Recollections of a 93-year-old

"You knew how much money you had for the week and that was that. So you bought a rabbit and made it last for three days."

At almost 93 and still in possession of an almost full set of marbles, my grandma is an incredible living history book. I visited her yesterday for lunch and asked her what shopping was like before the supermarkets came on the scene, and what impact they had when they were introduced.

Grandma has pretty much come full circle in terms of shopping. Growing up in the 1920s in a well-to-do Sheffield family her mother kept a live-in maid who was responsible for buying the groceries. Nine decades later and pretty much housebound without help, my grandma again relies on others to do her shopping - only now it's a "nice gentleman" from Tesco who delivers it straight to her door.

But what was it like shopping for her own family in the 1940s and 1950s?

"There were shops in every neighbourhood," she remembers. "You didn't have to go into town. You had a butcher and separate fishmonger, a baker and a greengrocer. And you pretty much went shopping for a bit or this or that every day - we didn't have a fridge in those days so you couldn't store things like you can now.

"The best thing about it was the relationships that developed between shopkeepers and customers. You really got to know each other and they became like friends. They got to know exactly what you wanted so they might set something aside for you. You don't get that now with the supermarkets - everything is so impersonal."

So when did the supermarkets first come on the scene? I ask her if she remembers the first one.

"Oh yes, it was quite a to-do," she says. "I would have been in my 20s or 30s I think. The first one was quite small but then they just got larger and larger - every new one that opened was bigger than the last. The choice was unimaginable; and that got bigger and bigger too.

"I didn't go into them at first. I was dubious. I had my own butcher and greengrocer so why bother? But gradually we all started going in for a look because it was the 'in thing' to do.

"And of course everything was cheaper, so bit by bit I think everyone started shopping in the supermarkets instead."

And do you think you actually saved money in the supermarkets grandma?

"Well no, I think that was a bit of a con. Things were cheaper but there was so much choice you were bedazzled, you ended up buying much more than you needed. And then there was all the special offers too, so you'd buy three things instead of one."

By this point in the conversation I can tell grandma is getting bored. We've finished our soup and she's starting to fidget. Like most old people she's a MASSIVE fan of cake and I can tell that her mind is wandering to the Victoria sponge in the kitchen. 

I round up our little chat by asking her if she thinks things are better or worse now.

She considers for a few seconds before answering: "In some ways better. They are certainly more convenient with their opening hours and I'd be really stuck without my Tesco delivery. I'd have to rely on friends and neighbours to fetch my groceries.

"But it other ways worse. There aren't as many local shops any more because people don't support them, which I think is a real shame. And I think it's easier to balance your weekly budget when you're just popping out each day to get what you need rather than buying all manner of things in the supermarkets. 

"You see the way some people pile up their trollies and you just think 'oh my god'. It's no wonder they're all getting fat."

Grandma gives a decisive nod and, without a hint of irony, goes to get the Victoria sponge.