Grocery shopping is one thing that's been pretty constant in Vancouver since the founding of the city in 1886.
Yes, there have been several technological changes over the years, from refrigeration to cars to the modern global supply chain to delivery services. But as these photos show, the grocery store itself hasn't changed a whole lot over the last 130 years.
Photos show fairly recognizable kinds of shops, with bins of produce, shelves full of dry goods, and cash registers. There are even some brands that are still around, like Peek Freans, Jell-O, and Carnation.
Not everything is the same. The amount of meat hanging from the rafters appears to have decreased substantially. Other things you wouldn't see today include the massive scales on the counter (although deli departments have modern versions), all the wooden crates, and most employees in aprons (it seems every staff member wore one at many places).
The size of modern grocery stores has changed, too. While these pictured stores were the main source of food for the community, they're not much bigger than a 7-Eleven is today. The supermarket wasn't around in the 1900s, and neither was the aforementioned supply chain. Or the advanced food preservation techniques.
That means most food had to come from local sources and had a more limited lifetime (especially before refrigeration took off).
While not many prices can be picked out of the above photos, a few can be picked out. Notably, in 1910 you could get a crate of peaches for $0.70. That would be about $20 today. While a crate is an inexact size, it looks like it's about seven peaches long and at least four high, which is at least 28 peaches.
Further reading about historic grocery and food stores in Vancouver:
- This Scottish butcher shop stood in the heart of downtown Vancouver for nearly a century
- This book chronicles what it was like to work at Vancouver's legendary Woodward's Food Floor in the 1960s
