This page reports American and World cultural, economic, and social developments
28/12/2024
Grocery shopping has significantly transformed throughout my life. When I was five in 1950, we shopped at Johnny Harrison's grocery located in the same building as Ted's Market is now. Groceries were purchased at a central island and packed in the cardboard boxes they had been shipped in. I converted the boxes into barns which served well.
We raised much of our own meat which was processed and kept frozen in the walk-in freezer at Central Meat Market. Like most, we had a refrigerator at home but no home freezer.
By 1960, we were driving to Flint to shop at Hamady's. The stores were much bigger with lower prices and more variety. They also sold extremely cheap hotdogs to eat as you shopped. Cars and roads had improved greatly since 1950.
By 1975, I had a house in Vassar and worked as an industrial Engineer at Truck Assembly in Flint Michigan. I made about $800 per month which was good money then. I shopped at Uncle Ray's new store on the hill in Vassar and Central Shop Rite which had taken over the former roller rink on M-15 in the building where Ivy is now. Instead of going to town once a week for groceries, I lived in town and ran to the store when I needed something. I've kept this habit until today.
From 1975 until the present time (2025), my shopping had changed massively. Thanks to rf tags and upc codes, the total number of items in a grocery store went from 10,000 items to 40,000 or more. Here in Florida, i have a Publix, Aldi's, and a Walmart within 2 miles. Walmart will pick what you order online and deliver it to your car or home. (I haven't done that, but many do).
American food sources have changed even more than I can relate from memory and this short space. Buying, cooking, and eating possibilities have changed greatly.
by Stacy Mitchell
