often put a little scarf over, tied at the back of the neck, but it would slow down the drying, so sometimes a hair net. I think hair dryers were probably more expensive then and I know that there was great consternation about the amount of electricity they used. (Remember the hair dryer reference in the Beatles movie Help!) My grandma tied knots in the cords of everything because she believed they would use less electricity.
As a person who had very long hair growing up, my biggest concern was not getting it sucked up in the back of the hairdryer and burning.

 

[captain clutterbuck]

See lots of Hen parties in Newcastle quite often their " Quiet start" after arriving involves them out drinking in quieter pubs during the afternoon in their curlers so their barnets are ready for the big nights out later in the day [normally out Friday / Saturday home Sunday occasionally Monday ]

 

[Barrychuckle]

On the subject of old fashioned shops, I left a pair of shoes over 2 years ago for resoling at a traditional cobblers in Oswestry and completely forgot about them due to Covid. I was visiting today and suddenly remembered, the owner who is in his early 70's and has worked in the shop for over 40 years not only still had them but remembered me and my shoes which he returned to me. I had a long chat with him and he said he was the last of 4 generations and his children are not interested in taking over from him. You get amazing service from these old shops and it's a real real shame they are dying out. In a time when we are trying to get away from throwaway fashion I think these sort of shops have a really important role to play.

 

[Graham]

I agree Barry. My Mrs saves up her shoe repairs and we take them to the little cobblers shop in Holmfirth. Always ready in a hour or so & better & cheaper than we can get done local to us. Its amazing how much stuff he has in such a small hut.

 

[Barrychuckle]

One thing my long departed Nan used to say to me was always invest in a good pair of shoes, the cobbler told me he still wears a pair of Church's brogues he bought in 1960!!!!