1940s: A Test Of Resiliency

Despite the hardships brought on by World War II, retailers' dedication and ingenuity proved the grocery store was now an American institution.

By 1940, the supermarket business was poised to take off — smart new stores were being constructed, Americans were buying more cars than ever, and people were becoming more sophisticated in their tastes and buying habits.

But all that changed on Dec. 7, 1941, when the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. Supermarkets would lose tens of thousands of their workforce to military duty. The food supply would be tested in ways never before imagined, and prices on goods that were available to the public would catapult to amazing levels.

Luckily for the young supermarket business, retailers stepped up to the plate and demonstrated their love for America by making the best of uncertain — indeed difficult — times.

Women took charge by filling the newly vacated roles in grocery stores, ranging from checkers to department heads and managers, to butchers, bakers and even warehouse personnel. In fact, by 1945, women accounted for half the personnel in food retailing.

Those Americans who weren't directly involved in the war had to make sacrifices of their own. They were forced to be resourceful, to conserve food and other basic needs. New challenges such as rationing, price ceilings and allocations were introduced to their daily lives — and consequently became part of grocers' operational duties.

Even gasoline was rationed. As a result, auto registrations dropped by 2 million from 1940 to 1945. Many families chose to combine their shopping trips, making the concept of one-stop shopping a necessity.

Grocers Bond With Customers Grocery

store operators became involved in the food-rationing process by default. They now had to administer rationing plans, allocations, price controls and paperwork. Retailers took an active role in helping customers deal with red tape and rationing problems. Savvy merchandisers provided "no-point" meal suggestions (no-point products included beans, cereals and pasta). It wasn't uncommon for retailers to be asked to speak to groups of housewives to explain how the rationing system worked.

Among their wartime duties, grocers also promoted the series of War Bond campaigns, sponsored scrap drives, collected materials for recycling (including aluminum, steel and fats) and made an effort to cut down on the use of paper bags while educating customers about conserving and reusing bags.

Despite the hard times, grocery sales were growing substantially. "Business is excellent — in every line with sufficient goods to sell," Progressive Grocer editor Carl Dipman wrote in January 1943. Of course, food prices had risen to a new high. The cost of meat was up 19.5 percent, and fruit and vegetable prices had soared by 28.2 percent versus November 1941.

In a spirit of patriotism, Americans grew "victory gardens" to combat the high prices and food shortages. These vegetable, fruit and herb gardens were planted at private residences and public parks. By 1944, one-third of all of America's fresh vegetables were harvested from such gardens.

Because of product shortages during the war, most food stores found themselves with empty shelves. Adding health and beauty aids, as well as general household goods, helped fill space while offering shoppers a new convenience.

Grocers also became more creative with their merchandising displays. An article in the February 1943 issue of PG suggested that a "dummy base" of proper height could be used to bring displays of small quantities to a selling position. Likewise, large packages of items that were in good supply, such as flour, cereals and soaps, could be easily built into effective mass-selling displays.

A Time for Peace

By the end of 1943, PG published an article titled "Postwar Plans You Can and Should Make Now," signifying that the end of a difficult period was near.

Another piece, "Can Independents Hold Gains?" explored the question of whether mom-and-pop stores would continue to benefit once shoppers weren't as reliant on shopping close to home, and were more eager to spend money in chain stores. (By 1947, independents still accounted for 66 percent of food retailing.)

After the war ended, consumers went on a buying spree. And when the government released its giant food reserves, supermarkets became the focal point for getting the flood of product to consumers.

Auto registrations climbed 55 percent — from 26 million in 1945 to 40 million in 1950. In another sign of postwar opulence, by the end of the decade, 94 percent of homes used electricity.

In its March 1947 issue, PG declared 1946 to be "the most dramatic [year] in food store history." Total food sales were up 20 percent, climbing to a whopping $23.36 billion — three times the sales in 1933.

The birth rate doubled, introducing a generation born between 1946 and 1964 that would later be referred to as "baby boomers."

During the late 1940s, the supermarket concept matured significantly. By 1948, supermarket construction began picking up again. Companies were now building well-planned stores with modern equipment and fixtures.

Frozen foods continued to make progress, aided by the fact that so many canned goods had been shipped overseas. At the same time, fresh vegetables became a new source of pride for grocers, and an important draw for customers.

Indeed, things were looking up for the resilient grocers that had weathered the burdens of war. PG

EDITOR'S NOTE: Readers are invited to share memorabilia illustrating the significant role supermarkets have played, by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Supermarket Successes

In 1940, Publix debuted Florida's first supermarket. Company founder George Jenkins mortgaged an orange grove he had acquired during the Great Depression for a down-payment on the store, which was his "dream come true," according to company history. He built his "food palace" of marble, glass and stucco, and equipped it with such modern features as air conditioning, fluorescent lighting, electric-eye doors, frozen food cases and piped-in music. People traveled from miles to shop there, and Publix prospered.

Likewise, another of today's regional chains, H-E-B, opened its first air-conditioned stores and began stocking frozen foods during the early 1940s. Texas-based H-E-B also introduced exclusive brand names, including Village Park and Park Manor.

In 1946, A&P pioneered the store-within-a-store concept by adding in-store bakery shops served from central bakeries.

And in 1948, Stater Bros, opened its first "super" market in Riverside, Calif.

Classic Cookie's Centennial

This month, the beloved Oreo cookie turns 100, and Northfield, III.-based Kraft Foods is planning to "celebrate the kid inside" all year long via some special consumer promotions.

The first Oreo cookie was sold in Hoboken, N.J., where Oreo was originally packaged in bulk tins and sold by weight. Back then, grocers paid 30 cents per pound for the black-and-white delicacies.

In 1923, the first advertisement showing the "twist" appeared on trolley cars. Advertising slogans through the years have included "Oh! Oh! Oreo" (1950), "For the Kid in All of Us" (1980) and "Who's the Kid with the Oreo Cookie?" (1986), among others.

Today Oreo is considered the world's top-selling cookie brand, with $1.5 billion in global annual revenues. The cookie can be purchased in more than 100 countries. In addition to its classic crème flavor, Oreo comes with some fillings specifically tailored for global markets, including blueberry and green-tea ice cream.