10 years ago when I arrived in Ukraine, there were very few stores of any kind that you didn't have to get all your goods from the clerk behind the counter. There was one 'grocery cart' store in L'viv where we lived and we went there about once a month for big shops just for the thrill of pushing around a cart! It looked like an abandoned warehouse with shelves and pallets of goods. It was pretty hit and miss as far as what you could get. When you left the store, you walked out the door and onto a loading dock and had to find your way down and out of there. But it was a store. With grocery carts. Nevermind that store employees would shadow you all over the store just to make 100% sure that you didn't steal their stuff. It was so great to simply have your own cart and be able to touch stuff, get it off the shelves yourself. It felt so advanced, so civilized, so... so... so HOME-y! Ten years later, I hardly ever enter any store that isn't self-serve. We also shopped at the bazaar every week- it was the only place to get fresh stuff... well, you could also get it from people selling their stuff along the sidewalk. Fast forward to now- I seldom set foot in the bazaar. You can survive very well, thank you, without the hassles of the bazaar or the overcrowded corner store with one long counter, one clerk and shelves of stuff behind them. (the above pix are of a very clean and not-so-typical Soviet style store... was the only one I could find!)
Today there was an interesting article on Neatorama about the history of supermarkets in America. In case you don't want to go read it (what?!) I'll tell you that the first grocery store (Piggly Wiggly) opened in TN in 1916; the first grocery with free parking right at the store was Kroger in Indianapolis; the first super store supermarket opened in 1930 (on Long Island); the shopping cart was invented and put into use in 1937; in 1951, there were 3 new supermarkets a day opening in the US.
Which all makes me wonder how on earth it could have been so long coming here. Oh yeah- a small thing called Communism. Never mind- they're here now and we are So Glad! ;)
wow...seems crazy but i guess that'll happen! glad u have them now:0)
ReplyDeleteFor me, way over here, it looks kind of fun. But then I start thinking about having to tell a middle party each and everthing I needed and that sort of takes the fun-ness out of it. On the other hand, I certainly would downsize to getting only what I absolutely needed and even then I might learn to improvise... ugh! Long Live SUPER TARGETS!!!!!
ReplyDeletegiggling at the idea of you being followed around like a suspicious looking teenager about to shoplift.
ReplyDeletet's certainly a novelty at first.
ReplyDeleteHelen- You have to ignore your personal shadow in these stores or you'll accidentally whip around and strangle them when they're least expecting it.