Going to the grocery store used to be more of an event, and not a chore. Was it the time we lived in? Or was it because we were kids and we experienced life so differently? Some nostalgia posts have come across my social media feeds recently. And they’ve reminded me of the good old days at the grocery store as kids.
Live lobster tanks
Not as common today, if at all, grocery stores used to keep live lobsters in a tank back in the fresh seafood section! Walk up to the counter, point at a lobster. The seafood clerk puts on an industrial strength rubber glove (or not), reaches in, and grabs a fresh lobster out of the tank. He then packs it up for you to take home. All of a sudden, mom or dad is tossing the lobster into boiling water. What a time to be alive.
I remember as a kid just watching the lobsters crawl around, with no real clue as to their fate.
Ice cream counter
Memories of walking into the Thrifty drug store and walking up to the ice cream counter are vivid. Pretty sure you could get a scoop of ice cream for $1. Nowadays, some select RiteAid stores on the west coast still serve Thrifty ice cream from behind the counter. Where else?
Film and photo counter
I think it is safe to say that the days of bringing your used roll of film to the photo mat (photo counter) to have developed, are over. I remember seeing the actual development machines behind the booth. And the days when it would take 3-5 days to get your photos back. Some places actually sent the film off for developing.
Then the days of 1-hr photo processing came. The sheer excitement of picking up and checking your developed photos after only an hour! And did you know you could return the pictures that didn’t turn out. Something like five cents per photo that didn’t turn out.
Mechanical rides out front
Still a thing, just not as prevalent. And certainly not a quarter a ride. It was always a treat to be able to take the spare change from the cashier and plop a quarter in the machine for a ride on the horse, the plane, the rocket ship, or even the convertible sports car.
A ride that felt like it lasted for hours, when in reality only one minute.
Fish tanks (at Walmart)
Walmart was certainly at one point the one-stop shopping experience. You could go buy fish from the fish tank aisle like they were the Pet Supermarket.
Were there birds and hamsters too? That I can’t recall. But it was always a blast getting permission from mom or dad to run off and go look at the fish while they kept shopping.
Check writing at checkout
And lastly, the whole idea of writing a check to pay for groceries at the store. Some counters still have the little swivel table that comes out to write in your checkbook if needed.
Now running into the grocery store is just that. It’s a chore, and a boring one most of the time. No more fish. No more ice cream. No more mechanical horses (because we’re out grown them) or live lobsters. Now we shop with purpose. But for now, we’ll always have the fond memories of riding around the grocery store in mom’s shopping cart.