11915: General Store for Locals
FPG//Getty ImagesWalmart wasn't the first store to sell groceries and home décor all in one place. As seen in this photo, a woman inspects the fruit and vegetables on display at a general store. However, a closer inspection reveals the picture frames and candle sticks of the home décor section directly behind her.
21918: A New Way to Checkout
Library of Congress//Getty ImagesCustomers make their way through the checkout line at a local Piggly Wiggly store. The grocery chain first opened its doors in 1916, with a store in Memphis, Tennessee.
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3Circa 1930s: Prices by the Bargain
H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock//Getty ImagesA smiling butcher stands at a meat counter displaying cuts ranging from 19 cents to 31 cents per pound.
41936: The Introduction of the Shopping Cart
Historical//Getty ImagesGrocery carts were first introduced into the world in 1936. The handy invention was thought up by Sylvan Goldman, an Oklahoma businessman and inventor. The first line of shopping carts rolled out at Goldman's Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain, and the rest, as they say, is history.
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5Circa 1942: Wartime Rations
Kirn Vintage Stock//Getty ImagesDuring WWII, ration coupons, like the ones seen here, were used for families to buy sugar, gas, coffee and milk.
61945: Grocery Cart Strollers
Harold M. Lambert//Getty ImagesA stylish woman peruses through the cracker aisle as her young son sits in the front of the grocery cart stroller.
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7Circa 1950: Kroger Expands
Gary Leonard//Getty ImagesThe Southern California grocery staple Ralphs — a subsidiary of Kroger, the second largest supermarket chain in America — was founded in 1873.
8Circa 1950s: A Place to Socialize
Camerique/ClassicStock//Getty ImagesA group of women share a laugh near the frozen foods section.
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9Circa 1950s: Dinner the Whole Family Can Enjoy
Fairfax Media Archives//Getty ImagesA grocery store shelf featuring rows and rows of Campbell's soup cans.
The iconic brand began in 1869 and was founded by Joseph A. Campbell, a fruit merchant and Abraham Anderson, an icebox manufacturer.
101956: The Soda Bar
Three Lions//Getty ImagesTwo men share a drink at the soda bar inside a supermarket.
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111956: A Family Shopping Outing
Graphic House//Getty ImagesAmerican bodybuilder Jack Delinger and his family stock up on plenty of nutritious goods.
12Circa 1960s: Stores Start Getting Larger
ClassicStock//Getty ImagesAn aerial view of this busy supermarket in New Orleans shows a fully stocked produce section with plenty of signage for as far as the eye can see.
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13Circa 1960s: The Evolution of the Grocery Bag
H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock//Getty ImagesAs seen here, a family of four leaves the store carrying paper bags full of groceries. It wouldn't be for about another decade, until the 1970s, that the plastic bag quickly rose to prominence.
14Circa 1960s: Don't Forget the Candy
FPG//Getty ImagesA mother loads groceries into the trunk of her car while her daughter helps herself to a bag of candy.
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15Circa 1960s: Bag it Up
Jean MAINBOURG//Getty ImagesA young teen checks out at a busy grocery store in France, while a previous customer loads groceries into a net satchel.
16Circa 1960s: Countless Checkout Counters
H. Armstrong Roberts//Getty ImagesEndless rows of cashiers serve the lines of customers at a busy supermarket.
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171962: The Original Curbside Pickup
Bettmann//Getty ImagesA group of young men working as bag boys load up several grocery carts with pre-ordered goods. As it turns out, curbside pickup isn't so new after all.
181968: Shopping Carts for the Mid-Century Modern Era
Keystone//Getty ImagesA cashier unloads a very futuristic-looking shopping cart at checkout.
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191968: Underground Markets
Bettmann//Getty ImagesAn employee mans the counter at "La Marqueta," a Spanish-American marketplace that spans underneath five blocks of Manhattan's upper Park Avenue.
201972: It's All About Safety
Bill Johnson//Getty ImagesA manager for Target checks out the store's surveillance cameras. In 1962, just ten years prior, the first Target store opened its doors in Roseville, Minnesota.
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