ONCE upon a time, if you wanted to buy your groceries, you would likely walk along the street, shopping basket in hand, to your local greengrocers or corner shop.
You might chat to the shopkeeper or one of your neighbours, while an assistant gathered the items on your list on your behalf, weighing out a pound of this and a quarter of that, and wrapping them all up in paper bags and newspaper, before placing them in your basket to carry home.
It’s easy to forget that supermarkets haven’t always been a fixture of our towns and cities.
Although the first self-service shops arrived in the UK during the late 1940s, it took a while for them to gain in popularity.
Worcester’s first purpose-built, self-service Co-operative supermarket opened in Lichfield Avenue, Ronkswood in 1958.
While the concept of helping yourself from shop shelves was at first rather daunting, this revolutionary new approach to shopping caught on, and the Ronkswood Co-op is still open for business to this day.
Other supermarkets were soon to follow, and today’s selection of images show just a handful, including several chains now less familiar to younger generations. Sometimes the old names linger on though – I’m sure I’m not the only person in Worcester still referring to the Co-op in St John’s as ‘Leo’s’!
Worcester Life Stories is a collaborative project bringing local people together through shared stories of the City of Worcester.
It is co-led by Dr Natasha Lord, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust and Sheena Payne-Lunn, Worcester City Council and funded thanks to National Lottery players.
For further information or to share your stories visit worcesterlifestories.org.uk, our Facebook page or Twitter @worlifestories.
You can also email worcesterlifestories@gmail.com or call 01905 721133. And why not visit the We grew up in Worcester page on Facebook?
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