Grocery shopping at A&P - Life in America

[@adamandrews8534]

My dad put in 40+ years. I could tell stories for hours... A&P put a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, food in our stomachs, and enabled us kids to attend a parochial school! Thank you A&P and thank you Dad!

[@kelleyannethomas5372]

Adam Andrews-Your Dad was able to do that bc in those days, you were able to earn a decent living, have a roof over your head & raise a family when you worked for a grocery store company. Even a cashier's wage was enough to pay the bills, have a roof over your head & raise a family! (Maybe up until the 1980s, when things began to change? 🤔) Now you barely survive & you don't work FT anymore, either. And some stores also have self service machines, which cuts the number of cashiers in the store, down. I think that it's sad.

[@adamandrews8534]

@@kelleyannethomas5372, life was certainly better then. Life was simpler too, no iPhones, computers, only one car for many families, people generally lived within their means.

[@larrydewein401]

@@kelleyannethomas5372 You've got that right! I was surprised recently to see in my local Walmart a floor cleaning machine that ran by itself! No human needed. I mentioned to an employee that another job was gone. She said she hoped hers wasn't next!

[@williammurray8060]

Well said. My dad got paid every other Friday. We would go to a&p and fill up the trunk. Always liked the smell of that 8 o'clock coffee. We would ring the door bell to the meat department for a dog bone.my mon liked the drawings they had.was amazed how those cashiers could ring up those groceries so fast and so accurate.

[@JS-kz9xl]

So Did Mine Adam, he started in the 30's as a stockboy worked all through HS, went In the army, towards the end of WWII he didnt go overseas only to Ft Bragg when he returned HE went Back to the store which was a smaller 20's wood frame style, In 1954 They built a "trademarked" Brick building with the coopila, he retired AT age 55 with 38 years as the Meat department Manager, which was Union scale for a Butcher He did Ok, But they would have hard it A Bit more difficult IF My Mom hadn't worked At a defense Contrator that builds Submarines ...

[@jamescress]

Makes me think of my mom. She worked as a checker at A&P when I was growing up in Connersville, Indiana. I remember she would bring home Pepsi and Mountain Dew for me and my brother. Often times she would bring something to make for supper as well. I guess most everyone can say this about their mom but she was great. I lost her back in 2004 to cancer. I remember at her funeral I cried so hard I couldn't even see. I think of her everyday and she will forever live in my memories and in my heart. I love you mom.

[@Kinseydsp]

James I Lost My Mother in 2001 to Heart Failure and that is How it it was and is for me. May God Grant You Peace My Friend! And I also Say I Love You Mom.

[@jamescress]

@@Kinseydsp Thank you.

[@jamescress]

@@Kinseydsp Thank you.

[@jamescress]

@@Kinseydsp Thank you.

[@jordynsimmons1107]

rip:(

[@maureenmcgovern6119]

The smell of their coffee grinding, is just one of those things, we treasure; about the days gone by.

[@ericksonfedor4765]

Yes you are absolutely right and i missed those days coffee

[@leethomas5830]

My brothers went as price and pride for Halloween. Weee 0

[@McMinn1981]

That’s funny when my Aunt was pregnant with my cuz she couldn’t go in A&P the smell of the plastic bags and coffee made her sick

[@Lxx-tc4xc]

6:00 You could buy a sack of whole beans, then get it ground the way you wanted in a power machine. The result was a heavenly odor I fell in love with as a little boy shopping at A&P with my mother. I remember the 8 O'Clock brand. But I did not start drinking coffee until my freshman year in college. I bought nothing but instant until I met my wife in my late 30s.

[@Marcuswelby-nx2te]

Yuck!!!

[@pooddescrewch8718]

You know , as a kid I would watch my elders talk about small things from thwir past with so much ostalgia and kind of grin at the silliness . Now here at 52 I watch 40 year old commercials and shopping at the A&P videos .... its my turn to be silly I guess

[@starmnsixty1209]

You hit the bull's eye, Sgt. I used to feel that way when young. Now I know what they meant.

[@monkeywkeys3916]

This is good stuff. I live classic America. A&P. Winn Dixie. Piggly Wiggly.

[@bgraham928]

You're not alone.

[@lorettacastleberry8618]

I am 77yrs old and I have many fond memories of my parents shopping there every week . My Grandma also shopped there .My Dad loved the Bokar coffee and every Christmas they always bought a Jane Parker fruit cake .This was the 40's thru the 70' in Chattanooga ,Tn . I call that the good days ..

