The General Store: Shopping Long Ago

A Visit to the General Store

1Long ago, many small towns in the United States had no big grocery stores or shopping malls. Instead, a town often had one general store. A general store sold a little bit of everything. People went there to buy food, cloth, tools, lamp oil, and many other goods.

2Shopping at a general store was not like shopping today. Customers usually did not walk down aisles and take things off the shelves. Instead, they stood at a long wooden counter and told the storekeeper what they needed. Then the storekeeper gathered each item for them. Many goods, such as flour, sugar, and crackers, were kept in large barrels or sacks. The storekeeper scooped out the right amount and weighed it on a scale.

3Many farm families did not have much cash. Some of them traded eggs, butter, or vegetables for the things they needed. Others bought goods on credit. This meant they took the goods home and paid for them later, sometimes after their crops were sold. The storekeeper wrote down what each family owed in a big record book.

4The general store was also a place to meet. In many towns, the post office was inside the store, so people stopped by to pick up their mail. On cold days, neighbors gathered around a warm stove to talk and share the news.

5Over time, towns grew, and new kinds of stores opened. Roads and cars made it easier for people to travel to bigger towns to shop. Many general stores closed. Today, only a few are still open. Some of them still have wooden counters and old barrels, so stepping inside is like taking a short trip back in time.