I wasn't around in those days, but from the looks of it, shopping was a pleasure back then.

Before the 1940's, grocery shopping usually involved canned goods - like La Choy Chow Mein.

Growing up, I actually didn't know how novel the idea of a "Supermarket" truly was. In my grandparents day local markets supplied a limited selection of products. Fresh produce was seasonal and limited in distribution. Fresh dairy products were also limited to proximity to a dairy farm that offered delivery.

Widespread availability of perishable foods only happened with transport temperature control systems (refrigeration) for trucks, tractor trailers, shipboard containers and railway cars. Commercial refrigeration in the 1940's made possible frozen foods, large supermarkets, and the modern restaurant industry. Refrigerated transport made the delivery of fresh produce anywhere in the country a possibility, regardless of the season!

Very insightful, edd.

And what a unique ad!

Thank you MM!

The flip-side of commercial refrigeration is keeping the cold at home. I'm old enough to remember seeing ice boxes for home use. The standardization of electricity made the sales of refrigerators a real boom after WWII.

Keeping cold foods cold, and frozen food frozen, made daily shopping a thing of the past. Being able to shop once a week, or even once a month, transformed everyday life!