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Vintage Photos of Grocery Stores Throughout the Years

Did anyone say throwback photos on aisle two?

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vintage photo of grocery store   woman shopping
Harold M. Lambert//Getty Images

Who would have thought that grocery stores would have been something that has changed so much over the past century? It's just a place to grab some essentials for dinner, right? Well, while grocery stores have always been known to carry those basic necessities like eggs and milk, novel inventions like shopping carts and self-serve checkout stations have revolutionized the ever-evolving grocery shopping experience. Not to mention, the introduction of big-box supermarket stores in the 1960s and 1970s — when iconic stores like Walmart and Target came into the picture — delivered an entirely new spin on what our society deemed a "grocery store."

Nowadays, with the rising popularity of grocery delivery mobile app services and curbside pickup, it's becoming less necessary even to step foot inside a grocery store. So, let's take a look back at grocery stores through the years to examine just how far we've come.

1

1915: General Store for Locals

vintage photo of grocery store   woman shopping for fruit
FPG//Getty Images

Walmart 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.

2

1918: A New Way to Checkout

vintage photo of grocery store   shopping at piggly wiggly
Library of Congress//Getty Images

Customers 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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3

Circa 1930s: Prices by the Bargain

vintage photos of grocery shopping   butcher stand
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A smiling butcher stands at a meat counter displaying cuts ranging from 19 cents to 31 cents per pound.

4

1936: The Introduction of the Shopping Cart

vintage photos of grocery store   children with shopping cart
Historical//Getty Images

Grocery 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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5

Circa 1942: Wartime Rations

vintage photos of grocery store   women use their war coupons at store during wwii
Kirn Vintage Stock//Getty Images

During WWII, ration coupons, like the ones seen here, were used for families to buy sugar, gas, coffee and milk.

6

1945: Grocery Cart Strollers

vintage photo of grocery store   woman and child shopping
Harold M. Lambert//Getty Images

A stylish woman peruses through the cracker aisle as her young son sits in the front of the grocery cart stroller.

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7

Circa 1950: Kroger Expands

vintage photo of grocery store   ralphs parking lot
Gary Leonard//Getty Images

The Southern California grocery staple Ralphs — a subsidiary of Kroger, the second largest supermarket chain in America — was founded in 1873.

8

Circa 1950s: A Place to Socialize

vintage grocery store   women in the frozen foods section
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A group of women share a laugh near the frozen foods section.

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9

Circa 1950s: Dinner the Whole Family Can Enjoy

wire story about campbell soup company us and it's efforts to utdo it's competitorscans of campbell's soup on a supermarket shelf march 24, 1983 photo by john nobleyfairfax media via getty images
Fairfax Media Archives//Getty Images

A 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.

10

1956: The Soda Bar

vintage photos of grocery stores   soda bar in a grocery store
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Two men share a drink at the soda bar inside a supermarket.

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11

1956: A Family Shopping Outing

vintage photos of grocery stores   body builder grocery shops
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American bodybuilder Jack Delinger and his family stock up on plenty of nutritious goods.

12

Circa 1960s: Stores Start Getting Larger

vintage photos of grocery stores   aerial view of produce section
ClassicStock//Getty Images

An 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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13

Circa 1960s: The Evolution of the Grocery Bag

vintage photos of grocery stores   family leaving grocery store
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As 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.

14

Circa 1960s: Don't Forget the Candy

vintage photos of grocery stores   mother loading groceries
FPG//Getty Images

A mother loads groceries into the trunk of her car while her daughter helps herself to a bag of candy.

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15

Circa 1960s: Bag it Up

vintage photos of grocery store   customer checking out at cash register
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A young teen checks out at a busy grocery store in France, while a previous customer loads groceries into a net satchel.

16

Circa 1960s: Countless Checkout Counters

vintage photos of grocery stores   customers checking out
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Endless rows of cashiers serve the lines of customers at a busy supermarket.

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17

1962: The Original Curbside Pickup

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A 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.

18

1968: Shopping Carts for the Mid-Century Modern Era

vintage photo of grocery store   super trolley
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A cashier unloads a very futuristic-looking shopping cart at checkout.

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19

1968: Underground Markets

vintage photos of grocery stores   grocer in new york city
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An employee mans the counter at "La Marqueta," a Spanish-American marketplace that spans underneath five blocks of Manhattan's upper Park Avenue.

20

1972: It's All About Safety

vintage photos of grocery stores   target security cameras
Bill Johnson//Getty Images

A 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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