Hi Nancy,

 NB>  NB>>> might have come up with them about the same time...   I don't
 NB>  NB>>> remember any major grocery stores without them, to be honest...
 NB>  RH>> I've always known them from the time I could remember.
 NB>  NB>> So any knowledge of who might have been first would be from some
 NB>  NB>> store's claims, not from actual knowledge...

 RH> IIRC, they were invented somewhere in the early part of the 20th
 RH> century. Can't tell you exactly when, but somehow this seems to stick
 RH> in my memory.

 NB> So, before our times, in any case...  

Rather much so. (G)

 NB>  NB>> Mommy had 2-3 younger children (one an infant, if it were 3),
 NB> and  NB>> Daddy off at the college... besides, the store was closer
 NB> than the  NB>> school I walked to for kindergarten... we did have
 NB> sidewalks, but,  NB>> as I recall, there was a bit of a hill, downhill
 NB> to the store...

 RH> The stores were further away from where we lived, on the other side of
 RH> the school, in more the middle of town (small town of about 800
 RH> people). The first few years my parents lived in the area, they rented
 RH> a house across the street from where they eventually built a house. The
 RH> rental was just outside village limits so when my brother started
 RH> school, he was bussed. The school kept up with the bussing when we
 RH> moved across the street, inside the village limits, but if we stayed
 RH> after for activities, walking home was not a problem.

 NB> When I was older (and we were living somewhere else), I didn't have a
 NB> problem with walking home from school, even when it was measured in
 NB> miles (maybe 4 or 5?)... but then, I was also a highschooler by
 NB> then... and it was in the Philly outer suburbs.... 

I went to the same school for all 13 years--began moving around after I
got married. We lived in 3 different places in Swansboro before Steve
joined the Army and moved even more.

 NB>  NB>> As to school, one day I brought my 3-y-o sister with me (it was
 NB> a  NB>> special day when we were encouraged to bring a family member,
 NB> as
 NB>  NB>> I recall)....

 RH> You probably gave your parents a good scare there. (G)

 NB> No, I think that it was all planned out ahead of time, so they knew I
 NB> was going to be doing it.... I already would go with her a couple of
 NB> blocks to the Baptist church where there was a Bible club or
 NB> something... we did that on our own, with me being in charge... We'd

OK, as long as they were comfortable doing that........


 NB> go there as a family on a Sunday night for the evening service fairly
 NB> often, as the closest church, even of a sister denomination, was quite
 NB> a ways away, in Indianapolis....

That's why my parents joined the M'ville Methodist church--nearest
Lutheran one was 25 miles away over mountain roads that could be nasty
in the winter. M'ville one was in town; could walk to it/home if needs
be (and did, quite often so parents wouldn't have to come out for us).

 NB>  NB>> I had to cross one busy street, there was a crossing guard/
 NB>  NB>> policeman there to get me across safely... 

 RH> And the guard didn't think it unusual for you to have a younger
 RH> sibling with you?

 NB> I'm sure that I gravely explained it all to him...   I was already
 NB> very responsible for my age... (G)

Not surprising.


 NB>  RH>> Had a mom and pop grocery store, A&P & Victory Market in town
 NB> for  RH>> the longest time, then two were closed down. A&P was sold
 NB> out to
 NB>  RH>> another chain (Freshtown) some years ago, can't say the store is
 NB>  RH>> much of any better for the change.
 NB>  NB>> They all tend to be a lot alike, in most cases....    I have
 NB>  NB>> vague memories at best of the specific stores, now... but then
 NB>  NB>> we were only in IN for 2 years, and then in MS for 4... and
 NB>  NB>> Jackson MS was a pretty big place, even then.... 

 RH> I lived in M'ville until I went to college, then was in and out for 4
 RH> years. Got married, moved away and have been back off and on since.
 RH> When Freshtown took over the A&P, people there were complaining about
 RH> the higher prices. Steve and I shopped there a number of times, found
 RH> the prices about the same as we pay here in NC. Guess it's just a
 RH> matter of perspective.

 NB> Perspective does play a large part.... 

Quite so. The new owners put in a deli section which was quite the
innovation for the area. There had been a deli in town but it closed a
good number of years before the store put their's in.

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


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