1940's Business and the Economy | Photographs of Supermarkets in the 1940s

Photographs

Date: 1940s

Source: Photographs of Supermarkets in the 1940s. From Progressive Grocer magazine. Appearing in McAusland, Randolph. Supermarkets: 50 Years of Progress. Washington, D.C.: Food Marketing Institute, 1980, 38, 41, 42, 47, 49, 50, 51.

About the Publication: Founded in 1922, the publication Progressive Grocer is an important trade magazine for the grocery business. The magazine maintains a unique collection of photographs documenting the evolution of the American supermarket during the twentieth century.

Introduction

The American supermarket came of age during the 1940s, as it revolutionized the buying habits of the American public. Convenient "one-stop shopping" replaced separate trips to the corner grocer, butcher shop, bakery, the produce and flower stand, and the drug store.

The arrival of World War II (1939–1945) placed...