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I remember those big old cash registers (and those big-haired ladies) from our local Safeway back when I was a kid.. it was amazing how quickly they could ring everything up and those machines were LOUD! I also remember the fights/strikes that emerged as bar code scanners came out.

The part of this that I think should be mandatory viewing for checkout lane folks these days is the "making the bags" section at the end.
 
In S.W. Pa most we have:
Shop-N-Save
Giant Eagle
Food Land

The stores that are no longer:
A&P(always filthy)
Kroger

We have never really had any national chains in this region, Shop N Save and Giant Eagle are Pittsburgh based chains, and doesnt really extend out of S.W. Pa
 
Thanks Louis - I enjoyed seeing the supermartket film. Was fun to see the packaging I remember from when I was a kid. The music used starting at about 6:20 I recognize as the theme song for the "Donna Reed Show". The large woman customer looks to be the lady that played the second Doris Ziffel in "Green Acres" and appeared in the Hungry Jack pancake commercial. A good trip down memory lane!
 
There's a Lucky's in this town which is supposed to be some sort of supermarket icon in terms of constuction. But I've never quite figured out why...

Over in downtown Berkeley there is a very classic urban laundromat, which I used when I lived nearby. The Central Launderette, as I recall. I recently noticed it's been lovingly refurbished, with the green and white enameled steel and neon signage on the front of the building all restored. Next time I'm in that area I'll have to take a camera for a few pics, esp at night-time.
 
Here's a look at some vintage discount stores etc...

I remember White Front quite well. I bought my first acoustic guitar ($10) around 1966 from the White Front store in San Francisco. It was a long bus ride home with the guitar in a very flimsy cardboard box that was falling apart, eliciting unwanted comments from other passengers.... lol... still have the guitar today... Anyway, that huge concrete arch in the front of the store is unforgettable.

http://www.lilesnet.com/memories/blast_from_the_past/index.htm
sudsmaster++1-24-2010-11-47-41.jpg
 
N C R Class 5 register

Cant you see these teenage girls today having to run one of these registers,at the Lowes store where I worked you had three keys grocery meat produce,there is a lever to the right that is subtotal and total,also there is a place to put a crank on the right side of the console, so if the power goes out you can still run the register,when I went to work in 81 these were about gone,but they still had them in a couple of stores, and we still priced everything by hand.,oh yeah, these dont tell you your change, you have to count it back to the customer.
 
<img src = http://www.hy-vee.com/webres/Image/CMS/Company/History/header_1960.jpg>

Locally here in NE Iowa, there are two chains that have either been here for a long time, or have been here for a long time and still look the same.

HyVee's certainly don't look like this anymore, but there is a surviving store in Waterloo called the 'Burton HyVee' that still is housed in the original building.

HyVee has been in Waterloo/Cedar Falls since 1964. Ask anyone who has lived in the area since then and a good chance they've shopped at HyVee.

<img src = http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/Fareway.jpg>

I also like Fareway. Closed on Sundays and it still feels like 1969 when you walk into the place. Plus they have the best meat counter anywhere. Photo is from the store in Marshalltown, IA. When I was driving through there on my way to Omaha I snapped a photo as well, but this one on Wikipedia was just too good to pass up.

Ben
 
Flagship Lucky Supermarket in San Leandro, circa 1947

This was the first Lucky Supermarket and their flagship store in 1947. It had a coffee shop inside and "other amenities".

Sadly, this was torn down a couple years ago, after Albertson's decided to shut it down and the city refused to let Grocery Outlet take it over. The tower and awnings however were long gone by that time, anyway.

I found this photo and others at groceteria.com, which link follows.

http://www.groceteria.com/
sudsmaster++1-24-2010-12-07-43.jpg
 
PS-The huge lot is still vacant this day, 2-3 years after the building was torn down. The city is apparently planning to build a parking structure there instead. What a joke.

Nearby is supposedly the first strip mall in the USA as well, Pelton Center, directly across the street from Lucky's. The strip mall is still there, and is a relatively pleasant place to shop.

sudsmaster++1-24-2010-12-15-40.jpg
 
58limited & westie2

David, that Piggly Wiggly burned down not too soon after y'all moved away--one of the motors in a freezer. A total loss and completely torn down. That store had new meaning after Driving Miss Daisy came out. Do you remember the Safeway on 57th Street and The Loop? It became an AppleTree. After AppleTree closed down, the property was sold to THE Hospital and became offices and research. As part of the sales agreement, I understand, HEB had put in the contract the property would never be used as a grocery store again. The site is now a fitness center.

Charles, one of the last Weingartens built in Houston was at the corner of Hillcroft and Westheimer and was there only a short time before Weingartens closed all its stores. Weingarten realty is still in operation, commercial property. The husband of one of my first bosses in the late 1970s, worked for them during that time. I'm old enough to remember Henkey & Pilliot stores. My grandfather worked for and as a wholesale food broker/distributor. It's my understanding from my dad, he was responsible for bringing Peter Pan Peanutbutter to Houston and it was initially sold at Henkeys.
 
58limited

David, do you remember a small store called David's that was on Ave. G in a not-so-desireable part of town? That store was open up until probably 10 years ago. It was like walking back in time to a 1950s grocery store. They used to have the best sale prices on Blue Bell (& I'd stock up when it was on sale lol).

I don't know if this store is still in business, but there was another chain in Houston called Lewis & Coker. My mom shopped there a lot until we moved to the new house in 1961. After that, she shopped at Food Gian at Sharpstown Shopping Center/Mall.
 
Robert, hose curved roof Safeways are almost all gone now in western Canada. There were a few in Calgary but I can't remember one still operating by the time we left, usually taken over by some other store.. One in Mayland Hts area became an indy store
Here's a streetview link to it.

A&P here in eastern Canada finally went about 6 months ago taken over by Metro. The A&P was the first real "big" for it's time supermarket to open in Sarnia back in the early 50's. Mom used to pull me there in a wagon to get groceries LOL
Prior to that it was mostly smaller supermarkets, I think they sometimes referred to them as superettes.. Red & White was a big chain of them in Canada and the US.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...14.013195&spn=0.011005,0.076904&t=h&z=14&laye
 
OMG!

I forgot ALL about Bohaks!! We had one on second avenue and 29th street. I will always miss the perfume of freshly ground coffee that hit us in the face whenever we walked into the old A&P on 23rd Street. I get all misty whenever I see the movie "Born on the 4th of July" and watch the scene where he's working as a stock boy at the local A&P and you see all the Ann Page products on the shelves.

I also miss those wacky grocery roller coasters that would transport your carton of grocery bags through a strap-door out to your cars in stores like First National out in the burbs.

Anyone remember "cookie-pops"?
 

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