I had a conversation with a friend on Facebook this morning regarding my memories of her Grandfather Camm Sasser's General Store. I recall it as a general store although it evolved slowly into strictly a grocery store; for instance my first pair of long pants, a pair of coveralls, was bought in this 'grocery store' in 1928.
My recollections are, of course, somewhat more vivid of the Dust Bowl/Great Depression Era in the 1930s.
I mentioned to her that beef was so cheap that her grandfather would just cut a convenient chunk from anywhere on the quarter (steak or roast meat) and grind it for hamburger. This gave thought to me; why was beef so cheap when lack of grazing in the drought and dust should have created a shortage of beef. Before that decade was finished, I was learning the meat cutter's trade in a grocery store. We did stock and sell beef but our major selling items were salt pork jowl and salt pork bellies. Why should this be?? There had to be a logical reason.We just stacked that salted meat on top of the counter and covered it with a clean butchers apron; it didn't require refrigeration.
Refrigeration? How about those customers. Some had ice boxes and a few wealthy ones were buying the new electric refrigerators. Most didn't even have electricity. The day to day workers in the city worked twelve hours per day for the sum of one silver dollar. For 5¢, one twentieth of that dollar, he could buy one pound of salt pork that needed no refrigeration and could be cooked with beans or other food or breaded and fried. One pound of hamburger cost 10¢ to 12¢ and required refrigeration. Steak was about 18¢ per pound. At one silver dollar per day, there was no great demand for the expensive steak or roast meats. This compensated for the beef shortage I mentioned above. Bologna. chicken wings, and chitterlings sold well on the week ends.
I mentioned to another lady I know about standing in front of Mr. Sasser's candy counter, clutching three or four pennies, maybe less, and taking an half hour to decide on that major purchase. Remember; five of those pennies would buy a pound of salt pork for the family.
Just a question for today's world; how long since you saw a penny laying on the ground and debated whether to bother with picking it up?
I remember the late 50s and 60s the prices were a little higher, but it was almost as hard for some to buy even as cheap as it was then. My family had to learn to distinguish between want and need. Good Article we need to remember why todays life is so different.
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