[@Kinseydsp]

Loved the Jane Parker Dark Fruit Cake.

[@glennso47]

My folks bought a Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary one package at a time before you had the whole thing. , I still have it. You would buy a little bit of the thing each week with your groceries and put it together until you have the whole thing. They also had a promotion where you could get a set of Currier and Ives printed China a little bit each week. I remember that my mom used a powdered laundry detergent that had a towel or wash cloth as a “prize “ in each box. I don’t remember the brand name, but I remember the towels and washcloths packed inside the box. This was in Mount Carroll Illinois in the 50s and early 60s

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Are you sure the fruit cake wasn't an exception to those positive memories? 😂😂 Is/was there such a thing as a good fruit cake? One that didn't keep getting regifted?

[@MisterMikeTexas]

@@woodynorris8224 There's a Red Peters novelty Christmas song that doesn't talk so positive about fruit cake: - "You Ain't Getting Sh## For Christmas". It's on KZbin. Fruit cake has been the butt of many jokes on the holidays. I've found fruitcake to be strong, not bad, just different, something that takes getting used to. But if I eat too much of it I might get a dui.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

@@woodynorris8224 My sweet tooth comes and goes back into hibernation a lot. It just depends on if I'm in the mood for a dessert. I might get some mini cinnamon rolls from Cicis Pizza buffet in just a bit. I'm always up for savory foods, and especially savory versions of Mexican and Italian food. Then if I'm up for dessert, I'll get the cinnamon rolls, or now that it's getting warmer go to Braum's for some ice cream. Fruit cake sounds good too actually, but I don't think it's in season now. Some coffee would go great with it also.

[@erichill612]

Memories of going to the local A&P with my grandparents. I really miss those days. This country just isn't the same.

[@Felidae-ts9wp]

Was thinking just that myself. So many great things that we grew up with are gone. So sad.

[@jcaflinco]

These images are a journey through time. How wonderful!

[@znentitan4032]

Upon hearing the music I half expect to see Linus and Charley Brown walking into an A&P.

[@ShirlBussman]

😊😊😊😊

[@dianegoodwin1981]

oh my gosh i was thinking that too lol !!!!

[@JESUSISLORDforevermore888]

👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😘

[@philipingram1667]

I remember the smell of the fresh ground coffee and the buckets that were used for sending the groceries outside to the pickup - my mother shopped primarily at A&P from the 50s to the 70s. Shame they are gone.

[@jaf8771]

What is this; " buckets that were used for sending the groceries outside to the pickup"? I don't remember the buckets.

[@jv-ep2tc]

@@jaf8771 some stores had plastic rectangular buckets that would be filled with your paper grocery bags. they would be numbered. you would be given a cardboard square with numbers matching the buckets that held your bags. you would get your car and then pick up outside. the buckets would roll on a track from inside the store to outside. you pull up, give the guy your numbers and then load the bags into the car. thus the lot was not filled with 200 pound metal carts.

[@jaf8771]

@@jv-ep2tc Thanks for the info. I live in a very small town and our A&P did not have that feature with the buckets.

[@jennywrenn469]

When we said A&P it was synonymous with super market. Great grocery store.

[@leethomas5830]

Worked for them 22yrs in the warehouse in Detroit. The family picnics the company threw together was cool . That's when companies took care of the employees.

[@kachoo2135]

We won't stop trying till you say WEO

[@lloydkline6946]

Farmer jack&AP same company

[@richardwhite9975]

There was A&P, Safeway, Giant, Colonial stores, Food City, in my home town

[@WhitneyAbrina]

@@leethomas5830 that sounds fun

[@jakealden2517]

When I was a kid in the 70s, at the end of each checkout line there was a coffee grinder where a customer could grind coffee while waiting for the groceries to be bagged.

[@jamescress]

I remember that too.

[@mairzydotes3548]

8 o’clock coffee, right?

[@jamescress]

@@mairzydotes3548 right!

[@maxineadams359]

Oh the aroma of that coffee while it was being ground.

[@janiebird76]

@@maxineadams359 It was heavenly !

[@tsf5-productions]

When my wife and I married 45 years ago (1976), first day settling into our little duplex home, we took our first grocery store shop at an A&P in Indianapolis. Price for several bags of groceries: $35 - 40. I thought it was high. I'd take that price nowadays.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Even at Walmart, you pay much more than that today.

