Harvest Value Time at A&P – October 1962

Where do you like to buy your groceries these days?

With all of the options available today, many people wouldn't even answer with the name of a grocery store. According to www.foodindustry.com, Walmart is the leader in grocery sales in the United States, followed by Amazon (with both online and physical stores), Costco, the Kroger Company, and Albertsons. Further down the top ten list is Meijer at No. 9 and Target at No. 10.

It's quite different from sixty years ago, when true grocery stores still ruled the roost. Back then, all of the supermarkets ran full-page ads (often double spreads) in the newspaper, crammed with listings of what was on sale. It was all in glorious black and white, with a few photos or illustrations included, but it was very informative. Surely a shopper (most likely a housewife) could find something in the ad that would draw her into the store to save some money.

And most ads had a theme, like the "Harvest Time" umbrella heading that A&P utilized in the spread below, which ran in the Journal back on October 4. 1962. 

It's always interesting seeing what sale items were deemed worthy of a prime locations in their ad. Here, we find the spotlight on potatoes, apples and (yum!!) steak. 

A&P also used its ads to plug its house brands: Ann Page, Eight O'Clock Coffee, and Jane Parker. (Believe it or not, Jane Parker is still around, but only selling its iconic fruitcake. Click here to visit its website.)

Today, A&P may be long gone, but shoppers in Lorain County have all sorts of grocery options. Besides a few of the top U. S. top ten members (Walmart, Costco, Meijer and Target), we also have Apples, Marc's, Aldi's, Fligner's and of course, Giant Eagle.

It would be nice to have one go-to place for all my groceries, but I tend to buy certain items at different stores. I do what I can to save a little money.

Now, who has potatoes on sale this week?