The Price of Groceries

In 1939
Apples cost 69 cents for 20 pounds
In 2008
Apples cost 88 cents a pound or $17.60 for 20 pounds

In 1939

Grapefruit was 11 for 28 cents
In 2008
Each grapefruit cost $1.00

In 1939
Sugar was 25 pounds for $1.49
In 2008
25 pounds of sugar cost $12.25

In 1939
Butter was 35 cents a pound
In 2008
Butter is $2.71 a pound

In 1939
Margarine was 2 pounds for 29 cents
In 2008
Margarine is 83 cents a pound or $1.66 for two pounds

In 1939
Spam cost 25 cents a can
In 2008
Spam costs $2.29 a can

In 1939
Jell-O was 5 cents a box
In 2008
Jell-O costs 59 cents a box

In 1939
Oatmeal 15 cents, (size unknown)
In 2008
Oatmeal cost 99 cents a box

In 1939
Pickled pigs feet were 7 for 25 cents
In 2008
Eight ounces sell for $3.85

A bag of apples, as today’s prices, would be far greater than the weekly budget for groceries in households with children in the late thirties! We know we have to consider wages yet, the numbers are staggering, aren’t they?

What Old Trunks found to be interesting about the ad was there really wasn’t anything in the ad that one could raise at home. We don’t see cans of green beans or fresh meat. Yes, it is true that people could churn their butter and can their own meats, however, there were no apple or grapefruit trees in northern Minnesota.

Mother sat at the table near the phone and wrote her grocery list on the table top. She would pick up the phone and ask the operator to ring a 2 or 3 digit number. On the other end, someone said, “Riverside Grocery.” As Mother recited her list, the person on the other end wrote it down. Mother struck through each item. Sometime during the day, the groceries would be delivered to the house. The groceries were charged; the bill was paid at the end of the month.

Riverside Grocery was a step down from the markets and a step up from the mom and pop stores scattered throughout Thief River Falls. Riverside was on the south side and Froseth’s was on the north side. Did Danny’s Grocery on the east side offer this service? Did all three offer fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products, and so much more. Both offered free delivery.
Perhaps the bigger stores offered pricing which was a little cheaper; certainly the neighborhood stores were higher.

Let me see how many mom and pop stores I can remember. In Thief River Falls. How many can you remember? I am going to need help on this one.

Eighth Street Grocery (8th Street at Davis? Atlantic?)

Froseth Grocery (Main and 8th Street) Now Erl’s Grocery

Noper Grocery, Motel, and Trailer Park (1006 N Main)

We lived close to Noper’s, Greg stole oranges from there

Flom Grocery (Duluth Avenue and 10th Street)

Flom’s is the later name. Grandma Mae used to give me a nickel in the afternoon to go there to get a Popsicle. They always had the latest flavors. They also had over ripe bananas.

Solheim Midway Grocery (506 N Main across from Zion Church)
Greg would come home from Sunday School with candy on his breath. He would tell our parents he was good and the teacher gave him candy. Actually, he was taking the offering out of his envelope and spending it at Solheim’s.

Kneale Avenue Grocery (Kneale and North 3rd)

Mother and Daddy went to Disneyland in the early sixties. They left me behind with money and open charge accounts. A high school junior can spend a lot of potato chips and soda in two weeks. When Daddy reviewed the bill, he thought p. chips were pork chops.

First Street Grocery (lst at South Horace)
I used to walk to this store after a dance at the auditorium and call my parents to come and get me. We were living at the farm and the agreement was to call and they would come and get me. They always let us use the phone in the back room which smelled of rotting onions.

Danny’s at 1st Street near Kendall or Tindolph)
This was the second Danny’s in TRF. Mother and Daddy lived about two blocks from the store. Mother would walk to Danny’s every day and buy a pack of cigarettes. She said it limited her to the amount she smoked and got exercise, as well.

Was there one at Arnold Avenue and Main out by the Dairy Queen?

It seems in some way, we have come full circle. Now, instead of Mother using the phone to call the grocers and reading off her list written on the table top, one can order one’s groceries on the Internet from a local market and have delivery, of which there is no charge for $50 or more.
Let me think…..just how many grapefruit is that? At today’s prices, 50 grapefruit. Perhaps I would have more room for less than six pounds of butter.

For all of you who are making photo copies of newspapers, be smarter than me, watch your perimeters, there may be good stuff beyond the Rosewood News that may have interest to you later!

Happy marketing!

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