[@TheAtstube]

Talking about newly weds and A&P, on the Green Street Cumberland, Tim a friend who just got promoted Produce Manager got married over lunch break and came back to work. Marsha was his bride. He did say to us singles: "If you find a good woman, keep her!"

[@Hogger280]

I would take that price 20 years ago !!

[@Marcuswelby-nx2te]

Y did you get married?

[@csfan65]

My Mom didn't always shop at A&P but it was a treat for me when she did. There was just something about the store that I liked. I always liked the bags with the store logo on them, too. It's the little things that most people find insignificant that sometimes brings back the greatest memories of your childhood.

[@jemimaphillips6864]

It was a very distinct logo. One of my local flea markets has an old A&P sign outside their store; when I see it, it always takes me back.

[@lyndalawson4513]

I am from the uk and it has been lovely reading all the stories in the comments and watching the film and getting real history from real people Thank you.

[@geezermann7865]

What a nice comment, thanks, and greetings to you in the UK.

[@mrmjb1960]

Their "Eight O' Clock Coffee" is still being sold through their independent company.

[@FumariVI]

My mom always bought Eight O' Clock coffee. There was an employee in the store who would grind the coffee while you waited.

[@rjo8500]

I remember grinding it at the register. Smelled wonderful!

[@Tazzman225]

@@FumariVI --- When I was a kid I remember the smell of the freshly ground coffee while standing near that coffee grinder. I thought that smell was better than drinking the coffee.☕

[@salmonella4u]

I believe walmart sells it in the bag! Good Coffee!

[@QueenBee-gx4rp]

@@rjo8500 They got you at the register with that wonderful aroma! ☕️

[@ralphsanchico2452]

Wow! I remember growing up ion Brooklyn NY, we had one about 3 (LONG) blocks from our house on Herkimer st. I remember, vividly, the sawdust strewn floors by the meat dept. and the smell of that 8:O'Clock coffee and the manual device used to grind the beans. It was great! And being a kid, everything looked so big in there! But as always, in commerce or business, nothings forever, but 156 years is still a pretty darn good record!

[@if6was929]

I lived in Bay Ridge in the 50's, we had a small grocery store (Ralston's) across the street from us where we did most of our shopping but occasionally we'd go to A&P.

[@ladydi4runner]

Wow the memories. A&P introduced me to The World. My 1st job, senior year in high school, part timer as a checker than the Meat Dept. Gave me the foundation of knowledge in buying every kind of meat. Learned sooo many things dealing with the general public. So grateful for that experience! TY.

[@JohnDoe-wb4iv]

Dad worked for a and p for thrty five yrs best man and friend I ever had grew up on Ann page peanut butter a good store miss both

[@david-leethompson62]

The Great Atlantic & Pacific store.... Now we have monopolies that charge you $7.95 for contact lens cases that they bought from China for $0.49... & top it off ... the new employee sends u to the wrong, aisle Again!

[@thorludvigsen9404]

I worked for the A&P in Brooklyn New York in the 70s... They started closing stores, and layoffs happened... I really loved working there, nice people, Great Company... I miss those days...

[@winddmmy]

@john doe my mom work at a and p in greenwich ct. in the 50s before she met my pops miss all three!

[@prevost8686]

A & P was my first part time job in high school back in the mid 80s. I think the local stores in our area held on until the early 90s and then closed as Walmart was expanded exponentially at that time. The smell of the grinding 8 O Clock coffee was the first thing that hit you when you walked in.

[@ShakespeareCafe]

Imagine how many Americans jump started their mornings with a piping hot cup of Eight O' Clock Coffee, sold exclusively at the local A&P

[@bbushor1965]

I still jump start my morning with a pot of 8'oclock coffee ❤

[@WhitneyAbrina]

I didn't know that. I think amazon sells it in k cups now. I'm sure it's NOT even close to the same.

[@AudiophileTommy]

In a percolator coffee maker with that little glass dome on top !!

[@kyereCat]

It's still my favorite coffee.

[@johnallen2771]

A&P was the only grocery store in my little hometown in the '50s and '60s. My buddy across the streets dad worked there, he was a butcher. My mom used to tell the butchers exactly what she wanted and they would cut it that way. I remember plaid stamps, too. We saved them and you could get stuff when your books were full. They were like green stamps.

[@annettevillain4352]

Saturday morning shopping with my Mom. The smell if freshly ground coffee going through the check-out grinder.

