This afternoon I shopped for dinner groceries at Ralphs in Los Angeles' Miracle Mile. The store, while large with subterranean parking and several floors is no match for the Ralphs I've seen in other less congested areas of the city (those other stores are just massive). However, the abundance in view at any of these stores is always phenomenal. It's no surprise that many of today's modern kitchens, food and butler pantries have been overrun with "things" that clutter up our lives due to the ease of shopping and availability of goods all under one roof.
But believe it or not there was a time when large brick and mortar "supermarket" stores did not exist, and shopping carts were not even imagined.
Los Angeles Supermarket History
The history of the Supermarket began in 1920's Los Angeles when Ralphs Grocery Company expanded from small dark, little-decorated stores to "drive-in markets" where groups of complimentary items were sold together under one roof. Butchers, bakers and produce were all sold under one roof which signaled a major innovation. Not only did Ralphs make the investment to build these larger, better lit, much improved accommodations, but they added parking lots on the property. Sure sounds like a version today's Farmer's Markets, eh?
1937: Invention of the Shopping Cart
For 20 years, shoppers at these "drive-in markets" used hand held baskets to carry their purchases. In 1937, an Oklahoma grocer names Sylvan Goldman (with the knowledge he gained in the Los Angeles grocery business community) used a wooden folding chair as inspiration to build the first prototype of a shopping cart, combination of a carriage and basket. Goldman saw the need for a "carriage" by seeing mothers struggling to carry both children and a hand-held basket.
Yesterday's "supermarkets" transitioned from urban areas into suburbia in the 1950's. Then, into shopping centers, discount stores, warehouse stores, speciality grocers like Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Fresh & Easy, and now, the Internet. Now that's the Carousel of Progress.
Your Turn to Comment
What do you remember about grocery shopping as a kid? Do you now carry a hand cart when you shop so you don't over-buy? Let us know here in the comment section or you can tweet us @johntrosko on Twitter. You can also check me out on Instagram (@johntrosko).
Cart image source. Ralphs image courtesy Luckhaus Studio and of the Los Angeles Public Library.
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