(ADOBE STOCK PHOTO / iNFOnews.ca)

Before the development of modern grocery stores as we know them today, shopping was a drastically different experience. Historically, market centres were run by entrepreneurs specific to their profession.

For example, butchers sold meat, bakers sold bread, and florists sold cut flowers from seasonal display stands, usually out on the street where passersby could purchase them at whim.

Although we still find seasonal merchants, such as farmgate sales, and specialty shops in our communities, supermarkets have become the norm.

The popularity of supermarkets has been successful because customers continue to enjoy the convenience of purchasing items in one store, with free parking and competitive prices. Most supermarkets today have expanded their product lines to include a bakery and deli, packaged groceries, flowers, and a pharmacy.

Canada’s First Grocery Stores

Back in 1929, five new Safeway stores opened in Manitoba. At that time, perishable groceries were temporarily stored with ice blocks, so many items were canned foods. Customers shopped behind the counter by giving grocery clerks their shopping list, which was then collected and bagged.

As the automobile industry expanded and more families were able to purchase cars, it became necessary to provide parking. Because more groceries could be hauled home, larger orders were becoming popular and patrons were provided with shopping carts. At this point, the self-serve supermarket design reinvented the shopping experience and over-the-counter service became a thing of the past.

By 1940, Safeway introduced refrigerated display cases, making frozen and refrigerated products available to customers. Home refrigerators were becoming more mainstream, allowing the safe storage of perishable items. To meet this new demand for perishable items, Safeway acquired a Canadian dairy company to supply customers with fresh milk and other dairy products. By 1980, Safeway introduced in-store pharmacies and floral departments.

New lifestyles focused on healthy diets and environmentally-friendly grown foods were trending by 2000, and in response, grocery stores began to expand their product lines by adding organic and natural options, Asian, ethnic and sustainable choices.

Tropical fruit shipped from international markets is now a common feature in Canadian supermarkets, as facilitated by the speed of air freight and climate-controlled shipping. Shoppers can choose from a variety of fruit shipped from Guatemala, Mexico and beyond. Dragon fruit, bananas, mangoes, pineapple and coconuts are just some of the imported varieties available for purchase.

(ADOBE STOCK PHOTO / iNFOnews.ca)

In 2020, COVID-19 brought more historical change to consumer behaviour.

Grocery stores across Canada adapted procedures under the direction of provincial health authorities to include social distancing, pronounced sanitary procedures for staff, disinfected shopping carts and baskets and mask wearing.

As we move forward into 2021, we can expect more change, or adaptations, as we settle into the “new normal” of retail shopping.

Although floral deliveries have been a part of the industry for some time, grocery deliveries are a relatively new service for supermarkets created as a response to COVID management. In 2020, E-commerce took the online world by storm as shopping behavior shifted toward the safety and convenience of internet shopping, and businesses expanded their website presence.

Whether you shop online, order flowers, renew your prescription, or drive to your favourite grocery store, supermarkets are here to stay in the Canadian economy.

So, enjoy the convenience of free parking, fresh fruits and vegetables, imported food and a stunning variety of perishable and non-perishable items. We can only wonder what new innovations and products will show up on the shelves in 2021 and beyond.

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News from © iNFOTEL MULTIMEDIA, 2021