[@billykolger9646]

When i was a kid in Mobile Ala this is where my mother went every week. I remember her getting coffee beans and then grinding them in the machine, then bagging then up, I still remember that to this day. They also sold some fantastic toys too. One of the best i ever got came from there.

[@summerrose4286]

Which toy was it?

[@richblacklock]

And, OH, the wonderful smell of that fresh ground coffee!

[@ronalddean4834]

I remember back in the fifties on Friday night my mom and dad and myself going to A&P for groceries. I remember mom grinding the 8oclock coffee. Great memories our A&P was in annandale va.

[@larrydewein401]

I had forgotten about eight o'clock coffee and to my great surprise I saw it in my local grocery store the other day in the same red bag! I was surprised it was still around!!

[@rachelc.5463]

@Ronald Dean... Back in 1960s on Friday night my parents and sisters and I shopped for groceries at A&P in Fairfax, Virginia across from the old Fairfax High School. Dad would drive us there from Herndon because at that time Herndon had only one very small grocery store with not much to offer.

[@starmnsixty1209]

These videos make me think of Chicago's song "Old Days". Anyone else?

[@bobn.5173]

I drove a tractor trailer for a A&P that was a great job

[@gregtheredneck1715]

A&P was the store where my mother shopped. I still remember being greeted with the aroma of fresh ground coffee when walking into the store from all of the coffee grinders at each checkout lane.

[@markhayes9198]

I can remember the old A and P grocery store when a young kid growing up, don't exist anymore

[@danielthoman7324]

my first real job was working after school and on weekends at an A&P. It was the store near the village shopping center, in Gary Indiana.1964 and 1965. when I turned 18 I quit the A&P and got a job at US Steel. then sometime in the late 70's or early 80's A&P left the Midwest. sure hated to see them go.

[@danielmorse4213]

I know that store.long long ago.

[@gregory46236]

I remember that place as well. Grew up in East Chicago and Hammond in the 60s and 70s.

[@roberthurley6860]

Watching this got me a little choked up. My mom bought all our groceries in our local A & P in the 1950s and 1960s, no place else. She became friendly with all the staff over the years, they were all a part of her life. When she died very suddenly in her mid 40s my Dad actually made a special visit to that store just to tell them of her passing. A very different time indeed.

[@elrobo3568]

In the early 60's I worked at an A & P on Kingsbridge road in the Bronx. I started as a delivery boy ( I rode the bicycle with the huge wire basket on the front with the little front wheel) then a stocker then a cashier, I remember that I had to know math I had to know the prices of produce and I had to know how to use the huge cash register. The most important thing we were expected to do was respect the customer. I made 25 cents an hour.

[@ralphsanchico2452]

I remember those huge wire baskets back in the day. You could put a family n there! (LOL)

[@elrobo3568]

@@ralphsanchico2452 HUGE wire basket, tiny front wheel and my huge legs. They later went to the front box with a metal cover that could be locked and was water resistant, the bike frame articulated in the front. Those were really heavy. I was happy to be "promoted" to bagger. (25 cents per hour)

[@marthagonzalez5528]

@@elrobo3568 gesss I 25 an hour hope your employee discount was at least 50 percent

[@elrobo3568]

@@marthagonzalez5528 There were no employee discounts, I went from A & P to Associated foods, just about the same. not too long after that I went into the USAF (during Viet Nam) and got paid $86 a month. I guess I was never that smart huh?

[@marthagonzalez5528]

I work at a couple of theaters part min. Wage we get 2 free. Passes

[@t.b.g.504]

A&P, also remembered and missed in Canada.

[@davidsquires154]

I remember A&P from back in the day . I grew up on A &P, and I remember Jane Parker fruit cake,Eight O'clock coffee, and Super Right Meats.

[@mikeroulleau3963]

Not forgetting the scrumptious Jane Parker SPANISH BAR Cake....Delicious!!!🙂

[@carolarms765]

I started working right out of high school at A&P on Clark Ave in Cleveland, Oh . 1968, started $2.34 an hr, boy sure would like to have one of there Spanish Bar Cakes.

[@bonniehendel2291]

Oh my gosh! I was just checking to see if anyone mentioned the Spanish Bar cake! We went to the store on W. 25 in Cleveland. Loved that cake!

