30 Vintage Photos Of Grocery Stores That Are Beyond Fascinating

Kellen Perry
Updated June 17, 2019 4.4M views

Most of us spend at least 30-45 minutes or so every week at a grocery store - the same grocery store, typically - meaning we spend more time there than almost anywhere that's not work or home. That's why old photos of grocery stores spark such intense nostalgia: seeing how grocery stores have changed through the decades is kind of like looking at old family photos. 

The gallery below of old photos of supermarkets spans from the late-19th century to the 1980s, covering several major evolutions in how grocers got their goods to the people. You'll see the switch to self-service, hand-painted window signs turn to plastic tags, and the aisles getting wider to accommodate those newfangled carts. You'll also see shelves full of soda in glass bottles - the way God intended.

  • Piggly Wiggly, Memphis, Tennessee, 1918

  • Interior View Of A Chicago Grocery, 1920

  • Grocery Store In Bremerton, Washington, 1925

    Grocery Store In Bremerton, Washington, 1925
    Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
  • A Grocery Store In Vancouver, 1940s

  • Man And Dogs In Front Of Grocery Store, Robinson, Illinois, 1940

    Man And Dogs In Front Of Grocery Store, Robinson, Illinois, 1940
    Photo: flickr / CC0
  • American Grocery Store, Late 19th Century

    American Grocery Store, Late 19th Century
    Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
  • Interior View Of A Ralph's Grocery Store In Los Angeles, 1943

    Interior View Of A Ralph's Grocery Store In Los Angeles, 1943
    Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
  • Grand Grocery Company, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1942

    Grand Grocery Company, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1942
    Photo: flickr / CC0
  • Tulip Town Market, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1945

    Tulip Town Market, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 1945
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
  • Grocery Store In Elkton, Michigan, 1958

    Grocery Store In Elkton, Michigan, 1958
    Photo: flickr / CC0
  • Kroger Grocery Store, Lexington, Kentucky, 1947

  • Checkout Lines At Kroger Grocery Store, Lexington, Kentucky, 1947

    Checkout Lines At Kroger Grocery Store, Lexington, Kentucky, 1947
    Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
  • Houchens Grocery Store, Kentucky, 1950s

    Houchens Grocery Store, Kentucky, 1950s
    Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
  • James Dean Shopping For Groceries In Marfa, Texas, 1955

    James Dean Shopping For Groceries In Marfa, Texas, 1955
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
  • Jayne Mansfield Grocery Shopping, 1959

  • Interior Of A Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store, 1959

  • Grocery Store Parking Lot, West Covina, California, 1959

    Grocery Store Parking Lot, West Covina, California, 1959
    Photo: flickr / CC0
  • Grocery Shopping, 1960s

    Grocery Shopping, 1960s
    Photo: flickr / CC0
  • Outside A Grocery Store In Vancouver, 1960

    Outside A Grocery Store In Vancouver, 1960
    Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
  • Grocery Store In Evansville, Indiana, 1960

  • Cigarette End Cap At A Grocery Store, 1962

  • Grocery Store In Michigan, 1962

  • Paying By Check, 1970s

    Paying By Check, 1970s
    Photo: flickr / CC0
  • Huntington Beach Grocery Store, 1972

    Huntington Beach Grocery Store, 1972
    Photo: Orange County Archives / Flickr
  • Total Discounts Everyday, Huntington Beach, 1972

    Total Discounts Everyday, Huntington Beach, 1972
    Photo: Orange County Archives / Flickr
  • Grocery Cart, 1974

    Grocery Cart, 1974
    Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
  • Woman In A Grocery Store, 1978

    Woman In A Grocery Store, 1978
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY
  • U-Pak Grocery Store, Pontiac, Michigan, 1979

  • Glass Soda Bottles, 1980

    Glass Soda Bottles, 1980
    Photo: Metaweb / CC-BY
  • Consumers Markets Grocery Store In Springfield, Missouri, 1986

    Consumers Markets Grocery Store In Springfield, Missouri, 1986
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY