We all know how convenient it is to go to the grocery store or supermarket, grab a trolley and shop for all the food we need. Easy enough and doesn’t involve the (seemingly) giant hassle of growing your own food at home. But this wasn’t always the case. So when did we stop growing our own food and move to this easy system we have today?
In 1916 Clarence Saunders, a US inventor opened the first self-service grocery store called Piggly Wiggly. Although several stores in the US were trying to formulate plans for their own self-service grocery stores around the same time, it was Clarence Saunders who led the way with his store in Memphis, Tennessee.
It was not until the mid-1920’s when the first chain stores began to appear that people in America stopped growing their own food in their gardens and fully embraced the convenience of shopping for food instead.
In 1916 Clarence Saunders, a US inventor opened the first self-service grocery store. Share on X
In 1948 the first self-service grocery store opened in East London. The first chain stores began to sweep across England in 1951. Due to convenience and large amounts of people moving from the countryside into large cities it saw urban farms coming to an end between 1948 and 1951.
Self-service grocery stores and chain stores began opening and quickly spreading across Europe between 1923 and 1939, however, it has remained popular for people in European countries too, at least partially, grow their own food in their garden. Some people specialise in a certain vegetable or fruit to complement their weekly food shopping.
For the most part, the practice of growing our own food is long gone. This means that someone else is growing our food and adding all manner of pesticides, preservatives and a myriad of other chemicals to our food.
If you grow your own food you will benefit from food that has not been subjected to all manner of chemicals, it will be far fresher and tastier. One of the most common reasons people begin growing their own food is to benefit from the huge financial savings they will make on their weekly shopping.
US
In 1916 Clarence Saunders, a US inventor opened the first self-service grocery store called Piggly Wiggly. Although several stores in the US were trying to formulate plans for their own self-service grocery stores around the same time, it was Clarence Saunders who led the way with his store in Memphis, Tennessee.
It was not until the mid-1920’s when the first chain stores began to appear that people in America stopped growing their own food in their gardens and fully embraced the convenience of shopping for food instead.
In 1916 Clarence Saunders, a US inventor opened the first self-service grocery store. Share on X
UK
In 1948 the first self-service grocery store opened in East London. The first chain stores began to sweep across England in 1951. Due to convenience and large amounts of people moving from the countryside into large cities it saw urban farms coming to an end between 1948 and 1951.
Europe
Self-service grocery stores and chain stores began opening and quickly spreading across Europe between 1923 and 1939, however, it has remained popular for people in European countries too, at least partially, grow their own food in their garden. Some people specialise in a certain vegetable or fruit to complement their weekly food shopping.
For the most part, the practice of growing our own food is long gone. This means that someone else is growing our food and adding all manner of pesticides, preservatives and a myriad of other chemicals to our food.
If you grow your own food you will benefit from food that has not been subjected to all manner of chemicals, it will be far fresher and tastier. One of the most common reasons people begin growing their own food is to benefit from the huge financial savings they will make on their weekly shopping.
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