[@Donna-zc9ii]

My dad loved those spanish bar cakes. He actually worked for a subsidiary of the A&P. He made powdered milk and butter for the store. We would go shopping there on friday nights after he got paid. He passed away in 1970 and my mom in 2011, but going through her recipes one day I found that she had tried to figure out a recipe for that cake. More people were also trying to find it on google.Mmmm molasses cake, raisins and fluffy frosting in two layers. Wish they were still around, The stores too😊

[@elainecox6640]

Oh how we all in the Cox family loved the Spanish Bar Cake, as did our company along with 8:00 coffee. Yesterday how we miss you !

[@Donna-zc9ii]

@@elainecox6640 I just googled that cake and there are several recipes there for it. The two I looked at did not have any molasses in it. It has cocoa which surprised me, but if I made it I would add two tbsp of molasses. I have my grandmothers recipe for boston brown bread which has raisins and molasses and is similar in taste to the cake.

[@worldsbesttarot]

Wow I am from Cleveland oh too! Good memories

[@StukInBuf]

Being born in New York City(Brooklyn), we shopped oftentimes between A&P, PathMark, ShopRite, Bohack/Key Food, Waldbaum's, and Grand Union. My Dad even once worked at A&P as a manager.

[@JxT1957]

i love their 8 o'clock coffee

[@axdesho]

This is what you call great customer service!! Can't you just feel it...

[@michellerjackson5776]

Thank you for all the great content! It's very comforting in this day and age. The music you accompany your works with is always soothing and makes watching ever so enjoyable..👏👏👏

[@jasonhummel3865]

What a store That use to be Back in time

[@peggyschmidt7715]

Another walk down memory lane, it's 👍.

[@deebeefromnc54]

I remember shopping with my mom at A&P. Around Christmastime, I would start looking for the 3 ft. live trees that were on display high on top of the coolers at the back of the store. Some were green, others were white. Then, one year they offered a few that were PINK !!! But, even though pink was one of my favorite colors, I always wanted a green one. LOL

[@jomcgee6094]

Still drinking Eight O'clock coffee!

[@markthrasher6770]

The greatest smelling coffee in the whole wide world.....

[@kemart537]

Me too ☕️

[@retiredhappy466]

As a kid growing up in Chicago in the 1960s, I too have fond memories of our local A&P (79th & Pulaski). Once a week, my mother would send me to our A&P for a gallon of milk, a bag of 8 O'Clock (fresh ground) coffee, a TV guide and a Chicago Tribune news paper. After she gave me the $3.00, I remember her telling me each time to bring back the change. What wonderful memories.

[@dd-nv6sw]

I remember the baggers would bag up your groceries and take them out and load them in the trunk of your car for you. No tips were accepted.

[@sarasmith19]

Mama tipped and they a cepted

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Today, if you can get a manned lane, the cashier does all the scanning/bagging, and you tote your purchases yourself afterward. But more often than not, you the customer have to do all the work, scanning, bagging, operating the register, and toting! All due to upper management's bright "cost cutting" idea! 😡

[@joeb5358]

Now you have to bag your own groceries and pay for the bags!

[@joesmith4222]

They still do that at Savemarts in California.

[@judiebarbieri8847]

@@joesmith4222 And @ Publix supermarkets in the south...

[@elderherrera2238]

I'm glad I can enjoy my Eight O'Clock alongside my memories.

[@mewregaurdhissyfit7733]

It's sad to see Americana being shut down and forgotten.

[@trishhinkle7076]

Oh, that Spanish bar cake!!❤️

[@Dr.Pepper001]

There was an A&P 2 blocks from our house in Jacksonville, Florida. I was 13 and worked as a bag boy to make spending money. The usual tip for bagging someone's groceries and wheeling them to their car was 10-cents. Big spenders would tip a quarter.

[@drohegda]

From what I remember the "" 8 O'clock Coffee"" came in bean form and when you checked out they opened and ground it for you ,and the whole store had a fantastic smell for awhile afterwards. Thank You.☕🍵

[@barbarafowler6581]

Loved our Granite City, Illinois, A&P store. Shopped there for years since I was a young kid with my mom and dad. The bakery goods were wonderful, especially their spice cake with icing. Their fruitcake at Christmastime was so yummy and we got one every year. Was so sorry to see that store go.

[@sarafreeman5073]

I really enjoyed watching this. It brings back memories of when my mama wood take me to shop with her at the A&P and the Winn Dixie.

