Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
How did people shop for food before supermarkets? Before the modern grocery store, buying food could mean visiting the butcher, baker, greengrocer, open-air market and local grocer, and even the grocery store itself worked very differently from the way we shop today.
In this video, I’m exploring the history of grocery shopping and how we went from open-air markets and counter-service grocery stores to self-service shops and the modern supermarket.
We’ll look at what actually happened when you walked into an old-fashioned grocery store, when food started being sold in branded packages, how stores like Piggly Wiggly changed shopping by introducing self-service, and how the supermarket eventually brought the butcher, baker, greengrocer and grocer together under one roof.
We’ll also explore general stores in America, village shops in Britain, épiceries in France and the Austrian Greißlerei, along with wartime food rationing, the arrival of the shopping cart, refrigeration, home delivery and the rise of large supermarkets.
And because I now live in Vienna, Austria, I wanted to look at some of the older ways of shopping that never completely disappeared here. We still have permanent markets, weekly farmers’ markets, neighbourhood bakeries and specialist food shops alongside our modern supermarkets.
Perhaps the most interesting part is how much of this history is still hiding inside an ordinary trip to the grocery store. From the butcher counter to online grocery delivery, some very old ways of shopping have found their way back into modern life.
In this video:
- The history of markets and grocery stores
- How people bought food before supermarkets
- Butchers, bakers, greengrocers and other specialist shops
- American general stores and European equivalents
- How counter-service grocery stores worked
- The history of food packaging and grocery brands
- Piggly Wiggly and the rise of self-service shopping
- The first modern supermarkets and shopping carts
- Grocery shopping and food rationing during WWII
- The growth of supermarkets in America and Europe
- Traditional markets and food shopping in Vienna
- Self-checkout and the return of grocery delivery
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:11 Before the Grocery Store
05:08 The Butcher, The Baker & Everyone Else
09:31 Behind The Counter
14:17 The Package Takes Over
17:29 Serve Yourself
21:25 The SUPERMarket Arrives
25:50 An Age of Abundance
33:02 And Now????
#GroceryStoreHistory #FoodHistory #VintageHistory
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, LIKE AND COMMENT!
*****************************************************************
Find more information here:
https://linktr.ee/TheGlambassador
Interested in supporting my journey?
Check out my Patreon for behind-the-scenes content, monthly meet-ups, and a wonderful community of vintage lovers!
patreon.com/theglambassador
Join my Facebook Groups for more fun and inspiration:
Vintage Fashion Group - facebook.com/groups/fashionstyleartofaccessorizing
1930s & 1940s Authentic Hairstyling Group - facebook.com/groups/30sand40sHairstylingforLadies
*****************************************************************
Music by Epidemic Sounds epidemicsound.com/referral/z281cb
//DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content.
How did people shop for food before supermarkets? Before the modern grocery store, buying food could mean visiting the butcher, baker, greengrocer, open-air market and local grocer, and even the grocery store itself worked very differently from the way we shop today.
In this video, I’m exploring the history of grocery shopping and how we went from open-air markets and counter-service grocery stores to self-service shops and the modern supermarket.
We’ll look at what actually happened when you walked into an old-fashioned grocery store, when food started being sold in branded packages, how stores like Piggly Wiggly changed shopping by introducing self-service, and how the supermarket eventually brought the butcher, baker, greengrocer and grocer together under one roof.
We’ll also explore general stores in America, village shops in Britain, épiceries in France and the Austrian Greißlerei, along with wartime food rationing, the arrival of the shopping cart, refrigeration, home delivery and the rise of large supermarkets.
And because I now live in Vienna, Austria, I wanted to look at some of the older ways of shopping that never completely disappeared here. We still have permanent markets, weekly farmers’ markets, neighbourhood bakeries and specialist food shops alongside our modern supermarkets.
Perhaps the most interesting part is how much of this history is still hiding inside an ordinary trip to the grocery store. From the butcher counter to online grocery delivery, some very old ways of shopping have found their way back into modern life.
In this video:
- The history of markets and grocery stores
- How people bought food before supermarkets
- Butchers, bakers, greengrocers and other specialist shops
- American general stores and European equivalents
- How counter-service grocery stores worked
- The history of food packaging and grocery brands
- Piggly Wiggly and the rise of self-service shopping
- The first modern supermarkets and shopping carts
- Grocery shopping and food rationing during WWII
- The growth of supermarkets in America and Europe
- Traditional markets and food shopping in Vienna
- Self-checkout and the return of grocery delivery
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:11 Before the Grocery Store
05:08 The Butcher, The Baker & Everyone Else
09:31 Behind The Counter
14:17 The Package Takes Over
17:29 Serve Yourself
21:25 The SUPERMarket Arrives
25:50 An Age of Abundance
33:02 And Now????
#GroceryStoreHistory #FoodHistory #VintageHistory
Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE, LIKE AND COMMENT!
*****************************************************************
Find more information here:
https://linktr.ee/TheGlambassador
Interested in supporting my journey?
Check out my Patreon for behind-the-scenes content, monthly meet-ups, and a wonderful community of vintage lovers!
patreon.com/theglambassador
Join my Facebook Groups for more fun and inspiration:
Vintage Fashion Group - facebook.com/groups/fashionstyleartofaccessorizing
1930s & 1940s Authentic Hairstyling Group - facebook.com/groups/30sand40sHairstylingforLadies
*****************************************************************
Music by Epidemic Sounds epidemicsound.com/referral/z281cb
//DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content.
