BECOMING SHOPPERS: NC Food Consumption and Production
New Grocer
World War I lasted from 1914 to 1918, and these were good years for American farmers. Because of the war, demand for farmers' agricultural produce was high. But after the war, demand dropped. Many farmers were now producing so much crop that they couldn't find people to buy it all, so they were forced to lower their prices. The 1920s were difficult times for many of North Carolina's farmers, and only the lucky few could buy all their food from grocers. While many North Carolinians could not afford to buy food at stores, a revolutionary in food shopping occurred: the self service grocery store.
Before the 1920s, a typical grocery shopping trip might include a visit to the grocer, where a shopper would buy her dry goods like flour and beans, then a trip to the butcher to buy fresh cuts of meat, and finally a quick run to the greengrocer to get fruits and vegetables before heading back home. There was no such thing as a single grocery store that carried every kind of food. Rather, the shopper would visit several food vendors, where a store clerk (who usually knew the shopper by name) would remove the items from the shelves behind the counter for the shopper, write down a list of everything she bought, and wait until the end of the month to ask the shopper to settle her bill. If the shopper was a sharecropper or tenant farmers, these stores might be owned by the same person who owned the land her family lived on, and if the shopper were a factory worker, the stores would probably be owned by the factory.
Most families could not afford to buy much from stores, so they often grew fruits and vegetables at home and, if they could afford it, they kept a small animals like chickens to provide the family with meat on special occasions. People headed to the grocer, butcher, and greengrocer only to buy what they could not produce at home.
The first fully self-serve grocery store was Piggly Wiggly, which opened in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916. Customers entered the Piggly Wiggly through a turnstile and were directed through four aisles before checking out. Instead of having to go to several different stores and wait in line for the clerk to get your food for you, the new "supermarket" offered customers the opportunity to shop for all their foods in one place without the advice of the store clerk. Food labels and brands would become essential to food shoppers as such self-service chain supermarkets—including the A&P stores—grew significantly in popularity during the 1930s.
Aisle of Piggly Wiggly Supermarket, Tennessee, ca. 1918
Piggly Wiggly was the first supermarket that allowed customers to browse the aisles and select products on their own. Before, grocers kept products behind the counters and customers handed their shopping lists to the clerks.
Interior View of Piggly Wiggly Supermarket, Tennessee, ca. 1918
Shoppers entered Piggly Wiggly through a turnstile in the front of the store and followed a predetermined path through only four aisles. After paying at the check-out counter, customers exited through a second turnstile.
4-H Brand Canning Label, Blackberry Jam, ca. 1920
Before the self-service grocery store, customers often relied on store clerks to recommend and choose between food brands. With the rise of the self-serve grocery store, shoppers could now make their own choices about brands. Suddenly, well-designed food labels became very important.
Opening of a North Carolina Curb Market, 1929
The roadside markets—also called curb markets—were so successful that many communities cooperated to set up regular weekly or monthly markets, like this one. By encouraging North Carolina families to buy locally, these markets helped boost the state's economy.