[@carolbabb7875]

Thanks! The photos sure bring back early memories of our A&P on Cabot St. near the RR tracks in Beverly Ma. I remember the metal wheeled convayer that started at the exit door and went to the end of the building. Shopping bags were put in tubs and pushed on the squeeky wheels to the end for pick up with your car. The carts went right back into the store and were never in the parking lot due to being on somewhat of a hill. This store closed in the early 70's after a more modern Star Market opened in North Beverly. Most of the kids in Beverly grew up on Ann Page peanut butter back then and I still love the smell of ground 8 o'clock coffee.

[@kkampy4052]

My grandma lived in a small town in WVa. She always called it the "tea store". She's been gone for 30+ years but I can still hear her say it.

[@franknew9001]

Originally their main focus was selling tea. They were first known as "The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company."

[@pneumatic00]

When I as growing up Jersey in the 60's, I recall my Mom always preferred Shop-Rite because they offered S&H Green Stamps instead of Plaid stamps.

[@CharlesCoderre-yv1cu]

all trading stamps were a sleazy racket-people finally caught on

[@ericeandco]

It was a good store back in the day when you didn’t need a golf cart to get to the milk.

[@bestofthebest7823]

You are a master at your presentations, please keep them coming! Thank you!

[@joevald3]

Boy did I love these stores .. They had a bakery that was out of this world . The best apple pie and Christmas the best fruitcake ever . It's never been duplicated . And of course 8 o'clock coffee which is still around if you can recognize it . Freshly ground in the store . How did the Atlantic and Pacific tea Company fail .. They should never sold to Germans . They had no intention of saving the stores . They bled off the retirement fund . And close them down . They were your neighborhood grocery store . The gave you service like you'll never see again . Colonial stores was another one .

[@luvsjudy]

My Brother Kept His Part Time Job With The A&P For 49 Years With His Regular Job... There Was A Liquor Store That Was Owned And Operated By The A&P That Was Attached...So Many Per State Had Them...My Brother Worked In The Liquor Store In In The Suburbs Of New York...He Worked At A Total Of Three Different A&P Locations...

[@RetiredRosie]

Thanks for sharing this video. My Dad worked at A&P's in the Boston area, mostly as the head of the produce department, until the stores began to close. I loved the smell of the coffee that was ground to order and I still remember the Ann Page spice bar. Thanks for helping me recall happy memories.

[@barbclark8035]

There was an A&P in our town when I was growing up. My mom also collected S&H green stamps from another store.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a supermarket like that today? With all these amenities, human being cashiers and baggers, and car loading assistance? And no self check lanes?! No doing all the checkout labor yourself, as if you're an employee, not a customer, but without compensation? Not even a nominal discount on the total?

[@olehippy13]

Public's is very close to an A&P store.... service and genuine caring.

[@rstefanie2622]

We do and it's called Publix.

[@davidsparks8975]

I remember shopping with my grandparents at the a&p in nacogdoches Texas grinding your own coffee and and Paige peanut butter the store is still there but a&p is gone forever

[@buickinvicta288]

We had the last of the A & P's here in NY. So sad when they closed.

[@antonsmith9788]

I remember the one out in Riverhead.

[@Cynthia-mk7zq]

God A&P 😀 Nostalgia lane again tonight bittersweet😏

[@jaminova_1969]

My 1st self-employment gig was carrying groceries home for the seniors in the neighborhood. I had a red wagon and would usually get 25 cents, or whatever they could afford. I also sold apples and lemonade for a Nickle. Up until today, I didn't know what A&P stood for. My Pop-pop told me it was Apples & Pineapple!

[@squirrelsarepeopletoo6678]

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company

[@ethelnewberry9296]

@@squirrelsarepeopletoo6678: I was just going to say that. I loved their Fruit Cake. One year I ate one in two days all by my self with A&P 8 O'Clock Coffee.

[@terrilewis4314]

Great memories. My Grandfather was a butcher for A&P frpm 1950 to 1972 He taught a lot of men to become butchers for A&P in Texas. Love going to the store in Stephenville Texas because all the toys was on th o shelf. I got a pedal fire truck and a grocery store doll and teddy bear from there. Thank you for sharing. Great memories 🥰🥰🥰❣

[@frederickmoller]

Here too, in Canada, I grew up from a child to an adult shopping with my Mom at the A&P in Timmins Ontario, Canada....till Metro based out of Quebec bought out A&P in Canada, I still shop there today.

[@salmonella4u]

Gotta love the music that's used in these recollection road - Life in America videos. Really puts you in the mood and takes you back!

