Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Kroger Ad – June 3, 1963

The Kroger Company is the "largest supermarket operator by revenue' in the United States – yet the closest one to the Lorain/Vermilion area is in Sandusky. Why? I don't know. There are also outlets in Port Clinton, Fremont, Mansfield, and Tiffin – but not in Cleveland. There are various theories why.

The company did announce in 2022 that it was going to build a fulfillment center in Cleveland, but it would be part of a delivery-only network. So it might be possible to go Krogering online in the near future. But don't expect a standalone store any time soon.

But sixty years ago, Kroger still had a major Northeast Ohio presence. There were three stores in the Lorain area: at the Lorain Plaza Shopping Center; in the Shoreway Shopping Center in Sheffield Lake; and at the O'Neil-Sheffield Shopping Center.

The ad above, which appeared in the Journal on June 3, 1963, has a nice barbecue theme, with a fun piece of clip art showing a typical 1950s nuclear family. 

Dad's got his chef's hat on as he grills thick, juicy steaks on his brick, backyard grill; Mom's got her best summer dress on as she brings the tossed salad; and Junior's pouring the no-doubt freshly squeezed lemonade. (Hey, I posted a great recipe for real lemonade back here.)

Sales items in the ad (and there aren't many) include the famous Kroger Tenderay steaks; fresh mushrooms for the steaks; California oranges; and (appropriately enough) Kroger Sliced White Bread.

Extra TV Stamps (hey, where's Toppie?) and the promise of a 'fabulous Melmac offer' round out the ad. My mom must have done some Krogering in the 1960s, because those Top Value Stamps that I remember pasting in books had to come from somewhere!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Supposedly it was the unions.The companies,any company,always blames the worker for all of their ills.Who can blame anyone for wanting a better life?
A company wants you to work for them for as little as possible yet they keep on raising their prices and rake in the profits,year after year while the worker is still stuck at that low minimum wage year after year.
The companies could afford to pay their workers double what they make.Then and now.And the companies would still make mega profits.It's just that the companies want to make such obscene hyper profits the worker always loses out.
The companies would rather just completely shut down a business instead of letting a few workers have a good life.
This is what is known as capitalism.
Socialism levels the playing field and spreads the wealth around to everyone.But socialism is a very bad word to hear the rich people talk about it.

Buster said...

I was a member in good standing of a nuclear family in the 1950s, but I would not have worn a shirt buttoned up to my neck in the middle of summer (or any other time, for that matter). Nor would my father wear a chef's hat. We did have a picnic table like that, though.

Wasn't there a band called the Fabulous Melmacs? If not, there should have been.

Anonymous said...

Can't believe the prices of bread.5 loafs for $1.00.I'd be eating toast all week long.

Don Hilton said...

$1.00 in 1963 money is just shy of a ten-spot, today.

The average price of bread in the US in April 2023 was $1.98 per
https://www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic/data/averageretailfoodandenergyprices_usandmidwest_table.htm

So... The price for 5 loaves is almost exactly the same, once adjusted for inflation.

Fire up that toaster. I'll bring the peanut butter.