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History question: why did it take till 1915 for someone to "invent" the supermarket?
Posted on 11/26/17 at 3:21 pm
Posted on 11/26/17 at 3:21 pm
It blows me away that such a basic economies of scale concept wasn't invented centuries earlier by some other profit-seeking entrepreneur.
Didn't anyone ever stop and think "why is it smart that I have to go to fifteen different stores for bread, meat, spices, and other foodstuffs?" Why not have it all in one giant building?
Didn't anyone ever stop and think "why is it smart that I have to go to fifteen different stores for bread, meat, spices, and other foodstuffs?" Why not have it all in one giant building?
20
Posted on 11/26/17 at 3:25 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
To be fair to them, the logistics of getting all those items together by one person/corporation was probably pretty difficult.
Let's also dial down the 15 different stores. While it was probably annoying, they weren't all located miles from each other, you just moved down a stall or storefront on the main street.
Additional note: Consumers probably couldn't even move all those items at once anyways, negating the benefit of one transaction for everything. People didn't have cargo hold SUVs to transport 50lbs of goods in one go.
Let's also dial down the 15 different stores. While it was probably annoying, they weren't all located miles from each other, you just moved down a stall or storefront on the main street.
Additional note: Consumers probably couldn't even move all those items at once anyways, negating the benefit of one transaction for everything. People didn't have cargo hold SUVs to transport 50lbs of goods in one go.
This post was edited on 11/26/17 at 3:28 pm
Posted on 11/26/17 at 3:27 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
You ever heard of a general store baw?
Posted on 11/26/17 at 3:27 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Well in olden times they had markets or fairs with all those products in one place, just not under one roof. I guess the supermarket concept didn’t work until industrial farming and mass production made the centralized distribution possible.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 3:27 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Abe Froman doesn't become the sausage king of Chicago by allowing some third party super market sell his goods.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 3:37 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
The necessary transportation didn’t exist until then. Last mile shipping is critical in that industry.
It’s not an accident that the modern supermarket emerged shortly after the automobile.
It’s not an accident that the modern supermarket emerged shortly after the automobile.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 4:15 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Refrigeration
Posted on 11/26/17 at 4:39 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
Ever watch little house on the prarie
Posted on 11/26/17 at 4:42 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
I think others have covered it pretty well already. Seems like there were always things like markets, fairs, mercantile streets, etc that served much the same purpose. And things like lack of electricity/refrigeration and transportation probably were big hindrances to the earlier establishment of "supermarkets" per se.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 4:45 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
invent" the supermarket?
Nola French market says hi. Town bazaars and open air markets say hi.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 4:57 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Clarence Saunders
Posted on 11/26/17 at 5:13 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Let’s see, that’s around the time gasoline powered transportation started. Probably something to do with that.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 5:22 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Without 20/20 hindsight, go invent something people in 2115 will wonder why it took so long to invent.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 5:26 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
quote:
You ever heard of a general store baw?
This is the correct answer. It was mostly all in one store with a clerk to get it for you.
People are dumb.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 5:26 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
It took centuries to come up with the name "Piggly Wiggly"?
Posted on 11/26/17 at 5:53 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Why did it take thousands of years for man to invent a flying machine?
Posted on 11/26/17 at 6:07 pm to Martini
quote:the truly radical innovation, and the reason may surprise you.
It was mostly all in one store with a clerk to get it for you.
Other grocers scoffed at Saunders (Piggly Wiggly) and his new idea b/c... They assumed people would shoplift the merchandise off the shelves
But Saunders was willing to risk it since self-shopping decreased staff costs, and thus enabled him to lower prices.
And if you notice, he had some protections built into the system:
Posted on 11/26/17 at 6:10 pm to Kafka
quote:
And if you notice, he had some protections built into the system:
No blacks. Nice.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 6:11 pm to BRgetthenet
Hi, this is John from the Silver Slipper casino and I’m here to tell you about what we’re doing for the holidays. Come check out our Santa sleigh giveaway in front of our award winning jubilee buffet.
We’re proud to be your host on the coast
We’re proud to be your host on the coast
Posted on 11/26/17 at 6:12 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Why did it take so long to invent the Fleshlight? Just be thankful someone finally did.
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