[@clarea7353]

I remember going with my Mom when I was a kid, now 50 years later I can see this was my mother’s weekly outing. Every Thursday night my father would drop her off for her weekly social time with grownups.

[@barbarafowler6581]

haha aiht that right? My mom never went anywhere as a stay-at-home mom, and Thursday night was her big night out...hahahah. She would come home and holler about how she spent $16 or maybe $20, but that actually was a lot of food (1960's).

[@karenstrycharz1499]

I remember the A& P store in the center of town on Elm St in West Spfld., Ma. I remember the old wood floors that used to creek, when you walked over their floors pushing a shopping cart “ way back when.” It is now a CVS & renovated naturally yrs ago. When I worked as Executive Concierge yrs ago at the beautiful Sheraton West Hotel on Rt 5 I had a client that used to stay at the hotel( we got to be close friends) that came into town to call on the A & P and Food Mart stores that were owned byte same company. Food Mart is no longer here for yrs & yrs , too but the A & P store was a icon!

[@KapitalP73]

How things change. Those A&P employees made enough money back then to support and raise a family. That same type of job was my first at the age of 16 and that was only for walkaround money.

[@jaf8771]

That's so true. My dad had a good job as a forest ranger and made $325.00 every two weeks and supported a family of 5 comfortably. They spent $80,00 out of the paycheck on groceries which amounted to about 8 or 10 grocery bags full....amazing.

[@retiredrnmamawc4207]

My great grandmother Jessie would only drink 8 o’clock coffee from “the A & P”. 🥰❣️

[@franknew9001]

I can remember our family shopping at A & P in the 1960's and 1970's in Maryland. For many decades A & P was the largest retailer in America. Then in the mid 1960's, they lost that distinction to Sears. Now Sears is almost gone. Many of the A & P's that I saw looked just like the one at 4:56 in this video, with the gable and lattice on the roof.

[@mikeroulleau3963]

They called these their "Colonial Stores" in both the United States and Canada. Usually Red Brick with the.lattice and weather vanes on the top. Very classy and distinctively A & P.

[@keiththomas3141]

The Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. Back when life was good. We had one close to where we lived. I used to ride my bike there to buy chipped ham and Ann Page salad dressing.

[@popcultureaddict733]

The next formerly dominant retailer to completely disappear is Sears. It's only a matter of time.

[@Traveltheme706]

agree

[@janiebird76]

And maybe j.c. penney

[@glennso47]

It’s gone in Rockford Illinois. Kmart too.

[@billchambersmarquez2768]

Sears is long gone !

[@squirrelsarepeopletoo6678]

@@janiebird76 JC Penney has emerged from bankruptcy and has actually made a small profit

[@fanaticat1]

I loved A & P. These old photos are FABULOUS! Thanks for the memories!

[@bobbylaguardia6680]

My Grandmother took me all the time to A&P thank you

[@debbiemason7567]

Same here, I remember the wooden floors, and the long walk back home with grandma pulling her cart behind her, fond memories...

[@oldmaidwhovianakanancyg4425]

We had an A&P in my hometown, across from my aunt's home. Still bear the scars on my knee from when I fell in their parking lot in the late 60's. I remember smelling the fresh ground coffee. The building is still there after all these decades. It's been everything from an indoor go-kart track, to a truck dealership, to a warehouse. A&P still exists in parts of Europe. I saw one in the northern Netherlands.

[@mrtodd3620]

I like to think that A&P was the Starbucks of its day, starting out selling coffee, tea, and spices.

[@diannelavoie5385]

They were originally the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, hence the initials.

[@swedacashregisters]

i got my working start at the a&p i loved that place everything was just so old school most of the things i have now were bought with money made at the a&p right to the end very sad that its gone

[@RobertJamesChinneryH]

bread at 23 cents a loaf ...day old 22 cents...today bread sits on the shelf for days and is $3.00

[@RM.....]

and we pay the price in many ways for it too.health ,wallet

[@hearttoheart4me]

@Imix Muan People forget that when they compare yesterday's prices with today's income.

[@anthonysvenforsic4760]

@Imix Muan it’s not that the food is better or worth more. The problem is the dollar is worth less. It’s coming to a head right now.

[@anthonysvenforsic4760]

@@hearttoheart4me it’s not a matter of income. It’s a matter of the central banks issuing so much money your dollar is worth a tenth of its original value.

[@Hogger280]

Good bread is $3.50 to $6.00

[@steelwheels327]

I remember going with my dad to the A& P and the highlight of my day would be when he would let me turn on the coffee grinder .Back in those days you'd scoop whichever coffee beans you wanted in the top of the machine & flip the on switch and watch it fill the bag underneath. The smell was fantastic !!! probably why i love coffee today : )

[@600joe]

On one Mad Men episode, Betsy’s dad died in line at the A&P. Mad Men great nostalgia.

[@jonimichalski9193]

Good old days memories

[@charliebrown5755]

I can smell the wonderful 8 o'clock coffee now

[@Larrymarx]

I miss my A&P that was in walking distance from my home, no more than 50 yards.. Thank you for taking the time to make and post this excellent piece of Americana...

[@marka.graffakasnakebitenat3736]

David Letterman worked for one as a kid in Indianapolis. He featured that A&P in one of his shows.

[@danielthoman7324]

I don't know if Letterman worked at an A&P or not, but I do remember he said that he worked at Atlas supermarket. they went out of business long time ago.

[@marka.graffakasnakebitenat3736]

@@danielthoman7324 he did mention it when he brought in fans from his hometown of Indianapolis to The Late Show in NYC.

[@danielthoman7324]

@@marka.graffakasnakebitenat3736 I just asked Google where Letterman worked at when he was young and Google says Atlas supermarket.

[@XpediousF]

They became super fresh on the east coast for awhile. Finally all gone

[@Simpsonfanguy]

R.I.P A&P Supermarket 1859 - 2015

[@leethomas5830]

2007 in Michigan was under the name farmer Jack. Checks came from montvale

[@BBsAdventures]

Thanks for bringing back good memories from New Jersey - I forgot about A&P

[@oldcountryman2795]

A & P is a case study in mismanaging a business that should be impossible to fail at.

[@waynemizer4912]

Same for Sears.

[@leethomas5830]

Can't run a business from Jersey and stores in Michigan.

[@georgea6403]

Yes my dad gave 29 dedicated years was a manager. In 1976 they gave the managers in our area a trip to the Bahamas because of their performance. It was the next year they fired all of them. And the stores started shutting down. 29 years of dedicated service and he got $176 a month pension. The managers union filed a class action lawsuit but they lost couldn’t compete against the bastards.

[@summerrose4286]

Can you explain how so?

[@TheEvie202]

They claimed “bankruptcy “ and screwed the workers out of their pensions. They gave the unionized workers 33-66% of the pension in the end for 35+ years of service!

[@gingerpuff764]

Thanks for this. Love it! I have fond memories of shopping there with my Mom and grandmother. I always remember the smell of the coffee grinders at the register with Eight 'o Clock coffee. Such wonderful memories.

[@carolspencer9396]

Thank you so much for this! 😢

[@richardlawson4317]

My Mother liked the A&P brands Ann Page, and their 8 O Clock coffee. I have very pleasant memories of both.

[@smtpgirl]

I remember shopping at A&P with my aunt in College Park, MD in the mid-late 1960s

[@sharrontaylor4744]

smtpgirl : same here , the A&P on rt. 450 New Carrollton , Md. ! My mom would shop Grand Union and the such after perusing the food ad section in the Washington Post . Good ol' days 🤗👍 But , she's been gone now 47 years 🌹

[@nonenone4219]

Those were the days...lost now...This is why we should enjoy the moment we live in, we will never have them again.. Such beautiful memories of shopping with my grandmother at A&P.. Thanks for the video.

[@Kinseydsp]

Recollection Road As a Kid I would be with My Mother every Friday Night Shopping at the A&P, in Pottstown Pa. Many Years Later I would work for A&P so Sad that in 2015 they Would Be Gone Grew up with Jane Parker baked goods, Ann Page Caned foods Captain Johns Sea Food Chowder 8 O'clock Coffee and so much more Including the Jane Parker Dark Fruit Cake.

[@bsalightning69]

My dad had a A&P coffee grinder that had been in the local store. He had it out in the barn and used it for grinding grain. Still looked brand new.

[@francesrude3007]

We had one in th 50's in our town. I always thought it stood for Anne Page.

[@RetiredRosie]

Their store brand if I remember correctly was Ann Page which was a play on the store name. Loved the Ann Page baked goods.

[@leethomas5830]

We called it aches and pains at the warehouse.

[@jonkrispeterson6678]

Reading the book , “The Rise and Fall of The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company” was required reading for upper management at the grocery chain I worked for. How the inability to change can cause any company to collapse.